The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-11
.MRS..OTIS DOtSON THE
7HEADLINER in A SCENE
From Tuesdays Daily.

Hugh Kelly vas brought before
the municipal court this Afternoon
on the charge of arson in the frs
degree and waived examination
After his appearance in court Dep
uty Fire Marshal Conley, who was
present, attempted to talk over
the situation with Kelly, but the lat
ter had nothing to say. He was
bound over to the district court. ]
+. Regan appeared as his attorney
Mrs. Clara Doison, the wife OF
Otis Dolson, was then brought into
court. She was also charged with
arson in the first degree. When
asked if she wanted to have her ex
animation in that court she declared
emphatically az am guilty of nc
such crime, and know nothing
about it, not me-" The Judge ex
planned to her about the examination
and Mrs. Dolson decided that she
would prefer to have her husband
come and talk the matter over with
him before she decided upon her
course of action.
Husband Sent For.
Mr. DolsOn was sent for and
Judge Comstock then explained to
him what the court wanted to know
Mr.. Dolson attempted to explain to
his wife what was wanted and she
Immediately became quarrelsome and
started to have a little scrap" with
her husband
Mr.. Dolson evidently felt very
much more concerned over the af
fair than his wife and was unable
to control his tears. Mrs. Dolson
persisted in saying that she did not
set the fire, that she had not seen
Hugh Kelly Saturday night and that
she did not know anything about
court nor what was wanted. The
Judge attempted to quiet her. bur
his efforts did not meet with any
remarkable amount of success.
Finally Mr. Dolson sent for At
in calming the historical woman.
Attorney Philips asked the court
for continuance until Saturday
morning at nine o'clock, which was
granted. Meanwhile Mrs. Dolson
will remain in the county Jail.
Mother of Kelly Talks.
Mrs. William Kelly of Rock and
Maple streets, mother of Hugh
Kelly accused of firing the house of
Otis Dolson in West Mankato, early
Sunday morning, called at The Free
Press office this Afternoon and told
the following story in regard to her
son:
Hugh was not in the house at
eleven o'clock last Saturday night
He left the house at about 7:30 in
the evening and the next | saw OF
him was about fifteen minutes after
the fire alarm whistle sounded. He
came rushing into my room in his
stocking feet and asked where the
fire was. l replied that Henry Hand
shaw, my son-in-law, had made in.
quiries and he had learned from the
telephone operator that it was in
West Mankato. He was anxious to
know whose house it was and re-
quested his sister, Lizzie, to inquire
of the telephone operator She did
so, but did not quite understand the
name, but later we learned it was
Dolson. Hugh went to bed and
was up again at 7:30 o'clock the fol-
lowing morning. He did not say
anything abe the fire. When he
came into my loom the night before
he was so drunk he could hardly
stand up. Hugh was arrested Sun
day morning by Chief of Police
Donahue.
Anxiety About Fires.
Hugh was always anxious about
fires. He always made inquiries as
to their whereabouts. On Saturday
evening when Hugh left the house
he gave me $3.50, and remarked
that he was going to see Mrs. Dol
son as he had to take some rings
to her. Hugh told me that she
had pawned the rings. On Sunday
morning Hugh did not say anything
evening before.
"A week ago Sunday night, at
about eight o'clock Hugh came to
the house and asked me for some
kerosene. In answer to my question
as to what he wanted it for he said ::
Mrs. Dolson and l are going out to
the sheepsheds and start fire. He
was intoxicated and would not go
away until l let him have a quart of
kerosene and some matches. A few
minutes after he left the house I
saw him and Mrs. Dolson standing
on the railroad track. Then they
disappeared behind some bushes and
a car that was on the track.
Monday morning 1 asked him if
he went to the sheepsheds and he
replied in the negative. He claimed
to have slept in our barn all night.
/ am convinced that he was not tell
ing me the truth. That morning
he came into the house about six
O'Clock. He wanted bottle.
told him had none. He said that
Mrs. Dolson was waiting for him on
the railroad track and he was going
home with her. He would not lis
ten to my entreaty to remain home.
Hugh was at Mrs. Dolson's home
last Tuesday Afternoon, so he told
me one day the latter end of last
week. s...
Statement Alleged to Woman.
Many times Hugh has told me
that Mrs. Dolson had said to him
that she would do away with Dol
son and that Hugh would be her
second husband. | believe that the
poor, foolish boy was in love with
her. / know that she welded an in
fiuence over him. Last fall when
Hugh had chance to go to Fari-
bault and work for his aunt, Mrs.
Dolson kept him from going there.
MY son is almost twenty-four
years old. He is not in his right
mind. When he was ten years old
he was pounded on the head nv Sow