The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-28
A FURY'S OUTBREAK.
Mrs. McGee Savagely Attacks a
Catholic Sister.
TRYING TO RECOVER HER CHILD.
Defeated in Court, the Woman Resorts
to Force and Beats the Girls
Protector.

Mrs Kate McGee, who has several times
figured in the courts in various roles. at
tempted to kidnap her S-year-old daughter,
Maggie, from the Home of the Good Shep-
herd, at Eleventh and Jefferson streets,
about O'Clock last evening, and, meeting
with resistance, assaulted and was with
difficulty prevented from killing Sister
Teresa, one of the guardians of the home.
AS a result of the assault, warrant was
last evening issued by Justice Won Tobel,
charging her with assault and battery.
The warrant will be served this morning.
The story of the assault was told TO
PosT-ISsELLIGENcER reporter by the sister
superior IN charge, as follows: Last
January Mrs. MCGEE called at the home
I and wanted to leave her young daughter.
Maggie, in charge of the institution. ''She
is getting beyond my control, and I'm
afraid she will turn out like my other
daughter. Annie" she said. The sister
superior took the child, but first extracted
promise from the mother that she
would not claim her until she was Is years
of age, agreeing that the managers of the
home would keep her and educate her.
The child was found to be possessed of
very mild, sweet temper, and she is quite
favorite. not only with the other chill
dren but with the sisters. On August Is
Mrs. MCGEE called again at the home and
demanded the girl, saying:
1--WE are all going to leave for New
York, and I'm now in position to care
for her."
The sister superior absolutely refused to
give up the child, and, after making dire
threats, Mrs. McGee went away. She en-
Cd oh
tain possession of the girl by civil pro-
cess. A writ Of habeas corpus was APP
piled for on the ground that the plaintiff
was unjustly deprived of the custody of
her child. The case came up for hearing
before Judge Lichtenberg on Sept. II, but
demurrer TO the complaint was sustained.
The climax to the controversy was
reached last evening about o'clock. At
that hour about forty children, ranging in
age from Is months to IA years, members
of the Guardian Angel class, were playing
in the yard which surrounds the home,
when Mrs. McGee, accompanied by two
grown daughters, who had gained an en-
trance to the grounds by crawling under
rear gate, appeared on the scene Mrs.
MCGEE was armed with long, heavy,
hard wood stick, evidently spade handle.
dren at their play, did not notice the ar
rival of the three strangers until one of
them, Annie McGee, suddenly caught
sight of her younger sister, and exclaimed:
''Oh, mamma, there's Maggie!"
Maggie was startled, and turning around,
instead of rushing to the arms of her
mother, fled to Sister Teresa for protec-
ton. Mrs MCGEE and her two daughters
attempted to seize the girl, but the sister
held her tight in her arms This enraged
Mrs. McGee, who beat the defenseless
woman on the head with the club.
The children in fright stopped playing
and began to cry. The alarm was given
and half dozen sisters from the Home
rushed to the rescue of Sister Teresa, who
was now in daZed condition and bleed
ing profusely. Several painful cuts in the
head had been inflicted, and her arms
were swollen and were black and blue.
Several sisters seized the irate mother and
her daughter, and a gentleman who hap
pened to be passing jumped over the fence
into the yard and disarmed the woman.
Maggie MCGEE was no sooner released
from the embrace of Sister Teresa than
she rushed into the home and nearly went
into Mysteries from fright. Mrs. MCGEE
and her daughters were pushed out of the
yard: and just before the gate closed the
woman caught sight of the sister superior.
and shaking her Inst at her, shouted:
"I'll kill you!''
Mrs. MCGEE is a short, buxom woman.
and has before displayed evidences of n
violent temper. The charge against her
may be changed to one of assault with a
deadly weapon. She could not be found
last evening.