Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
MAN IS ACCUSED
OF BRUTAL ATTACK
WITNESSES SAY HE BEAT HIS
WIFE
Woman Decides Not to Prosecute,
Though Police Say offense Is
Not the First of Its
Kind


e. H. Phelan is prisoner in the small
tank at the city JAIL charged with bat
terry. Mrs. Mary Phelan, his wife, is
patient in the city receiving hospital suf
fering from contusions, bruises lacera
tions and internal injuries which ma.
make her an invalid for life, these In
turies being received, the police say, a
the hands of her husband, VINO in
drunken rage because she was visitinl
at neighbours when he arrived at hom,
late yesterday afternoon assaulted her II
fashion which, if stories told by wit
nesses are true stamps him as something
lower than a fiend.
Phelan Is the manager of the barber
shop at the Alexandria hotel and ha:
been there since the hotel was opened
For the past week, it is said, he ha:
been drinking heavily, but yesterday h,
went to his home apparently sober. H,
lives with his wife at 1858 East Fifty
second street.
When he arrived Mrs. Phelan was visit
ing at the home of j. H. Bradley, 1866
5ia East Fifty-flrst street, BY crossing lots
Bradley residence and found his wife ir
the back yard talking to Mrs. Bradley.
he went through me gate, the police
wife knocked her down. According te
witnesses he then seized her by the hair
dragged her through the gate out into
the vacant ground, across lots to the
the porch where. throwing her into a
corner he is said to have kicked her in
the side and abdomen before dragging
her into the house.
was hid from the sight of witnesses
until the police arrived a short time
after, one of the neighbors having tele-
phoned to the University sub-station of
the occurrence.
The Police Arrive
Motorcycle Policemen Roy and c. A. s.
Hickok and Patrolman NJ. r. Kincaid
heard screams coming from the interior.
They looked through a window on the
front porch and saw Phelan bending over
his wife, apparently choking her. The
lounge and Phelan had a knee across
her. waist and both hands around her
neck.
The officers hammered on the front door
and Phelan came to the door and opened
1t an inch or two. The policemen prompt
ly forced the door open and went into
the house. Phelan was placed under ar
der arrest and the woman was given such
temporary treatment as was possible
while the patrol wagon was on its way to
the house in response to a call.
AT the receiving hospital it was found
that the woman had both eyes blackened,
her nose fractured, her scalp lacerated
and great bruises over her arms, shoul-
ders, hips and limbs. She was bleeding
from the nose. mouth, ears and from
several wounds and seemed to be suffer-
ing Intense pain from kicks and blows re-
ceiYed in the side and abdomen.
The arrival of the patrol wagon per-
haps saved Phelan from something more
than rough treatment at the hands of his
neighbors. Quite a crowd of men gath
cred and the presence of the police Off
GERS, 1t is said, was the only thing that
kept the husband from being mobbed
In addition to Mrs. Bradley and a num-
Der of other women who saw the assault
made upon Mrs. Phelan, G. A. Beckwith
of 1859 East F'ifty-third street, H. J. Peck
of 1850 East Fifty-second street and j. A.
Reed saw the attack made upon Mrs.
Phelan and were hurrying to her assist
ance when the man dragged her into the
house.
At the police station Phelan denied that
he had assaulted his wife. He explained
that his wife was drunk; that she had
fallen and hurt herself and that he had
carried her home to attend to her
Mrs. Phelan is said by the police to
have been beaten by her husband on pre-
vious occasions, but each time has re-
fused to prosecute the case Last night
she stated that she did not want to
prosecute her husband and refused to
confirm her first statements that her
injuries were the result of the attack
made upon her by him.