Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-14
| DON'T WANT TO co TO PAPA
Said Little Minnie Lenaghan TO
a Reporter.
AN IMPORTANT ARREST
W. 0. Martin, Who Had Run Off With An
other Mans Wife and Child,
CAPTURED IN THIS CITY YESTERDAY
Boarding House-The Woman Is the
Wife of Wealthy Tampa,
Fla, Merchant.

81 don't want to go to papa; don't
like Papa, likes mama," was the answer
of beautiful little girl of years of age
to a State Herald representative yester-
day afternoon in the private office of the
chief of police, as she sat by the side
of her mother, busily engaged in eating
candy. She did not realize her position
nor the trouble into which her much
loved mother had become involved.
Friday evening the local police authori-
ties received card from John F. Lenag-
han, of Tampa, Fla, giving the de-
scriptions of his wife, child and a man
named w. o. Martin and asking for
their arrest. Enclosed were the portraits
of the three missing people. According
to the communication it was Mr.. Lenag-
hans only desire to recover his wife and
little daughter
scription the local officers went to work
upon the case and that they have so
soon succeeded in locating the parties
speaks volumes for their alertness and
efficiency. Messrs. G. w. Kirkley and
Hester Garner worked the case UP and
went to the house where the parties were
stopping as man and wife. and placed
them under arrest The working up of
the matter was under the personal di-
rection of Acting Chief Will Wier than
HAOiu tueTe is 0O DSiIeT OF more trust
worthy officer in the business.
The parties were taken to the chiefs
private office to await an answer to tele-
grams sent to the woman'S husband at
Tampa. The first message sent was that
the missing ones had been located and
held in arrest An hour later a second
message was sent as follows: Martin,
your wife and child are in custody. They
confess all Come at once" and was
signed by Acting Chief Wier.
MRS. DORA LENAGHAN,
Or, as she was known in this city, Mrs.
Dora Martin, is good looking woman of
medium height with jet black hair dark
eyes and dark complexion. She is 26
years Old and weighs about 120 pounds
Her maiden name was Dora Gaskns
Butt and she has been married to Mr..
LenasfRn over five years. In her hus-
bands Eard to the local police Mr.. Lena
CHAN says she Is native of North Caro-
lima. Have reason to fear and believe
Dora, is dead as she had heart trouble and
was likely to die. My wife has had an
unbalanced mind for years. and is not re-
sponsible for her deeds.''
Soon after her arrival at the chiefs Of
fee Mrs. LenaShan made the following
statement to Messrs. Hester, Garner and
G. w. Kirkey, acknowledging her iden-
tity: She had been married a little over
five years to Mr.. Lenaghan and resided
with him in Tampa Fla. Her husband,
who conducts a wholesale grocery con-
Germ at that place, was always kind to
her. He furnished her home magnificent
1y, had plenty of servants and kept a
carriage for her own use She had dia-
monds and all kinds of jewelry she de-
sired. Her every whim was gratified,
and yet she was not happy. She thought
she was until she met w. o. Martin. the
man arrested with her here, but after
that meeting she. loved him and only him.
The little girl had been christened Min
ME, but her name was changed to Jelsie.
About four months ago Mrs. Lenaghan
and her child left Tampa with Mr.. Martin
and went to Chicago, from which place
they came directly here They may have
been in other places before going to Chi
cago, as Mr.. Lenaghan says that Martin
wrote him from New York last October
under the alias j. B. Anderson.
Upon their arrival here they went to
private boarding house on Fourth avenue
between Twenty-third and Twenty
fourth streets and later to No. 2016 Fifth
avenue, where they resided up to the time
of their arrest. Martin had recently se-
cured employment in this city with the
New Home Sewing Machine company
Mrs. Lenaghan, strange to say, returns
her husbands compliment by claiming
that he was derapged. 1t was on this
account, she says, and her great love for
Martin, that she consented to leave her
elegant home of ease and luxury in Tam
pa and go with him to the outer world
as his wife. She said, rather vehemently,
that she would rather be in the peniten-
tiary with Martin than to go back to her
husband. She also declared her intention
of retaining the little girl.
Mrs. Lenaghan has many diamond
rings and other gems of rare value,
among them many opals-the stone sup
posed to bring trouble and misfortune to
its owner.
After obtaining the above statement an
effort was made to interview Mrs. Lena
1,rf oh faaf fn n IL
cation. When asked if her attorney, w.
p McCrossin, had so instructed her. she
replied that that was her business. She
trea ted the State Herald representative
politely, yet coldly, and when an effort
was made to have the little girl talk Mrs.
Leneghan expressed her disapproval and
said no information could be secured
there.
Minnie is bright little girl, of over
wears of age; rather fair complexion and
sweetmeats with a childish relish and,
in her eyes, her mother is simply per-
fection.
THE MAN IN THE CASE.
Is w. o. Martin native of Louisiana?
He is Of medium build, with black hair
and eyes, and dark complexion. A dark
mnstache and beard adorn his face,
which give him an attractive appearance
He is 80 years old. but does not appear so,
and is a bookkeeper by profession, For
several years he was employed in a
Brunswick, Ca, bank. but last summer
followed his profession in Tampa.
An effort to secure a statement from
him failed utterly, as he said he was in
a position where he could not say word.
Rather than make statement, he de-
cided not to correct whatever erroneous
information had been given.
When informed that the matter would
appear in this mornings paper. he be-
came very angry and made violent
threats. The realization of his position
seems to have compile tely unnerved him.
Last week he secured employment as
a city agent for the New eHeme Sewing
Machine company and was In their em-