Omaha daily bee., 1896-01-25
RICE WILL NOT PROSECUTE
Asks that His Complaint Against Savage
Be Withdrawn.
CONDUCT Anglers THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
Supposed that the Two Families Have
Come to nm understanding, but
a.. Reasons for the Change
m Are Not Given.

There is a very strong probability that
Bailif Hiram Savage will not be compelled to
stand trial on the charge OF criminal assault
preferred by william Rice. Strong pressure
has been brought to bear on Rice to induce
him to drop the matter and he is more than
willing to do SO. He is so anxious to have
this done that he called on the county at
torney Thursday night and asked him to dis
miss the case. Mr.. Baldrige was highly indig-
nant at the request and insisted that Rice
bring his daughter, Alberta, the girl in the
case. 10 the office Of the county attorney in
the court house in the morning. Rice and
his daughter we're on hand at the appointed
hour and Mr.. Baldrige put the girl through a
severe course Of questioning. Her state
ments, made with streaming eyes, fully sub
Stimulated all that had been charged against
Savage and convinced the county attorney
that the case was an unusually strong one.
In the meantime Rice sat in the ante room
and was asked by a Bee representative what
had induced him to wish to withdraw the
charge he had made. lie stubbornly re-
fused to say what had caused him to take
this action, but 1t was learned, more from
his actions than from what he said, that his
wife and daughter had been endeavoring to
have him drop the matter and avoid any
further publicity. Greater pressure, how
ever, has been brought to bear from another
direction, but this Rice absolutely refused to
discuss. There was only one matter he would
talk freely about and that was the state
ment made by Savage that he (Savage) had
frequently assisted the Rice family and had
kept the members through the winter. Rice
vigorously branded the whole thing as a
lie and said he had not been out of work a
day until the first of the year. He had been
away from home most of the time, he said,
working at his trade Of plasterer, and was
absent when the crime charged against
Savage had been committed, but he asserted
most positively that his family had never re-
ceived aid from Savage, or from any one
else.
When the county attorney had concluded
his private interview with the girl, the
father was called into the private room and
it was but a very few moments until a
strong odor Of blue fire pervaded the outer
room. The county attorney gave Mr.. Rice a
piece Of his mind which that gentleman will
probably remember for some time. He char
acterized the actions of Rice as an Infamous
outrage and scored him numerically for his
cowardly action in the matter. This lasted
for several minutes, and when the door was
finally opened to allow Rice to make his es-
cape, it was noticed that the usually warm
hair of the county attorney had mounted
several degrees on the caloric scale.
Rice and his daughter proceeded at once
to the office of Savage's attorney and were
in close consultation with that gentleman for
some little time. A Bee representative
called the attorney out and was informed, in
response to questions, that there was moth
ing In the case anyway, and that 1t would
not be at all surprising If it was dismissed,
as he (the attorney was satisfied that the
county attorney would find there was moth
ing in it as soon as he fully investigated all
the circumstances. The attorney also said
he was ready for trial at once and only
wished the matter could come up Immediately.
He said Rice realized he had no case, but he
(the attorney had made no effort to have
him drop the matter.
The county attorney was seen and asked
If he intended to drop the case against
Savage. He said the case would never be
dismissed with his consent, and expressed
great indignation at the actions OF Rice.
He said the case was very strong and should
be pushed by all means, but he did not
see how he was going to push 1t II the COM
plainant did not appear.