St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-07
81 CAN KILL HIM"
Frank BPanagan's Extreme Cru
city to fits EIeven-Ye aP-OId Boy.

Frank Branagan's Extreme CRU
city to His Eleven Year-OId Boy.
New York sun.
A little boy whose face was shock
ingly cut and bruised, and whose cloth
idg was blood-stained and torn, ran
into the Bedford avenue police station
in Williamsburg at 4:30 o'clock yester-
day afternoon and begged Sergeant
Kieran to protect MIN from his father.
He had hardly uttered tine words when
he tainted. Several policemen carried
him into rear room and laid him on
table. His lower lip was ripped open
an inch, his left eye was frightfully
swollen and dIscOlOred. and he had at
least dozen cuts in his face and many
bguiSes. As the policemen were taking
off the boys clothing he opened his eyes
and cried out: "Oh, papa. please don't
Kill me!'
The boy was Benjamin Branagan.
eleven years Of age, whose father.
Frank Branagan, is 4 SalOOnkeeper at
159 North Third street, Williamsburg.
In November last the boys mother
died, leaving i've children. The eldest,
girl of seventeen, has since left her
father. on account, 1t is said, Of his
treatment Of her. Recently BTanagan
is said to have been in the habit of fore
ing BENJAMIN to tend bar and remain
awake until very late hours. When the
boy demurTed Re was beaten with a
rawhide. Yesterday afternoon Benla-
min was LETT in charge Of the saloon
while his father went out. When the
latter returned two hours later and
found that his son hadn't taken in any
money during his absence. he accused
MIN OF stealing. The boy insisted that
nobody had been in the saloon. Brana-
gan struck him IN the left eye. The
boy fell against the wall.
The father then procured a rawhide
( from behind the bar, and, dragging the
boy into the pool room in the rear of the
store. ne laShed him, IL is said. for ten
minutes. NeighbOTs heard the screams
OF the lad and his pleadlngS for mercy.
Several women ran into the saloon and
denounced Branagan for his brutality.
While he was arguing with one woman
on MS rights as father, the boy HOB
bled out Of the side door and went to
the station. two blocks away. He was
followed by several hundred people,
who had been attracted to the saloon by
| the boys cries.
! In the station the boy told how his
/ father had beaten him with a TawhIde.
/ All his clothing was taken of by the
/ policeman. and his bOdy was found to
! be in a frighUfuI condition. Each lash
! Of the whip had left a deep mark on the
/ little fellows back, some of the blows
| having cut deeply into the flesh. Am
/ bulance Surgeon Clifford dressed the
wounds. Three policemen found Bran
! agau reading a newspaper in his saloon.
| A large crowd followed hIm TO the S Ia
[ ton house and uttered threats. Bra ma
/ gan told Capt. Short that he had right
/ 10 treat his own children as he wished.
when L was younger than that boy, ;"
/ he said. Il felt raWhlde many times.
l can kill my boy il L like. He's a bad
| fellow and deserves thrashing once a
/ week.
You ought to be taken out into the
! bank yard and dubbed to within an
inch OF your life" said Capt. Short to
! Branagan.
That wouldn't kill me- sneeringIy
replied BIunagan. land what's more,
you dare not do it,
Branagan was taken to the room
where his boy lay on the table. When
the boy identified his father as his
assailant. Branagan mutteTed: You
little -, you didn't get half enough"
The police hustled him into 4 cell. A
charge Of assault in the second degree
was made against him. When Agent
Folk. of the Society for the Prevention
OF Cruelty TO Children. saw the boy he
said it was the most horrible case OF
brutality that had ever been brought 10
the attention OF the society,".