, 1901-12-13

The Boomerang. in a way all that
papers own, makes a cowardly attack
this morning upon Sheriff Cook and
County Attorney Downey that is be-
ing denounced on all sides today.
That paper tries to hold those two Off
GERS responsible for the death near
Cheyenne of an old lady who was
taken in hand here Tuesday morning
by Railroad Waterman Fitzgerald and
turned over to the sheriff at the court
house.
The fact of her detention was noted
in The Republican that afternoon, and
the further fact that she was returned
to her home at Denver. at her own re-
quest. 1t is supposed that she left the
train at Cheyenne. where she wander
ed out on the prairie and froze to death
in the blizzard prevailing there.
A Republican reporter met Sheriff
Cook and County Attorney Downey in
the l~atter's Office this morning and
found them fairly livid at the under
handed way they had been treated by
an irresponsible reporter. They say
they had complied with the law and all
the law in the matter, and are no more
to be held responsible for the death of
the unfortunate woman than the re-
porter himself.
DR.. Miller was seer at the Office of
the county attorney and he made the
statement hat he had examined the
woman, and aside from the hullucina-
ton that Mr.. Ivinson owed her some
money and that Mr.. Gramm owed the
same amount to Mr.. Ivinson, he found
her rational and able to care for her
self. Besides" said the doctor, "she
was just as able to care for herself
| going from as she had been coming to
Laramie. and if she came from Den
yer, as she said she did. the Denver
| authorities should not have allowed
her to leave home. if she was insane.
said she could and would go home
alone"
Mr.. Cook says DR.. Miller was called
to the court house to see the woman,
and that the physician advised him, as
a county official, to have her returned
to her home. Mr.. Cook then went to
the resident members OF the board of
county commissioners and secured
from them an order for money to pay
the woman's fare to Denver and to
| place her aboard the train Denver.
ward. This he did. He handed the
ticket to the brakeman at the entrance
to the car and told him the lady was
old and to see hat she had proper
care. That was the extent of his and
the boards and attorneys lawful duty
in the matter. The m was no
worse after her arrival than before,
and as she had made the journey alone
to Laramie. and was willing to begin the
journey homeward as she had come,
| what more could they do? they ask.
1t was stated today that the night
ticket agent at the depot when it came
time for him to close his Office and
lock the waiting rooms asked the old
lady to go out that he might perform
this part of his duty. She arrived at
? o'clock in the morning and how long
she waited at the depot The Republi-
cans informant did not know, but Mr.
Fitzgerald found her about 6 o'clock
in the neighborhood of the ~Ivinson res,
idence, as told in these columns that
day.
Mr.. Downey said he had made An
effort to find something of the woman's
history. but had been unable to do SO
until today, when 1t was learned that
she had come to Laramie about TWEEN
ty-five years ago and was then Miss
Maggie Fannon. Later she had be-
come the wife Of Lou Briggs, a railroad
engineer. She had been q cook and
vas employed In Mr.. Ivinson's family.
Mr.. Downey said he had been inform
cd that she was Of a very erratic tenn,