Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-16
THE LANAGHAN MARTIN CASE
Continues to Grow More Inter-
eSting Daily.
THE HUSBAND EXPECTED
To Arrive Here This Morning-Chid Disap-
pears for Time, but Is Finally
Recovered.
HUSBAND EXPECTED

The Lenaghan- Martin case Is growing
very Interesting.
Martin is still in the city prison.
Mrs. Lenaghan is under strict police
surveillance.
The child, Minnie, is in other hands
and quite safe from either side, after hav-
ing once been spirited away.
Sunday afternoon, about 1889 O'Clock,
the child disappeared from the hotelOln
which it was staying with its mother.
Later on it was found and placed In the
care of parties satisfactory to both sides,
subject only to the call of Acting Chief
Wier
Immediately upon the discovery of the
disappearance of the child, Mrs. Lenag-
han and her friends were suspected of
knowing something of It's whereabouts.
and the woman was taken down to the
city prison and locked up in cell in the
female department. She soon realized
that it would be best to own up, ana
she told of the child being taken away In
order to keep its father from gaining
possession of 1t.
Yesterday another story was told to the
effect that an interested outsider. MOTTO
ing the actions of a stranger young man
around the hotel Sunday afternoon, and
suspecting that 1t was the intention to
kidnap the child. forestalled him and
placed the child in good hands for safe
keeping and notified Acting Chief Wier
The young man referred to attracted the
attention of several other parties, who
tell of his going up and down the hotel
stairs repeatedly, but finally he went
away. AT any rate, the child is safe from
what future efforts may be made to spirit
it away.
Mrs Lenaghan is taking life as easy
under the circumstances. as possible In
the Metropolitan hotel, under strict sur
veilance She has not complained of her
treatment, but seems to appreciate the
fact that she is not compelled to remain
in prison. She absolutely refused to see
eny newspaper representative.
w @. Martin Is confined in a little six
by-eight cell in the city prison. He has
a young white man for a cell mate. the
restraint of his confinement ia showing
itself. and he was little more civil yes
terday afternoon, but still declined posi-
lively to make any kind of a statement.
A LITTLE HISTORY.
The information has been given out
that Mrs Lenaghan had called an officer
about two weeks ago to arrest her hus-
band The facts, as far as learned, are
about as follows: One day Mrs.
Lenaghan, or as she was known, Mrs.
Martin. called on a friend in the city and
spent the day there. That night she re-
turned. but did not see the little girl, and
she suspected Martin of having stolen 1t
or sent it somewhere else. She at once
went out for an officer and met G. B.
Kirkley. To him she related story of
having her child stolen, and asked FOR
Martins arrest. officer Kirkley went to
the boarding house to make the arrest
but found the child. Mrs. Martin then
withdrew the charges against the man
and the policeman went away empty
handed. 1t is minated that Mrs. Martin
was under the influence of wine or some
thing else when she went for the officer,
and also that her friends house was not
what Ii should have been.
JOHN F. LENAGHAN,
the womans lawful husband, has dis
posed of his Tampa wholesale house and
went out on the road as travelling man.
1t was on this account that 1t took so long
to locate him.
After considerable telegraphing around
the country he was finally located and
notified of the arrests and alleged con-
fessions. A train was just leaving the
town in which he was at the time and
he got aboard without sending any word
here. When he arrived at Orlando, Fla.
however. he sent this message to Acting
Chief Wier: Hold them by all means.
VIII come al once
Mr.. Lenaghan is expected in Birming-
ham this morning, and then events will
probably crowd each other in fast sue
cession.
AS stated the parties are being held on
q charge of adultery. This case will be
heard tomorrow morning in the inferior
criminal court. No one will be admit
ted to the trial except those directly in
terested or connected with the case.
AS To THE OFFICERS.
The officers in the case deserve great
deal of praise for the quick and effective
work accomplished. In less than eigh-
teen hours after having received the de-
scription and photographs, the man, wo-
? man and child were under arrest &yd a
message on its way to Tampa.
Officer G. 3. Kirkley, though stern in