The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-05
TELLS AQJJEER STORY
JOHN MDONOUGH UNDER ARREST
CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING
HIS CHILDREN
WIFE HAS ANOTHER STORY
says Her Divorced Husband Has
Tramped West From Lowell,
Mass, Making the Little Children
beg for Him From. Door to Door
Her Narrative Avvakens the Sym
pathy of the Police Force.

hef Narrative AVakenS the Sym
pathy of the Police Force.
0ohn McDoruugh, forty-fve years old,
Is under arrest at the instance of his
Iorhler WIFE, charged with having kid
naped his two children. who were given
into his care by the courr, and tramp
ins with them and compelling them to
beg for him. McDonoueh arrived in the
city yesterday, after having made a trip,
DIS ne claims, from Lowell, Mass, with
the children, and upon his arrival was
taken IN charge and locked up at the
central station. Archie Mcdonald, his
eleven-year-old son, was with him at the
time and his wife claims to have taken
the other child, a little girl nine years
old, from him while he was in Eau Claire.
Wis, early this week.
MRS. McDonOUgh, or Grace Newport. as
she prefers to be called went to Chief
Goss yesterday and told him that she
had been divorced from her husband two
years ago. She alleged that Immediately
afterwards he had kidnapped the two
children, which were given into her
charge by the court, and left. She was
unable to find them, and only located
them recently. Her little girl was with
her, and the child claims that her father
took her to Massachusetts with him and
afterwards, when he started West, she
and her brother were compelled to beg
for his support
The children tell a story which has ellie
TIED the sympathy of the police The boy
states that his father Travelled as tramp
and made his little sister and aim go from
mouse to house and beg. He says that
there was another tramp with whom they
Travelled who was surly fellow and mis-
used the children. He was beggar and
worked on the sympathy of the people
by buttoning his coat over one arm and
claiming to have lost it in an accident
In box cars and on blind baggage coaches
the four made their way west from Low
ell, Mass, to Cincinnati and then to Chi
cago, where the other tramp left them.
They continued their trip from there
through Milwaukee and Madison ard
finally to Eau Claire, where the mother
secured the little girl, out was unable
to get the boy.
Mrs. McDOnough IS living with fam
lily in st. Paul at present, and supports
herself ny her profession, that OF nurs~
Ing the sick She has employed an atto7-
ney ana will fight for her children Nc
Dt1OdSIl tlN Nc FL: III Anus the SlSttSiuStIlS
of his former wife and chi dren as false.
He was seen last night in his cell at
the central station and made the follow
ing statement:
MY wife and I lived in Duluth until
1897, when she applied for a divorce. The
case came up in district court before
Judge Moore in September and she lost
it. The following May she brought an
other action, which she likewise lost. The
case was thrown out of court, and soon
afterwards 1 took the children and went
to Barry, Ont, where my parents live"
did you take them fOrcibly that is to
say, without her knowledge or consent?'
mo: if she says tbs the statement
is false. 1 got a job of ditching in Barry
and worked there until Sept. 10 last
From there I went to Lowell, Mass, and
last July started west with the children,
intending to come to ST. Paul. In the
package of my things which is in the
hands of the police, yG.y will find sew
eraI letters which 1 received from her,
giving an address in St. Paul. I paid our
way from Lowell to Cleveland, where 1
intended to get work. The strike was
! on and I made an effort to find job,
but owing to the strike | weakened and
did not work there.
From Cleveland, we went to Milwau-
| kee. We went to Chicago also. 1 didn' t
work much, and from Milwaukee we
went to Madison and from Madison to
| ST. Paul. We came up over the Milwau-
kee road, and at Eau Claire 1 sent the
| little girl on to st. Paul to her mother.
The boy and I got in here at II o'clock
today. ] came up from the depot and
went out st. Peter street to the house
where my wife stays, us Walnut street,
I think it is, and 1 asked for her and
! the little girl. A man named Jim Cald-
| well came to the door and told me that
my little girl was in the country, and
/ that my wife was not there Then I
! came to the police, and they arrested
! me and entered a charge Of vagrancy
! against me-
"What road did you go from Chicago
/ to Madison On?''
1--WE went on the St Paul & Duluth.
I think it was the ST. Paul & Duluth
| No, it was the St. Paul & Milwaukee,
! McDonough's statements regarding his
| travels were hazy. He was unable to give
| a connected account Of his travels, but
| denied that the children had been forceu
to beg or had tramped with him.