The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-03
KNOWN TO THE
SIOUX CITY
AUTHORITIES
Shady Reputation OF
the Neads.
COMPLICATIONS IN THE CASE
THEY ARE SAID TO BE VERY
OLD OFFENDERS.
Their Attorney Is Positive They Are
What They Claim to Be and
That lie Can Prove Their
Innocence.
COMPLICATIONS IN THE CASE
THEY ARE SAID TO BE VERY
OLD OFFENDERS.

nroving TO Police Judge Low that they
are what they profess to be-Workers III
the Christian f1eld-and not social para
sites of the lowest type, as charged py
the Police Department, they Will nave
been the victims of the strangest case OF
mistaken identity that has been I'M
earthed in criminal records here for many
years.
But It is going to be no easy matter LOT
them to prove their innocence, despite
many circumstances that point IN their
favor.
The story of Mrs. Nead's arrest ana
conviction on a charge of vagrancy, anu
her husbands arrest on a similar charge
when he appeared in court 10 a1u MS
wife. was told in yesterdays Call "A
more serious charge against the woman
was dismissed and sentence on 'n nt 4Sa
rancy allegation was postponetat d. 'r of
request of the prosecuting A''oiie' %
the court until to-day .a Mr.
After their release from CUSTODY Mr:
and Mrs. Mead engaged the ser Sere te Them
from their predicament, and yesteroay
the lawyer was confident he would have an;
no trouble whateYe df IN his s efients
Mead and his wife could not be founo
at their apartments, 125 Turk street.
yesterday, but Mr. Bell naa no the VIC
tins of a stupid blunder, or worse, on
the part of Policeman JOY, ana tnat me ne
would endeavor to nave tne T bn wo1lId
subject the arresting officer TO rlgIu
cross examination. - IT.,
Joy claims the woman aRproacneu mn mn
one night in the Thalia Theatre, sa!u
Bell. "and made improper oVertures 70
him, But he did not arrest her tnen ana
there as he should have 6one: ms eyening,
when she left her residence ABOUT .
o'clock to go to a neighboring drug store
for some medicine to anev s,afsering meas IA
she was returning home, and almost IN
front of her door, the officer placed her
under arrest. ,,..,o ,,o,,or
modest and retiring to degree tnat
amounts to diffidence. AS Tor the cnaIse
against Mr.. Mead, 1t is ABSURD Ior ne G al
SLY nroye that he has been engaged IN
soma business pursuit ever since he ar
rived in San Francisco. | nave "lreo 70
several persons in the EasI 20 W mn oat
replies as to his character in time TO pre-
sent them to the court NOD not 70
Although Attorney Be i + mao mos last
night The Call received the following dis
pafch from Sioux City, which is anything
S1s and his wife, if the couple it refers
~ are the same as the two who nave
fallen into the hands Of the san IRAN
cisco police:
..RIiyj, Mead. as he is more commonly
known here. and his wife, Nellie Mead
We're for long time well known charac-
ters in Sioux City. They ran LOT years rs
. rotoriCus house and were frequently In
trouble with the police. oo,,,,,,;++ad
or tIefr resort however, 1t invariably
proyed Impossible to connect them dlrect-
~ with any offense and, greatly TO tne
ANNOYANCE of the authorities, they away
ESCAPED conviction. Many attempts WeIG
made to drive them from the city, but all
failed until the winter of 1879, when one
of the girls in their house was sloI anu iI
Instantly killed by William royce, lHe
son of eminently respectable parents III
the city. 49,, ,,,- of
the crime, and though the Neads mao
really no part in it, so much ATTENTION
was attracted by the circumstances TO the
character of their place that they deemeo
m their residence in Covington, a village
on the Nebraska bank of the missouri
River directly opposite Sioux CITY;
They continued even then TO interest,"
themselves in Sioux City affairs, and were
more than once suspected or actlng as
fence" for crooks on TINS sac t o Oh t he
the Grand Jury here, put stronS enough
case did not exist against him 70 Warraqt
his extradition from another state. ne
was very careful about venturing within
the Jurisdiction of the Iowa authorities
and finally disappeared altogether. Ontl
the news reached here of the couples ar
rest in San Francisco nothing mad oeen
heard of them for months
To the Sioux City police both husband
and wife are known as the most trouole-
some and dangerous characters who ever
lived here They were not without abi1-
ity in their line. however, and eXerted
powerful influence with the criminal and
able to employ the best of legal talent
when in trouble, possessed considerable
political influence and were never with
out friends to help them in time of diff
Guilty or danger.
SEATTLE, Oct. Methodist and other
miniters in this city never heard of
Evangelist Mead and nothing is known
of him. in Seattle.