The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-29
DIDN'T STEAL THE PIANO
Miss Mekenna Denies the Charge
is This An Installment
Outraged

Inc many friends of Susie and Mollie
McKenna, who We're held yesterday by
Justice Potts to await the action of the
Grand Jury On a charge of appropriat-
ing a piano owned by B. Shoninger &
Co, of No. 96 Fifth avenue, are indig-
nant over the matter. claiming that 1t
is either a case of mistaken identity or
else some one wishes to make trouble
for the girls.
The story, as told yesterday in 1.-THE
Jersey City News" is that Mrs. Lizzie
Scott, who formerly lived at No. 555
Grove street, bought a $500 piano from
Shoninger & Co., on the installment
plan. This was in June last. During the
summer she moved to No. 1873 Pavonia
avenue. According to her story, she left
the piano at the Grove street house un-
til she could get the firm to remove it
to her new residence, and asked the Nc
Kennas to look after 1t. When the firm
went to get it they were informed by
the Misses McKenna that it had been
taken away by a truck which they sup
posed belonged to the firm.
HUNTING FOR A PIANO.
Shoninger & Co. then started to hunt
for the piano. and finally found that it
had been stored in the Standard Storage
Warehouse, at Broadway and Flfty-third
street, and afterwards removed. They
were told by the warehouse people that
the piano had been stored and removed
by woman who gave her name as Mrs
L. Andrews, and her address as No. 153
East Twenty-first street Bookkeeper
Beggs of the storage company identi-
fed Susie and Mollie McKenna as the
young women who had stored the piano
and afterwards had it removed.
Friends of the young women said last
night that there was no necessity for
them to steal piano. as they were well
off and had piano of their own. They
own the house, No. 555 Grove street,
besides some other property that was
left them by their parents, who died
several years ago.
called at the McKenna residence last
night and found Miss Susie at home.
When l spoke to her of the charge and
told her that 1.-The Jersey City News"
would be pleased to publish their side
of the story, she burst into tears and
said:-
"Oh, this is terrible! To think that we
should ever be placed in such position
as this when we don't know anything
about the piano at all!
MISS MKENNA'S STORY.
After telling her not to worry, for
everything would come out all right If
she was innocent Miss McKenna quieted
down and said:-"It wouldn't be so bad
if we had some one to protect US; but
here we are four girls, with no men in
60 nd MI in n a M MT
like this! When Mrs. Scott moved away
she said that she had had enough Of
the piano and left 1t in the empty rooms,
saying that she would notify the firm to
come and take it away. We had nothing
to do with it whatever, and when a truck
came and took it away we supposed it
was all right"
How about the fact of the bookkeeper
identifying you as having stored the
piano?" L asked.
'I cannot account for it at ALL" she
replied. 'I go out very little, and very
rarely go to New York. I don't even
know where the storage warehouse is,
and could not go there if I was paid for
it. 1t is all a terrible mistake
Miss McKenna said that she knew of
for them They were on good terms
with Mrs. Scott, and had no enemies, as
far as she knew. They will engage the
services of a lawyer and feel confident
that they can prove their innocence of
any completely in the disappearance of
the piano and acquit themselves of the
serious charge that has been made
against them.