The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-02
WRECKED HIS LIFE
The Successful Conspiracy Of
a Millionaire
TO Ruin A POOR NEWsBOy
Because His Daughter Loved Him-How IL WAC
AccOmplished-The Boy Released After
Term IN Prison

CHICAGO, April 1.-Charges Of nightly sem
satlodal character are made in a $4,000 damage
suit commenced in the circuit court yesterday
morning. The plaintiff is Eugene Dunnivan.
formerly news boy, who claims his life has
been wrecked as the result of conspiracv
between Orrin w. Potter, the millionaire
president Of the Illinois Steel companv. and
Tom Fox, James Hutehins and FRANC
AHen' who are also made defen-
dants. 1t is alleged that deep plot was laid bv
Potter TO break up the acquaintance between
LIS uaughteruand Dunnivan, and with this end
In view the plaintiff claims he has been fnno-
Gently made to serve four years in the peutteu-
uary. The charge is also made that the then
editor Of a newspaper in Chicago suppressed the
boys story on receiving 5000 from Potter.
A New York paper procured and published
the story, which created decided sensation az
the time
Dunnlvan is an intellectual looking fellow Of
twenty three years. He told his story to the
Examiner correspondent. who VISITED at Joliet
last year. A noticeable feature of the inter.
view was that the young convict never referred
10 the object Of his affection as Gertrude"
but always Miss Potter
L first met Miss Potter in the spring of 1884.
In the vicinity of Clair and Schiller streets.
where there is mail box she used to drop let
rerS In had newspaper route in that di-
rectlon. We were soon fast friends and often
met IN the park and street. In 1885 Miss Potter
Went with her family To their summer residence
al Lake Geneva, Wis. l followed her intend
Ing 10 spend few days there. | saw the nurse
gITl al the villa and gave her note 10 carry 10
Miss Potter. The girl BETRAYED me bv hand
ing the note to Mrs. Potter who sent the coacb-
man 70 see me. Not Knowing that my note to
MISS Potter had mlscarried, L went to the tryst-
ing place to meet her. Instead of Miss Potter
the coachman and John Thorpe a nephew of
Mr. Potter, were at the place to meet me with
Dlood IN their eyes. They threatened to throw me
INTO the lake If didn't leave the place at once.
MOI wishing to make any trouble for Miss Pot
ter, promised to leave Geneva that night and
return to Chicago. While standing in front OF
ford'S opera house early in the evening I was
| arrested without the slightest Justification on
suspicion OF being concerned in some burglaries
winch had been committedin the neighborhood.
AT my trial next morning, L as DISCHARGED
walked ten miles to Harvard junction and stole
/ e ride from there into Chicago. [ did not see
MISS Potter again until September when she
| returned from Geneva lake Her father en-
gagged Detective o. DOnneu TO force ne 10 give
! up Miss Potter. She told me she had overheard
q conversation in the library between the detec-
1--WE ana her rather who instructed O'Donnellt to
Lrlgnten me ana break on our relations in any
! way he saw mt. Miss Potter continued to meet
NE clandeStlnely in the day time and early
| evenings. One night detective stopped me in
| the street and threatened to arrest me and to
1 blow the top OF my head OF if he caught me-
around Mr.. Potter'S house again After
| she returned from the seminary at Ogontz Pa
we frequently met In spite OF the obstacles
| in our way, Ter parents found she was still at
tached to me and sent her to OgontZ again She
wrote TO me before her departure and we had q
| farewell meeting in the Vestibule OF the Holy
Name cathedral. Then came the conspiracy 10
! send me to the penitentiaTy. In November
1886, met Frank Allen in q South Water street
pool room. At that time [ had given mn INV
newspaper route being forced to sell out be-
cause of the Potter family's persecution Miss
PottersWanted to get me situation at the
South Chicago rolling mills, and1Mr. Thorpe
| promised her he would do something for me ii
came down to the mills. In the latter part OF
| November Allen went with me to The mills
Mr.. Thorpe told me he had no use for me, ana
! threatened to make it hot for me if 1 did not
| cease my attentions to Miss Potter 1t was
while was at the mills That the robbery I am
here for was committed by Allen and an ac-
| cOmphce. went to saloon after leaving the
mills and found Allen there with another
man. This fellow, who was a stranger
to me, left the saloon soon after
| entered. Allen had been drinking, and
induced me to take several drinks, which upset
my head. What makes me believe the robbery
was was put-ub job 20 get me sent to prison
Two things. The house which was robbed was
occupied by John Farnsworth and his family:
they came from Hancock Mich which il the
home of Frank Allen. The two families we're
nelghoors IN Hancock Then it was very sus-
plc1ouS the family should have been absent
from the house except Cora, an eleven-year-old
/ daughter, at the time the robbery was COM
mitted. The robbery consisted IN entering an
$50 from the house and leaving them in the
yard. When they were found there was no
money in them. On our way TO the DEPOT we
passed a clothing store and Allen said: I'm
going to Swipe coat from the dummy" / said
! Don't you do it." Allen snatched a coat and
told me to run with him. l was dazed by the
| liquor L had drank and ran, hardly knowing
what was doing. Allen was caught with the
/ coat in his hand and was arrested soon after
wards at the depot. Allen confessed to the
. FarnswOrth robbery and accused me of
! being his acJomphce. Miss Potter with
her money, retained a lawyer to defend
me and advised me to plead guilty. but I would
not. The jury were out four hours and returned
! a verdict OF guilty. The judge sentenced ALEU-
and me to four years each in the penitentiary
Our lawyers entered motions for a new trial and
when the day set for arguments arrived, nv
case was heard first. The motion in my case
was overruled and was finally sentenced Not
so with Allen. He had his motion for new
trial continued and instead of proceeding with
it he went on the stand and Swore he was IN
der seventeen years of age when he was past
twenty-one and that twas his first offense
when he had served term in prison. His sem
tence was cut dowU to one year in BrideWeIl
while was sent to the penitentiary."
Dunnivan also claimed that he had been Wig
tied in prison by agents of Potter who sought
to induce him. to sign retraction of his story
on condition Of his pardon. He refused the
offer.