Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-01
OMAHA GIRLS In A LAWSUIT
Sensational Case in Which Two Former Resi-
dents of the City Are Mixed Up.
SUIT BROUGHT BY THE STlLLwELl GIRLS
They want se5,ooo Damages from rroml-
hcnt Chicago Peopie-Ulaim that Their
regulations Has Been Injured.
Very Peculiar SItuattop.

CHICAGO, Sept, 3O-If tho charges con-
tanned in a declaration filed in the superior
court in a suit for S25,0 J0 damages are true
certain defendants will have a hard time in
explaining n transaction in opposition to the
criminal law of this state. The suit is that
OF Lucy and Kate Stillwcll against i. &.
Ransom and his wife Carrie, her sister
MolIic Dennis, Mrs. c. Brown and DR. Frank
heyes, and is for damages alleged to have
been sustained to the plaintiffs reputation
by reason of the existence of Il conspiracy
wherein all the defendants arc CHARGED with
having been implicated in the pcrrormin. of
a criminal operation on Nlollic Dennis. DIR.
heyes having been the physician who is
accused of having performed the operation.
CHARGES Mace
Ihc SUIT was commenced some time AGO.
out when 1T was filed =. II. Hcrbsop. attor-
hcN Tor the plaintiffs, refused to give any in.
formation. lie desired That the declaration
Whlch would set up all the particulars and
allegations upon which the suit is based
should be waited for. The declaration was
subsequently filed and, it is said, later on
mysjerlously~ disappeared. 1t has been re-
Uurleu ana now Is with the other PAPERS and
documents in the case in the superior court
Me room. In It's initil II statements the
ueclaration, which was made by Lucy ana
i\aUc SJlllwell under oath, asserts that Tho
plalhtlts, while they were last fall conduct
ing Il boarding house at $3.50 Indiana avenue.
were requested TO rent IA room fn, n cnrtoin
leHSth Oh tlme, TO be occupied il was under
stood, by Miss Mollle Dennis, about - yonrs
on III Is turthcr charged that on the night
OF october ~, 1892, the defendants, to carry
out a ptearranged plan, used the room fn,
Tue purpose OF performing Il criminal oporn.
ton on Molltc Dennis, an unmarried pinstnr
as Shc Is characterized. IL is also altered
That the bedding and articles of fnrnituro in
inc room, amounting to SOD, were cnrried
away Tor which the plaintiffs were not com.
pensated.
The Misses Stillwcll assert that the mid
nlght transaction leaked out in the neighbor-
hoou ana became \ matter of current rossip
They claim their reputation has been
damaged by reason of the peculiar occnr-
renee having taken place in their house, and
deem that so, 600, the amount sued for. will
repay them for the disgrace to which thev
have been subjected.
Attorney Herson confirmed all the allera-
lions OF the declaration and even added
molc, averriug that it hau been told to him
by his clients shortly after the strange pro-
ceedings happened.
Game from Omaha.
"The Stillwell girls" he said, "came 70
SIlNd5o VI oilill liSJ year and SOuuht
to earn a livelihood by keeping boarders and
roomers. Mr.. and Mrs. Rins0m, the former
being now connected with Il notwithstanding
establishment in the downtown district,
were living with Mrs. Ransom's mother, who
had a residence adjoining the Stillweu Tirls,
house. Three weeks previous to the ALLEGED
performing of the operation the Ransoms en-
gagged a room of my clients, though they hook
their meals at Mrs. Ransom's house. The
to rent a room for the nrr,pnp,, 81 NJ
Mol!ie Dennis ana they compiled,
On the first night Miss Dennis was
supposed to occupy the room, Il stranger
into the house, admitting himself by a
latchkev. The Stillwell girls at once be-
frightened and suspicious. They
found later on the stranger was DIR. Kevos
and that he went directly to Miss Dennis,
rom.
Two hours afterwards the Plaintiffs
heard loud screams and cries of pain com
ing from Miss Dennis room. They were
naturally aroused and at once began TO in
vestigate the cause of the disturbance. A
bed quilt was found hanging over the tran
som and the door to the room was locked
About 3 o'clock in the morning Dr.. Koves
was observed to leave the house, carrying a
small bundle under his arm.
What They Overheard.
"While listening in the hall outside The
room the Misses Suillwell claim they hoard
Mr.. Ransom, one of the defendants, urge
lhe uOctor 10 go on, ana ne would pay all the
expenses. Inc next morning the plaintiffs
were accOSted by another dcfcndlnt. Mrs
who remarked it was awful. re- |
ferring to the proceedings of the evening be-
fore. Mrs. Brown also admitted, my clients
claim, that an operation was performed ON
Miss Dennis"
"Why dld you not bring criminal proceed |
ings against the defendants - the attorney
was asked.
WELL in that respect We were nandi-
nnnnnn Tho StilIFall niplr n,n 80. - |
good business managers and they CHANGED to |
mention to Mir. Ransom that they were
aware of the whole proceedings aud MIR. |
Ransom SAID II they would keep their mouths |
he would make it all right. Thinking |
the matter could be quickly settled up. the
girls consented to this and fixed their price |
at $1,000, but they never received the money. |
They were visited by several attorneys semitic |
them in the interests of Mr.ltInsom, and were !
finally induced to sign their acceptance of |
the amount to Il document. After their
signatures, the young ladies were threat
ened, they claim, by Rinsom's attorney, |
who said the signatures made them liable as
conspiratOrs to n riminal action. and de-
clarcd if the girls said anything upon the
they would be arrested for con-
splracy. OF course the signatures made
them appear guilty, and the grand jury, if
the case were brought before it, would be
liable to consider the young ladies in Il false
light
A call at 1850 Indiana avenue revealed the
fact that the Misses Stiliwcll had left the
house a week ago. Or. Keyes was found in
his office at No 20 State street. but refused
To say anything about the case, beyond maxi
ing the assertion that it is n Matchmaking
scheme. Search was made for Miss Mollie
whose address was given on the
served by the sheriff AS RAG In
diana avene, but Il reply of IA servant at That
indicated the young woman was out
giving a music lesson.
Their Lives In Omaha.
The Stillwell girls, Kate and Lucy, re-
sided in this city for many years, leaving
here about one year ago and going to Chi
cago to run and operate a Worlds fair board
ing house. During the last few years of
their residence IN this city they occu-
pied rooms on South Sixteenth
street, near ~Leavenworth, where Lucy
did dressmaking and took in sewing. Kate
was employed as a teacher in the
Hill schools for the period of four
years, instructing in the eighth grade, nut a
little more than a year ago she was dropped
from the rolls, the members Of the board of
concluding that she was losing her
mind.
For a long time prior to her being dis
charged she was continually importuning
the board TO elect her as a professor of pen
manship, though the facts were that she
Gould not write a hand that was even fair.
When she was refused the position she be-