The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-20
Case Contains Peculiar
Features.
The Long Island Light Case Set.
tied.

1
Mayor and Beard of Aldermen yesterday
afternoon which turned out to be one of
the most entertaining sessions the board
has held this year, though perhaps 1t was
not as important as some of them have
been
All the members of the board were in
| their seats when the hour for which the
meeting was called, arrived. An ordinary
insane,ca was disposed of with little
of IA similar character which occupied
much moro time and proved to be by no
means an ordinary case.
MIR. Dennis A. Meaher, the attorney,
presented a petition to the board signed
by John Curran for the appointment OF
"a guardian for the commitment to the
insane hospital of Mary Halloran,: ialias
Mary Curran. The petition asked that
Henry ]. Conley be appointed the guaIdi-
an of the woman.
| When the papers in the case had been
read, showing that due notice had been
given the person whom the petition con-
cerned the question was asked who rep
resented the petitioners at this hearing
Mr. Wilbur e. Wheldon announced that
he was present as attorney for Mary
Curran and had witnesses who were will
| ing to testify that she was neither insane
nor needed a guardian.
| Mr.. Meaher then stated his side of the
case briefly. He said he had no idea the
petition would be contested. because he
thought it was admitted by everyone
that the woman named in the petition is
insance. lie said that Mary Curran or
Mary Halloran is about 6 S years old and
is cook. She has accumulated consid-
cradle property, having saved her earn-
ings and few years ago MIR. Meaher
said that he had handled her property for
her. She suddenly commenced TO act
queerly. The hallucinat on under which
she appeared to suffer was that n man
who had been "a neighbor of the woman
was trying to lead her astray. She also
accused Mr. Meaher of wrongfully treat
ing her and made charges against anoth-
er gentleman of "a similar kind She had
worked at many places and was said to
be an excellent cook and house keeper,
but all the persons for whom she worked
| finally became afraid of her and were
forced TO dismiss her. Among other
places she had worked for Judge Sy
monds, Mr.. Hinckley of Gorham, Mrs.
| Mcdonald ON Pine street, and was at pres
ent employed or had been employed very
recently at MIR. Dara's at Falmout
Foreside.
At all the places where she had worked
she complained that certain men had
appeared under her window at night and
made improper proposals to her. She had
frequently rushed out of the house with
carving knife in her hand and run
around the corner looking for one of
them whom she said was pursuing her.
| Lately she complained to the police that
these men had been putting chloroform
in her underolothing and poison in her
shoes in order TO get rid of her. A short
time ago she had placed house which
she owned on Maple street, in the hands
| OF Mr.. Dresser, real estate agent, for
sale He had found customer for
this house at the figure for which the
woman wished to sell 1t, but on looking
out of the oiIice window just us Dir.
Dresser was about to conclude the sale,
she had seen MIR. Meater on the street
and at once declared that.he was trying
to buy her house and she would not
sell it to him. She then went out and
disposed of the house at $500 less than
Mr. Dresser had offered her for it, taking
in payment $1,000 in cash and $1,000 in
DR.. McDonough to he present and testi-
fy in this case, but he was not at hand,
| and he wished to call upon City Marshal
| Sylvester.
At this point MIR. Wheldon asked. that
the witnesses be sworn.
10 this Alderman Lamson objected, as
he said it was not the customary method
| of procedure.
| MIR. John w. Dana then asked for per-
mission to speak and said that he haa
employed this woman to work as a cook
at his fathers house ut Falmouth Fore.
side She was an excellent cook and he
Fad seen nothing in her manner to indi-
cate that she was dangerous or was like
ly TO become dangerous. She had fire.
quently told him about the way 10 which
she had been prosecuted and he said that
| he had papers in his pocket to show that
there might be some ground for the
woman's complaints against Mr. Meaher
She had been a faithful servant at his
house and he had paid her 50 80 a week
and wished to retain her services. OF
course he could not keep her if she Were
ordered to be sent to an insane hospital,
and TO prevent this being done he had
appeared before the board. lie said that
he had personally investigated this case
and found that she had two sisters and
| two brothers, one of the brothers having
been asked to petition for appointment