The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-25
COOL-HEADED WOMAN
N|PS A GORE SP|LL|NG

From Fridays Daily.
Had it not been for the, courage
and presence of mind of Mrs. ".
Grace Lester, murder might have
been committed yesterday afternoon
in her flats in the Union block,
South Front street John r. Nc
Clusky in a drunken outbreak of
savagery, drew a loaded revolver
and it is alleged he threatened to
shoot his wife.
Mrs. Lester says that the young
couple made their appearance at her
flats on October II, and after pre-
senting excellent recommendations,
rented suite of rooms For the
next four days the couple created a
great deal of disturbance and were
quarreling much of the time, is the
story told by Mrs. Lester to The
Free Press. The other reomers no.
titled Mrs. Lester of this fact and
she took immediate steps to have
them get out, bag and baggage. Yes
terday forenoon she went to their
rooms and told Mrs. McClusky that
they would have to move. McClusky
was not there at the time and a
little later he arrived, showing the
effects of altogether too frequent
visits to the "booze" parlors. Mrs.
Lester informed him that he would
have to get out and he ordered his
wife to pack up and then threw him.
self down on the bed in a drunken
stupor. Mrs. Lester ordered him to
get up and help his wife, and he
started to use some rather ill-sound-
ing language, whereupon Mrs. Les
ter proceeded to tell him a few
things in plain English, and he took
, it for granted and reused himself
Mrs. Lester Was Called.
Early in the afternoon Mrs. Lester
was again called by the roomers to
come up and see what was going
on in the McClusky suite. Upon in
Ivestigating she found Mr.. McClusky
sitting on the bed pointing a gun at
his wife. Mrs. Lester again used her
argumentative powers on the drunk.
en- man and he again saw things her
way Immediately, and laid the re-
volver down on the bed He then
closed his eyes for moment and
Mrs. Lester got possession of the
gun. Then running swiftly down the
hall she found her daughter and told
her to call a policeman. Mrs. Lester
returned to the McClusky apartment
and stood guard over the couple un.
til Officer Hovig arrived. When IN
formed what was transpiring, the of.
ficer told McClusky that he would
have to come along, and he immedi-
ately started to whimper like "a whip.
ped pup, his. wife joining in lugu-
briously, according to the story told
by Mrs. Lester. Mrs. Lester says that
the tableau was extremely funny. Of.
ficer Hovig was finally prevailed up
on to let them go their way, but
took the gun along with him. Nc
Clusky wanted the weapon back, on
the excuse that he was carrying $500
in his pocket and needed it for self.
protection. Officer Hovig advised
him to put the money in the bank
at once. The officer agreed to let
Mrs. McClusky have the revolver if
she came for it, but he said that
he did not consider her husband re.
liable enough to carry the weapon
! Mrs McClusky refused to have her
loving husband locked up for trying
to kill her and Mrs. Lester did not
! enter complaint against them
Says He Is Plumber.
! McCluskv claims to be a plumber
by trade and says that he was go
ing to work Monday. 1t seems that
the young couple were married about
a week ago and that Mrs. McClusky
has some property, which her hus-
band was very anxious to get hold
Of so report has it. This may have
been the cause for his drawing the
gun, but as none of their converse
ton was overhead either by Mrs.
Lester or the roomers, this cannot
be stated as a fact Mrs. McClusky
came from North Dakota and her
husband did not say where he hailed
from.
McClusky entered the police sta
ton last evening and created some
disturbance about his six-shooter,
and Desk Sergeant Scovel threaten
ed to lock him up unless he quieted
down. About ten o'clock last night
he again attempted to enter the
dpdTC IIlSIIS lTOIl WHICH, ne udu UcSil
expelled in the afternoon, and was
met on the stairs by the redoubt-
able Mrs Lester, who ordered him
to about face and retract his steps
from whence he came. He proceed
ed to do so without any argument.
Mrs. Lester said that he made a
motion toward his hip pocket but
changed his mind and as he was go
ing down the stairs she saw some
thing protruding from his hip pocket
that might easily have been knife.
Mrs. Mcclusky Demands Gun.
This morning the McCluskys call
ed at the police station demanding
the gun, and were told that they
could not have the. weapon until the
chief arrived. He was very indig-
nant about it and said that he would
not part with the gun for $500. He
told Officer Hovig yesterday that a
saloonkeeper advised him to buy the
gun to protect the roll he was carry
ing.
The couple left the station in dis
gust only to return as soon as the
chief arrived, on the same mission.
Mrs. McClusky was given the gun
with advice that it was very fool
ish piece of business to allow her
husband to threaten her life and
then get the weapon back for him.
McClusky has been driving a liv-i
cry rig about town for the past two
days and was seen in it again this
" !