The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-15
SHE PLEADS INNOCENCE
Mrs. Nichols Gives Her Version
of the Affair.
SHE SCORES KATE MAYHEM
Had Intended to Shield Her for Her
Husbands Sake, but 1t Was All
Up When She Read he
Newspapers.

There were further interesting deVel-
opments yesterday in the case of the
alleged robbery of Mike Lyons by Clara
Nichols and another woman last Sun
day afternoon. 1t transpires that the
woman. whose name was given as
Hair by the police to shield her
friends. is not of hat name after all,
n that her bluff at blowing her brains
out was a grand stand play. The wo-
mans right name is Kate Mayhem and
she is the wife of Leon Mayhem. a we'll
known and highly respected miner,
who is we'll connected. The Nickols
woman, who, IL develops. is also well
connected. was greatly worked up yes
terday over the story her former friend
gave out about being misled into be-
lieving she was in respectable COM
pany when associating with her CMrs.
Nickols). and said she thought some
consideration was due her relations as
well as those of the woman who was
in her at the time the rob-
berry is alleged to have been commit
ted. In telling her side OF the story
Yesterday, Mrs. Nichols said: The
statement tina Mrs. Mayhem met me
at Renshaw hall and that 1 told her
/ was a dressmaker is utterly false.
For her husbands sake l had intend
ed to shield Mrs. Mayhem and that IS
why l refused to tell the police who
she was, but since she has seen fit to
misrepresent me / do not see why |
should not tell the truth now. When
l met Mrs. Mayhem l was sent for by
hack No. IL and was taken to Days
saloon, where / met her in company
with two men. That was my first ac-
auaintance with her. AS regards the
circumstances of this alleged robbery,
Lyons came to my room Sunday after
noon and asked to have Mrs. Mayhem
sent for. They were well acquainted
and had been out together a great
MANY times. She was sent for and
came. The landlord of the house came
in and we had some drinks, and then
Lyons proposed we go out to dinner.
We started and m the way met a
friend of Lyons. who Joined us. n we
went to the California cafe TO dinner.
Lyons was very drunk and had a row
over settling for the dinner. After
dinner Mrs. Mayhem and ! went back
to nv room and the boys went to the
stable to hire a team, intending to take
rs out to the Nine Mile house. When
we got back to the room we found two
other fellows there. In about 10 min
utes Lyons came in and said they could
get no rig. His friend did not come
back with him.
After a time the fellows we found
at the room on returning left, and Ly-
ons then proposed calling a hack ana
going to a road house, but changed his
mind. Finally a messenger boy came
and called me out in he hall to de-
liver a message. / went out. and
while | was talking with the messen-
ger Kate came out and said Lyons was
making a kick about being robbed II
$3.50. / went into the room and he ac-
cused me of taking it and demanded
II back. | told him | hadn't his money
and he assaulted me and struck me
twice. ] asked TO have an officer called
to search me and the room, but he
would not have that and said he would
kill me. l ran out and stayed away
till they had gone. Kate old me after
ward that he claimed after | left to
have lost $50. l see he told the police
IL was $40. / am absolutely innocent
and If anybody got the money 1t was
the other woman. / think II very un-
Just to prosecute me while she gets off
so easily"
The attorney employed by Mrs.
Nichols to defend her claims it was
through his fundamentally that Mrs.
Mayhem was arrested. He say he
went to her house Wednesday evening
when retained by Mrs. Nichols and She
admitted taking the money. She was
preparing to leave town, he says, and
he caused her arrest. The scandal
promises to become much more inter-
esting before the case is settled.
A complaint vas filed in Justice
Traps court yesterday afternoon.
charging the women with grand lar
ceny. They were arraigned and de-
landed a hearing, which was set for
this afternoon at 4 O'Clock. Their bonds
were fixed at $500 each. During the
reading the complaint Mrs. Mayhem
interrupted the court to ask if some
other name than he right name could
not be used. Judge Trap did not like
the interruption. and told her rather
CURLY he was accustomed to reading
complaints as they were made out. Mrs.
Mayhem, when asked by a reporter IL
she desired To make a statement of her
side of the case. said she had nothing
to say.
At a late hour last night the women
had not secured bondsmen, were
being held at the county Jail.