The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-28
A LEX0W
May Be Needed Soon
In Worcester.
THE RYAN CASE
Brings Test imony About
a Local Policeman.

If the charges of Mary Ryan, libellee
in the Ryan divorce case tried yester-
day before Judge Gaskill, are true, the
Worcester police force stands in urgent
need of a Lexow committee. Mrs. Ryan
positively and unequivocally deposed
that her husband, officer Patrick F..
Ryan, was in the habit of having left
at his door each day capacious jugful
of whisky.
The size of the receptacle was not
| positively stated, but the lihellee was
certain that it was "a big brown jug. ,"
The generous liquor was always ready
and waiting on the back porch when
the family arose in the morning. The
man who delivered it was as regular as
the mnkman. perhaps more SO. More
| than that, it was furnished freely and
without cost by generous liquor mer-
chants DESTROYS of cultivating the
friendship and good will of the popular
policeman. And officer Pat Ryan was
not the man to offend his friends by
refusing to accept their gifts. He had
too much innate courtesy for that.
There We're never less than seven or
ant jugs in the cellar at time, said
Mrs Ryan. But the household evid-
emily fixed that as a limit and did not
allow them to accumulate beyond that
number. The ease with which Ryan
procured liquid refreshment was a
cause of boasting to her husband, says
Mrs Ryan. He is said to have often
proclaimed that he had but to speak
and any amount of 'hard stuff would
be at his disposal.
All this is but little of the interest
ing testimony developed in the Ryan
divorce case The rehearsal of the
domestic infelicities Of the Ryan house
hold occupied the entire session of the
superior jury-waived court. The whole
day was devoted to the hearing of
evidence, and the arguments OF the OPP
posing counsel, Webster Thayer, Tor
the libellant and John r. Thayer, for
the ljbellee. The court continued the
case under Amusement
To a casual spectator, it looked as If
half the Worcester police force was in
| the court officer Ryan's troubles have
| for q long time interested the squad
at Central station. The matter has
been discussed in all its bearings, and
| in consequence, the station Is divided
| into two camps OF about equal
strength, one siding with Ryan, the
other with his wife. 1t was that way
| in court Nearly a half dozen blue
coats testified for Ryan, and nearly the
same number for his wife.
Patrick F. Ryan, who is suing for di-
vorce on the grounds of cruelty, was
| first on the stand. He said he was
married to the libellee in 1891. He said
he thought his wife had been drunk at
| least rs or 30 times in the last year.
He described several instances in
which Mrs Ryan was said to be in a
state of beastly intoxication. Finally,
after he could stand it no longer, he
ordered her out of the house. That
was July 23d He admitted having Ii
quor in the house, but said he never
gave it to her. He said his wife had
left him twice before.
officer George b. Barker told how,
on June 9th, he had entered Ryan's
house at Ryan's request, and seen Mrs.
Ryan lying drunk on the bed with her
clothes on. The lamp was smoking,
and her face and clothing were covered
with SCOT Sergt. John w. Warren
and Officers Charles Thompson, Chas.
Gould, James M. Quimby and Elliott
Tyler and L. ]. Goodell, a neighbor,
all testified to seeing Mrs. Ryan drunk
on different occasions. George w.
Hammond, bookkeeper for Peter Doyle,
testified to having sold liquor to Mrs.
Ryan at least once or twice a week.
The liquor was sent to house on I'm
ion street. He never remembered hav-
| ing seen her drunk.
Charles F. Ryan, a son of the libel
liant. told of having seen his step
mother intoxicated on different occa-
sions. Her language, he claimed, was
often profane and indecent. One time,
when lying down in his room, she had
entered and given him a slap in the
| face. When he jumped up, she said,
| by way of explanation. 81 thought you
were the old man" A record was af-
| forwards produced by the libellee to
show that this witness had himself
been convicted in the courts Of drunk
enness.
Officer Peter O'Marrah stated that
| Ryan had once called him in to look at
his wife, but he could see nothing the
| matter with her Then Ryan had
| asked him to help him in his divorce
| case and stretch it a little"
officer George Connors described a
lively scene in the Ryan household.
Ryan had promised to take his wife to
the threatre that night. But when
the time came, he refused, and an
nounced his intention of taking his
daughter to the theatre the sue
ceeding night. Then Mrs Ryan
flew into a passion, threw
scalding water on him, struck at him
with a stove litter, kicked his shns and
scratched his face. Ryan requested
her not to spoil his beauty" and
pushed her forcibly into the kitchen.
where he locked her up. Officers Geo
7. Delaney, Charles Hanson, a neigh
Dor. and the libellee's mother, testified
to never having seen her drunk.
Mrs. Ryan, speaking in her own be-
half. said she had not been drunk more
than three times in the last year. Then
she said. 1t was in consequence of drugs
put in her drink by her husband. After
one drink of whisky she claimed that
these knockout" drops put her to
sleep. She left her husband on account
of Mrs. Burns, who was doing house,
work in the house, and with whom she
thought her husband unduly intimate
Ryan, she said, told her Mrs Burns
would take her place and be there after
she was gone. Then he threw her be-
longings out Of the window and told
her to go. She went out to pick up
the things, and on trying to re-enter,
found the door locked She then went
to her mothers home and sat on the
steps till daylight. Ryan had ill-treat-
ed her many times, she said. One time
ne threw hot water on her foot, which
burned her so that she could not do
housework for some time. When thus
unable TO get about, Ryan caused the
board of health to inspect his own
home to offer report OF how she was
neglecting her duties.
Six years ago, she claims, Ryan took
her to house of ill-repute in Oxford
kept by woman named Tibbets. No
sooner was he there than Ryan ex-
pressed desire to go out and "see the
a = n wA