Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-14
NEGRO ADMITS
ASSAULT UPON
BLUFFS COUPLE
James White, Arrested in
South Omaha, Confesses to
Police Brutal Attack on
Kennedy Family.
HAD HIS VICTIMS WATCH
Identified by Membe' 81, y:
Family, Negro j. S&<.,r "
Out of ,>oN
SAYS CRAZE GH''sY DRINK

lanes White, alias Hicks, the negro
who assaulted John Kennedy and his
aged wife. is in the Omaha jail, has
been positively identified by Mrs. Ira
Kennedy, whom he attempted to
criminally assault after he had crush
ed the skulls of her husbands parents
with a car pin, He has also been
identified by the two children of Mr.
and Mrs. John Kennedy Ira Ken.
nedy has identified his fathers watch
which the negro had taken, In addi,
ton to this the negro has made a con.
fession, which is now in the hands OF
County Attorney Swanson. Late yes.
terday he told where the revolver
could be found. 1t had been taken
from the old man after White had
smashed his head with the link pin.
The arrest of the ncgo is due TO the
work of Chief Briggs and the Side
Side police cooperating with Sheriff
Groneweg of Council Bluffs.
One Man Missing.
1t was learned that six strange
negroes had gone to work in the
Cudahy packing plant Monday morn.
ing and that one of them rcsembled
the man wanted. Tuesday morning
only five reported for work.
Accompanied by the officers Ira
Kennedy went through the Cudahy
packing house and pronounced none
of the five colored men to be the as
sailant of his parents and his wife. II
was found that the negro who had moi
returned to work had given all ad,
dress. boarding house at Twenty
eighth and r streets, South Side.
A visit there disclosed the watch
and the persons in charge told the of.
ficers that it had been left to secure a
board bill. The negro was absent, but
retained Tuesday night and was
nabbed by the waiting officers.
Picks Out the Man.
Yesterday in the Omaha jail, Mrs
Ira Kennedy recognized White as her
assailant when his back was toward
her and instantly declared, that's the
MANI when he faced her. She was
not able fully TO identity the watcf
for the reason that she had not seer
1t often, but her husband described il
accurately before it was shown tc
him, specifying the goldwashed
hands, the missing second hand and
the engraving on the back.
Children Recognize Him.
To make the Identification still
more certain the two younger Ken.
nedy children were taken to Omaha
and both picked HON out from among
other colored men.
Confronted by the testimony White
made a confession to Deputy Sheriffs
Gillaspy and Leuch of Council Bluffs
and Chief of Detective Maloney and
Captain Briggs of Omaha.
1t will probably not be publicly an.
nounced when the negro will be taken
back to the Bluffs.
Sheriff Groneweg last evening cor
rected the story that South Side off
GERS were inclined to insist upon a
liberal reward No mention of re.
ward for the arrest of the man was
made, but the South Side officers were
assured that any expense incurred
would be taken care of. County At
torney Swanson wired Governor
Clarke Monday, asking the state de-
cllned to do so while the victims
OF the negro's assault were still alive
Kennedy in Critical Condition.
Surgeons at Mercy bospital where
the two aged persons are lying with
crushed heads, stated last evening
that Kennedy's recovery was not
only improbable, but would be moth
ing short Of miraculous. He was
unable to recognize his son last eve
ming and has no recollection of any,
thing past.
DR.. r. B. Tubbs, the attending sur
geon, is devoting all the time DOS.
sible to the professional care of the
Kenedys. Mr.. Kenedy's extraordin
ary vitality is plainly waning, but
his aged wife continues to show per
ceptible improvement, although there
is a hole i'll her temple as big as a
doorknob, which her assailant in
flicted with the ten-pound car pin.
A second negro was implicated in
the deed by the confession, but the
police place little credencc in this
part OF the story. White said he was
stationed as lookout. He declared
'the crime was committed while in
a frenzy after a day spent in drink