The herald., 1894-10-25
LUXQN COMMITTEE STARTLED
One of Their Star Witnesses
kidnapped.
A Woman Stolen in Jersey City in
the Dead of Night.
She was Spirited Away by the New
York Police So she Gould
Not Give Testimony
Against Them.
BY the Associated Press.

New YORK, Oct. 24.-Counsel Golf
startled the Lsxow committee when it
reconvened this morning by saying ex-
oitsdly: II am compelled to ask for an
adjournment until IL O'Clock. 1 told
the COMMITTEES our star witness, O
woman who paid money to high Off
cisls, had been stolen in the dead OF
night. Her name ia Matilda Herman.
Our detectives struck hsr trail and
finally ran her down in Chicago. She
,v consented to come east. When the
4 party arrived at Jersey City this morn
ing an outrage was com mitted. The
police of New York got the police OF
jersey City to arreat the party on the
charge OF kidnapping, trumped-up
charge designed to detain her."
Chairman Lexow-Is she over II
years of age?
Eyes, and moreover, willing to come
here" snewered Gof.
"This woman will tell how the police
raised fund to get her and other wo-
men OF her class out of the city. There
b ~ is colony OF them now in Chicago
waiting for the committee to adjourn"
1--WE NAV never adjourn" broke In
Chairman Lexow.
Golf said he hoped to prove how much
money had been contributed in further
ance OF the alleged police conspiracy to
spirit away Mrs. Herman.
The Evening Post has the following
Mrs. Herman was persuaded by Mr..
Golf t1 give testimony against the
police of the Fifteenth precinct OF this
city, to whom it is alleged she has paid
large suma of money to be allowed to
operate four alleged disorderly houses.
~ Her sudden disappearance resulted in
fs Mr.. Goff's suspectng that the subpoena
servers were in collision with the police
81 under suspicion. Detective Wells was
engaged to look her up. He found her
hi at the Collonade hotel. Chicago, and en-
a. deavored to induce her to return and
testify before the committee. She re-
~ fused. Wells communicated with
Il Sergeant-at-Arm Thomas Kearney of the
~ Lexow committee and bogus telegram
was sent to her with the informatit
n that her husband had broken bis leg
= and was lying in hospital in Hoboken
in a critical condition. Mrs. Herman
lost no time in coming to her husbands
sssistance. She arrived in the Pennsyl-
vania station at 7 80 this morning. De-
tsctive Wells was shadowing her. Near
ths railway leading to Montgomery
street, Sergeant-at-Arms Ke1rney inter-
C6pL6u Jub WUUlAU- Il0 hShbu uiI ~
consent to go with him to New York,
and subsequently Detective Wells joined
in the converse ton. The woman be-
came highly indignant and was gesticu-
lating wildly when Senator Daley oil Nsw
Jersey appeared and told her he had
81 been retained ae her counsel. Kearney
and-Welis wanted to compel the woman
TO go to Nav York. but Senator Daley
demonstrated ss he declared he would
rot ermt her to be kidnapped" Such
confusion was caused in the station
that Policemen Boyle and McNally ar
rested Kearney and Wells and Mrs.
Herman, charging them with disorderiy
conduct and took the prisoners to police
headquarters in Jersey City.
When Mrs. Herman was arragued be-
fore Justice Potts in jersey City, Sena-
tor Daley appeared as her counsel. He
said that he had been retained for that
purpose by Gustav Dork of New YORK,
who told him an attempt was to be
a. made to abduct Mrs. Herman on her
arrival from the west Senator Daley
said Mrs. Herman told him while the
Lexow detectives were talking to her,
that che did not wish to return to New
ork. The detectives tried to force the
woman to 60 with them, and they and
the woman we're arrested.
Justice Potts held, upon the evidence
" of Detective Kearney. that Mrs. Her.
-sa man was fugitive from Justice, and
committed her TO Jail for 80 days under
bonds of $4,000 to await extradition
papers. The Jersey City police then
preferred charges against the Lexow de.
tectives for attempted abduction.
In answer to questions Mr.. Gof said
3 the statement that Mrs. Herman had
been decoyed from Chicago to Jersey
City by telegram stating chat her hus.
band had broken his leg was totally
false.
''She came Voluntarily" aaid Goff,
! ''and even paid her own railroad fare.
The man alleged to be her husband
broke his leg before she lett this city.
She was nursing him when ehe went
away and, moreover, since she left him
he has been taken away secretly, too"
81.