The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-15
ANACONDA NEWS.
k|TT|E BRACKEN IN JAIL
She Threatens to Kill Her Eus-
band and Is Arrested.
HER TALE A PITIFUL ONE
Crazed With Liquor and Mental Suffer-
ing She Sobs and Cries in Her Cell
and Lavishes Caresses
on Kitten.

Kittie Bracken-Kessner, who was
mentioned in yesterdays Standard as
having attempted to kill her brother,
Frank Bracken. is now in the city
Jail on the charge of having threat
ened to kill her husband. The threats
were made shortly after midnight
Monday night and at 2 O'Clock kittle
was arrested by officer Gerald Sulli-
van at the family residence, 622
Commercial avenue.
The woman was still on drunk
Monday night and the fuss she kick
ed up during the latter part of the
evening gave rise to a complaint by
the neighbors. Kitte ran out into the
street several times with hardly any
clothes on, and the scene is said to
have been a disgraceful one.
A neighbor of the Messner household
stated yesterday that early Monday
evening as he was passing in front of
the house he heard the voice of a wo-
man crying:
I'll kill you now; I'll kill you. I tried
to before, but this time I'll get you"
The noise in the house was fearful
all night and it seemed as if furni-
ture, crockery and glassware were be-
ing thrown in all directions and bro
ken.
Officer Sullivan was called at about
$50 o'clock yesterday morning, and
when he arrived. in the neighborhood of
the house he saw Kittie running about
Commercial avenue in an almost nude
condition. He arrested her and plac-
ed her in the city Jail.
An error was made yesterday morn
ing in regard to the physician who at
tended Frank Bracken. 1t was DR..
Evans and not DR.. Stephens.
The condition of the woman yester
day was pitiable. She lay on q rude
bunk in her cell. half clothed. Groom
ing to little pet kitten and sobbing
wildly as one insane. All the endear-
ing terms a mother would lavish upon
her baby Kittie used to the kitten in
her arms. Now and then she would
break into a hysterical passion of Sob
bling and crying. and then her voice
would sink and take on a tone of Won
drous sweetness as she sang or talk
ed to the little pet With her long
chestnut hair streaming about her face
"a face whose beauty has not yet been
ruined by dissipaton-her clothing dis
ordered and her eyes wild and staring
she was a mad woman in every APP
pearance, as mad as any ever confln-
ed in an insane asylum. .
The affection she, in her madness,
lavished upon the kitten seemed a
reflex of the mother love latent in
her, and it suggested that for all the
hard reputation she has won for her
self there is good in the woman.
kittie Bracken, as she is generally
known, may rightly be termed a victim
of both heredity and environment. A
pretty girl and one possessed of more
than ordinary graces of mind, she was
brought up in an atmosphere anything
but healthful for fun loving, vigor-
4.-tn
she was. Her home life may be judg-
ed from the fact that her mother is a
prisoner in the county Jail, where she
frequently is, and one of her brothers
is in the reform school, while anotfs-
er, only IL years old, was picked up
on the street one day last summer
in hopeless condition of intoxica-
ton.
That Kittie, as she reached wo-
manhood, tried to break away from
the evil life surrounding her, those
who know her can testify. The task.
however. was a hopeless one. Every
thing seemed against the girl. And
then, too. she had a taste for liquor
that, when she gratified it, transform
ed her into Demon
1t is known to the authorities that
her husband-a hard working, indus
trious man. who has always borne
high reputation for respeetability--
mafrled her to reform her. For time
after the marriage Kittiie bore her
self well. Then she relapsed into her
old habits and since has continued
them.
The neighbors about the Messnal
household have nothing but words of
praise for Chris Messner, husband OF
littie BraCken Messner, and claim
that he is not to blame whatever TO,
the trouble which has occurred within
the last few days Messner. they say
is Woodworking and industrious
young man and has shown by his con-
duct towards the unfortunate woman
that he was trying to make an honor
able woman out of her.
Messner has been employed by Street
L Commissioner Shovlin during more
than seven months and it is said he is
a Woodworking man.