The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-28
HUSBAND
AFTER MANY
BEAT|NGIS
- "a 4
Mrs. Lonergan Recites Tale Of
Brutality and Starvation
of. Family
.fContinued from. First Page,l

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Continued from First Page.)
ceipts in his repair shop amounted
to $12 to SIS daily. with $50 or $50
coming in on Sundays.
Always he kept me from having
enough to, eat and the same with
the children" Mrs. Lonergan says.
He beat them constantly and
added curses to the physical In
juries inflicted upon his children.
Richard. now twenty.three, was
run over by freight train five
years ago. He lost his right leg.
The railway company settled for
Sc, 200. It was too bad losing q leg.
After. all, the sum would aid the
struggling family greatly. But
He took the money prisoner re.
lates, away from Richie and suuan.
dered It on. drink and women.
Poor Richie, boy growing into
man, losing q leg so that his father
could spend thousands on a pro.
longed orgy. And that wasn't all
the late Lonergan did to Richie.
Several days after Mrs. L.onergan
had been committed to the Raw
street jail for killing her husband.
Richie was arrested. It happened
in connection with q raid on. a.
gambling club. There James Mar.
tiE, enemy Of q local gang leader,
had been murdered. Richie had
come to be known as 1sPeg-a-leg.n
And he had formed foolish habits
and associates SIMPLY because his
father had urged him to "be q
man and not Sissy"
Spent Daughters Money.
Three years after Lonergan spent
the price Of his sons crushed leg
he got another comparatively large
sun-$6 ,20O-wEen his sister died.
He promised Mary Lonergan d
home In the country, rest and %.
curity for her old age. That was
before the payment OF the money.
After the cash was placed IN Lonot.
gan's hands he spent IL for gin.
dancing, joyriding-on women
cheap in every way, except for the
cost of entertaining them. I.
All this time Mrs Lonergall re.
ceived only So day on whien to
run the house for q family of Aine.
II When Mrs. Lonergan needed a
warm garment to protect her tired.
weakened; abused body from the
added misery sof q cold winter she
got6 one from the Salvation Army
for so cents. Finally, az one terri
he day succeeded another the
thirtieth anniversary of the Loner-
gans, marriage came about.
A big check was coming I'm the
shop the next day.
The children needed shoes.
CO A~~ns Nx1oA Aa~%kxa "a, 4 ...~,Il
upon her father and to make an
appeal. Soon Anna. was back gasp
ing-another beating. Blood was
flowing from her mouth.
Beat Girl I'm Street.
-Lonergan had showed his twenty
year-old daughter out onto the
street In front Of his shop and there
beaten the frail girl.
The sight Of her daughters
bruised face. made up Mrs. Loner-
gan's mind. and not the thought
Of the many times the 25O-pound
brute gave his 130-pound wife e.
thrashing no. professional fighter
of her weight could endure. of q
broken. arm and: the stitches they
once had to take in her scalp.
1t may have flashed into Mrs,
2
thrown thirty years away.
She put on her hat and hurried
over to Lonergan's bicycle shop, and
that was the day OF the murder:
A fourteen-year-old boy who loved
them both" yesterday testified
against Mrs. Lonergan. The boy,
William, was in his fathers shop
whOn the latter was killed His
mother had something shiny" IN
her hand, he testified. Then he
heard. a shot, saw his father fail and
saw the shiny thing" drop from
his mothers hand. his story, ran.
you were your fathers favored
child" his mothers attorney asked.
Yes" said the boy. -.
You were very fond Of him.
weren't your"
Eyes, I was"
you loved your father better
than your mother, didn't you?''
= II loved them both" :
was testifying
The boy said he had not seen his
mother since the night OF his faith.
er's death, and on cross examination
said police had told him "you stood
here and your mother stood there"
in the shop. and threatened to lock
him up If he didn't so testify
Mrs. Lonergan's six children were
in the court room. She testified her
husband, a former prize fighter, had
frequently beaten her and beat the
children so often that "she guessed
it was habit"
The prosecution had charged that
Mrs. Lonergan had suspected her
husband Of showing attention to
another woman. The trial is in the /
Brooklyn supreme court. - II