Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-29
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 a prisoner in the small
tank at the city Jail, charged with bat
terry. Mrs. Mary Phelan, his wife, Is q
patient in the city receiving hospital suf-
fering from contusions, bruises, lacera-
tions and internal injuries which may
make her an invalid for life, these in.
juries being received. the police say, al
the hands of her husband, VINO in q
drunken rage because she was visiting
at neighbours when he arrived at home
late yesterday afternoon assaulted her In
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 has
been there since the hotel was opened
For the past week, it is said, he has
been drinking heavily, but yesterday he
went to his home apparently sober. He
lives with his wife at 1858 East Fifty
second street.
When he arrived Mrs. Phelan was visit
ing at the home of ]. H. Bradley, 1861
East Fffty-hrst street. By crossing lots
Phelan came to the back yard Of the
Bradley residence and found his wife In
the back yard talking to Mrs. Bradley.
He went through me gate, the police
say, and applying a vile epithet to his
wife knocked her down. According to
witnesses he then seized her by the hair,
the vacant ground, across lots to the
front of their home, and up the steps to
the porch where. throwing her into a
corner, he is. said to have kicked her in
her Into the house.
After that the attack upon the woman
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
went to the house and when they arrived
heard screams coming from the interior
ihey looked through a window on the
front porch and saw Phelan bending over
his WIFE, apparently choking her The
woman was lying half on and half off
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
it 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 1t was found
that the woman had both eyes blackened,
her nose fractured, her scalp lacerated
IS,
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-
ceived in the side and abdomen.
The arrival of the patrol wagon per-
haps saved Pbelan 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. c. A. Beckwith
of 1859 East Fifty-third street, H. j. Peck
of 1850 East Fifty-second street and ]. 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.