Year: 1878

THE ARREST OF JOHN EifENN-a4''
An Interview with Mrs Rice, the Alleged
yictim--She Tells Pretty s'iaAsn'
Story. !
The G1opE Yesterday morning contained
. hr;of ,,o4ice If the arrest, the evening pre- |
Wong of John Brennan. an empioye at
Stees Bros furniture establishment on
Third street on the charge of committing
rama m the person of Mrs. M. j. Rice. The
alleged offense took place on wednesday
evening. and the arrest was made on Satur-
dav afternoon. The same evening, Brennan
was transferred to the custody OF Sheriff
Becht, and will there remain until the case
comes up in the Municipal Court.


The story of the affair as told by the do
fendant is that the charge is neither more nor
less than blackmail, and that if he had been
willing to be bled the charge would never
have been made.


Wishing to get correct version OF the
matter from the other stand point, GLOBE
reporter visited Mrs. Rice at her residence
on West Ninth street last evening, where ne
found her in bed. and under the charge OF
III. =
in tbe citv six months. having come here from
Hudson, Wis, and would be readily voted to be
decidedly pretty. She talked freely, and on
being informed OF the object of the visit,
readily consented to state her version OF the
affair. which she did with the utmost minute
ness Of detail, and with an apparent truth
fulness which will no doubt have its effect
on Judge and jury.


She said in substance, that Brennan, VINO
boarded where she did, at Mrs. Fallons, on
Cedar street, between Fourth and Fifth knew
that she was out of, and wanted work, and
told her about three weeks ago, to call at his
place of business that night and he would
see what he could do foy her. she
thought the language strange, and asked
him why she shouldn't come in the after
noon. to which he replied he would be busy
then till o'clock. She did go there III the
evening at the time named, and asked nm
about the work he had for her to DO. Ht
told her he wanted shrouds, mattresses and
such things made, but that ne had no tlme
to talk to her then, and size must come again
Other persons were IN the store the1l, ano
she left without further talk.


Last Wednesday afternoon, he told her tc
come down and see about the work. and
she went at the time fixed by him o'clock
Other persons were present, and Brennan
told her he was busy then, and would be al
leisure in short time. She went out ano
returned in some fifteen minutes. Finding the
store lighted up, she passed to the front
door Just as he was extinguishing the lights
in the back of the storeroom. But light
shone bright in the front window. He came
forward, closed the door, and, she noticed
locked it. She ordered him to unlock that
door, whereupon he seized her, clasped bis
hand over her mouth and drew her to the
back part of the store. Reaching there, he
seated himself in a chair and drew her on
his knee-she all the while struggling and
attempting to cry out. He told her it was
no use resisting him, and that she could not
go home till he had got through with her
He then threatened if she halloed again, ht
would choke her. She tried to cry out, bu
he placed his hand on her throat and sale
he'd choke her if she didn't hush up.


She succeeded in breaking away from hin
and nearly reached the door, but was seizet
and brought back, thrown upon the foo
on his coat which he had previously lai'
there, when he finally accomplished his pur
poses.


She says she was afraid Of her life and 81
overcome by terror and excitement that sh
became completely Frustrated ed,-nelthe
being able to speak or move He finally lit
ted her up and took her up stairs towards tn
back part of the Office, then down again t
the first floor and thence to the Minnesc
ia street entrance when he after some della
opened the door and let her depart


On being released, Mrs. Rice says she ra
down to Fourth street and reaching there
was so faint that she was forced to lea
against the house on the corner for SUP
port


Reviving slightly, she made her way SLOW
ly and with great difficulty up Fourth t
Wabashaw and thence up Wabashaw beyon
Fifth, where ahe entered the store of a ger
tleman who knew her, saw her pitiable con
dition, eua to whom she narrated the de
tails ut her horrible experience. She stage
there an hour before she was able to stal
homeward, and finally reached home afte
great difficulty. She was Immediately take
to bed, when her prostration became s
great that physician was called who foun
her seriously indisposed, her suffering n
sulting, he said, from nervous excitement.


Such is in brief, Mrs. Rice's statemen
She denies most strenuously the imputatio
that she ever asked or received money frol
Brennan. She says that after the act ha
been accomplished, he offered her $2.(
which she refused. She equally as strong
denies Brennan's statement, that the chare
has been trumped up for matchmaking pu
poses. Whatever may be the real facts


the case, one thing is apparent to Il
most casual observer, and that is, that 81
tells story full of minuteness of deta
and tells it in a plain straightforward al
unhesitating manner