WOMAN'S STORY OF BRUTAL ASSAULT
Told to the Police To-Day and a Warrant Issued.
Mrs.
Johanna LASCHENSKI Tells a Tale of Long Suffering at Her Husband's
Hands.
Has Beaten Her Many Times, She Alleges - Statements Borne Out by
Her Battered Appearance.
Mrs. Johanna LASCHENSKI, wife of Stephen
LASCHENSKI of 41 Holland street, called at the police station this morning and
applied for a warrant for the arrest of her husband on a charge of assault in
the third degree. One of the Woman's eyes was so badly swollen that she could
not open it and her head was done up in bandages. She said that besides the
terrible bruises on her head and face she was so badly bruised about the body
from the beating her husband gave her before breakfast to-day that she could
hardly walk to the police station to enter the complaint. She said that her
husband has been beating her at regular intervals for years and that she had
refrained from making a complaint against him heretofore as she was ashamed to
go to the police with the story of her troubles. To-day's beating capped the
climax, however, she said, and she did not propose to have him beat her any
more. She had always been a good wife to him, she asserted, and had taken in
washing to assist in supporting the family, while her husband had been
going out at night and remaining out late drinking and carousing and spending
his earnings.
The assault that was committed on the woman to-day was,
according to her story, a most brutal one. She said that she arose early to get
her husband's breakfast and to get to work at a family washing that she had
taken in. She was preparing the morning meal when her husband began abusing her
and calling her vile names. She tried to avoid him, but he followed her around
the kitchen heaping abuse upon her and finally he gave her a terrific blow in
the face that felled her to the floor. Then the brutal husband, according to
her story, kicked her several times in the arms and body. Leaving her in a
dazed condition on the floor he left the house swearing vengeance upon her for
some imaginary wrong that she had done.
The unfortunate woman was
unable for some time to rise from the floor and it was only with the assistance
of some of her numerous children that she was finally able to get up. She was
then so faint from the severe beating that she staggered about the room in a
dazed condition for some time before she finally collected her senses. Several
of the neighbors who heard the screams of the woman entered the house after the
husband was seen to leave and gave what assistance they could to the injured
woman, who had become hysterical and was crying and moaning in a pitiful
manner. A doctor was called and the woman's injuries were dressed. The
physician advised the woman to go to bed, but she had so much work to do that
she felt that it would be a loss of time to give up. At 9 o'clock she went to
the police station and told her story.
"If this was the first assault
that he has ever committed upon me." said the woman, "I would not make a
complaint against my husband, but he has beaten me a great many times and I
can't stand it any longer. I don't want to live with the man any more. I have
been a good wife to him and I have got nothing but abuse from him. The other day
he gave me a blow on the head with a dripping pan and he has beaten me almost
every day for a long time. The woman removed the bandage from her head and
exhibited a bruise that had caused her face to swell to such an extent that her
left eye was closed. She said that she had many bruises about the body that he
inflicted by kicks when she lay helpless on the floor.
It appears that on
one occasion the woman did have gumption enough to defend herself against the
insults and abuse of her husband. She said that while they sat at the table the
other night eating supper he called her a vile name. Thereupon she picked up a
plate and hurled it across the table at his head. He dodged, however, and the
plate missed its mark. She said that seemed to have a good effect on him for a
couple of days, but he soon broke out again, and this morning he committed the
terrible assault described.
DID MRS. PLANT BURN HER HOME?
Remarkable Evidence in a Case in County
Court.
Testimony Showing That She Heaped Piles of Coals in the Sitting
Room.
Then Cooly Remained in the House - Was Well Insured - Valuables Had
Been Removed - Her Record Bad.
Effie PLANT, a middle aged woman, wearing
glasses and black clothes, was placed on trial in County Court this morning for
arson in the third degree. The indictment is a long one. It contains many
allegations to bear out the charge of arson.
Mrs. PLANT lives with Peter
PLANT on Gilmore street. At the time of the fire she lived at 14 Skuse park.
The house on Skuse park is the one she is charged with burning. A morning paper
said that she is the wife of Napoleon PLANT. That is an error, the officers
say. Napoleon PLANT is a nephew of Peter PLANT. Napoleon also lives on Skuse
park.
The arrest of Mrs. PLANT comes as the result of clever work on the
part of Detectives O'BRIEN and MAGUIRE. They learned that Mrs. PLANT had been
suspected of burning other houses and suspected that she set this one to collect
the insurance.
The authorities claim that Mrs. PLANT has been arrested
before. Her picture is said to be in the rogues' gallery at headquarters in
Newark. N.J.
When Mrs. PLANT's name was called the woman arose from her
seat in the back of the room and nervously walked forward. Her hat was
surmounted by several black plumes, which bobbed back and forth as she moved
about anxiously in her seat.
Ira L. WARD appeared for Mrs. PLANT and
Assistant District Attorney WIDENER for the prosecution.
Thomas SKUSE was
the first witness called. He is the owner of the premise alleged to have been
fired by Mrs. PLANT. He did not see the fire, but examined the premises
afterward.
"I saw coals scattered about on the floor," said Mr. SKUSE.
"The carpet was burned and the coals had burned into the wood. I asked Mrs.
PLANT if she had any insurance and she said had."
Anna Bolger, of 16
Skuse park, was the next witness called. She insisted that her name was
"BOLGER," and not "BULGER," as one of the examining lawyers insisted on calling
her.
"Now tell the jury the whole truth about it," said Mr.
WIDENER pacifically.
"Of course I will," said the witness firing up. "Do
you think I ever came here to tell anything but the truth?"
Mrs. BOLGER
said she was upstairs in her house at about 7:10 o'clock in the morning of April
14th last. She lives next to Mrs. PLANT's house. She happened to look over to
the PLANT dwelling and saw a fire burning fiercely on the floor in the middle of
the sitting room.
"I saw Mrs. PLANT go into the sitting room," said Mrs.
BOLGER. "I didn't see her go out."
Witness said that just before she
discovered the fire Peter PLANT went out calling back to Mrs. PLANT that he
would be back in a few minutes.
Witness said that there was no blind on
the window through which she saw the fire, also no curtain so far as she could
see.
Cross-examined Mrs. BOLGER said there is just enough room between
the two houses for a coal wagon to go in and turn around. In the sitting room
there was a stand and on the table was a big lamp. The fire was on the floor
almost under the table. When the flames blazed up high they caught on the
table.
Mrs. BOLGER watched the fire for ten minutes before she went
downstairs, and then she went out and told Mrs. Napoleon PLANT.
"Now, why
did you wait so long before you went out to tell the neighbors?" asked Mr.
WARD.
"Ah, I knew better than to do anything else. I knew Mrs. PLANT was
in the house. The house had been on fire before. I came down to save my own
property."
"Why didn't you go over and put out the fire?"
"I did
that once, and small thanks I got for it. She accused me of stealing things
from the house then."
Witness denied that she harbored any ill-feeling
towards Mrs. PLANT.
"Now, didn't you see Mrs. PLANT with her fingers
burned and scorched and hear her crying for help?" Asked Mr. WARD.
"No,
sir."
Witness said she never saw Mrs. PLANT smoke.
Napoleon PLANT
was next called to the stand. He knows of the defendant. He remembered the
fire. He said that from what he had heard defendant is not married to Peter
PLANT, although they live together.
Witness said that when he got into
the house the floor was afire. The furniture was also blazing. He related a
conversation with PLANT which did not contain anything important.
PLANT
said that the defendant went by the name of Ann THOMPSON, also Mrs. PLANT. "She
has a number of names," said he. Witness said the defendant and old Peter PLANT
have been living together as man and wife for eight or nine years. He calls her
his housekeeper.
On the re-direct-examination witness said that the
defendant is also known as Mrs. BASTIAN.
Amelia PLANT, wife of
Napoleon, took the stand. She remembered the fire at the PLANT house. About
twenty-five minutes after Mrs. BOLGER called her attention to the fire the
defendant came in crying.
"I said to her: 'What, your house afire again?'
She began to cry again and went back to the house. Then she came back again and
said she "wished somebody would call the fire department."
Witness also
said that she heard Mrs. PLANT say to several people in the street "I'm glad it
burned; I'll get my insurance now."
The witness said that Mrs. PLANT
"hollered this out loud." She said "it was a great habit of Mrs. PLANT to
holler out." Mrs. YORKEY and Mrs. TONAEY, neighbors, also heard Mrs. PLANT
holler.
Attorney WARD tried to get Mrs. PLANT to say that she had a
grudge against the defendant.
Ada L. SAVARD remembered the fire. She said
that she saw Mrs. PLANT go away from the house with the baby carriage. The baby
was in the carriage when she (didn't get the rest of the
article.)
FAINTED TWICE.
Captain KITTS Overcome by
Weakness at the Four Corners This Morning.
Captain Giles F. KITTS, who
was one of the victims of the Wesley Wheeler gang, was overcome by weakness
twice this morning in the vicinity of the Four Corners. He resides at No. 590
West avenue, and came down town this morning on a North and West avenue car to
transact some business. Just as the car reached the Four Corners, about 9:30
o'clock, the captain fainted. The conductor called Officer MOYNIHAN, who
assisted the old man to Post's drug store where he became somewhat better after
a few moments.
He left the drug store and attended to some of his
business. About 11:30 o'clock he was overcome again while walking in front of
the Wilder Building on Main street east, and fell to the sidewalk. Officer
CAZEAU assisted him to the Central Cigar Store and summoned the City Hospital
ambulance, in which he was conveyed to his home. Captain KITTS has been in the
hospital almost all winter and a few months ago had an operation performed for
the removal of a growth in his stomach. He is an aged man and had not fully
recovered from his illness and the effects of the operation when he tried to go
about to-day.
MR. WIDENER SELECTED
President of
Alumni Association of A.M. Chesbrough Seminary.
Assistant District
Attorney Howard H. WIDENER was yesterday elected president of the alumni
association of the A.M. Chesbrough Seminary at North Chili.
The
graduating exercises of the seminary were held last evening. A large class was
graduated from the institution. The address to the graduates was delivered by
Prof. Benson H. ROBERTS.
PICKPOCKET SENTENCED.
Charles
BROWN Was Sent to Elmira Reformatory by Judge STEPHENS.
Charles BROWN, a
cigar maker, who is under indictment for grand larceny in the second degree in
stealing $1.43 from Mary LANGSWAGEN May 30th last, pleaded guilty in County
Court to-day.
Assistant District Attorney WIDENER moved the
sentence of the prisoner. Attorney Ira L. WARD made a plea for leniency. Judge
STEPHENS sentenced BROWN to imprisonment in the State Reformatory at
Elmira.
BROWN is an old-time pickpocket, although he is only 22 years of
age. He has been convicted once. The crime was committed on Main street last
Decoration day. Mrs. LANGSWAGER lives at 19 Gilmore street, she was in the
crowd and felt a tugging at her pocket.
"Officer, I've been robbed," she
screamed running up to Officer HURLEY.
HURLEY saw BROWN running through
the crowd with the pocketbook and immediately arrested him.
WOMAN
PLEADS GUILTY.
Florence WHITNEY Admits That She Stole From Her Brighton
Employer.
Mrs. Florence WHITNEY, a good-looking young woman, pleaded
guilty of grand larceny before Special County Judge STEPHENS this morning and
asked to be sentenced.
"Your honor," said Attorney Ira L. WARD, "there is
some question as to the articles which Mrs. WHITNEY took. She denies that she
took all of them."
"That being the case," said Judge STEPHENS, "I will
put this matter over until to-morrow."
Mrs. WHITNEY was taken back to
jail. Last spring she stole jewelry valued at $500 from Dr. J.P. WHEELER in
Brighton and was arrested in New Haven, Conn.
CHIMNEY CAUGHT
FIRE.
Small Blaze in House on Waverly Place This Afternoon.
An
alarm of fire from box No. 39, corner of Caledonia avenue and Atkinson street,
at 1:30 o'clock this afternoon, summoned the department to the house of George
DORSEY, No. 11 Waverly place, where a chimney had caught fire.
The blaze
was extinguished by the use of chemicals in a few moments. The damage was
nominal.
BICYCLES STOLEN.
One Found on Railroad Tracks and
Returned to Owner.
Frank AYLESWORTH notified the police today that his
bicycle was stolen last night from the corner of Lake and Lyell avenues.
Raymond BRAYER of ?? Taylor street also reported to the police to-day that his
wheel was stolen from SS. Peter and Paul's church last night. Mr. BRAYER was
agreeably surprised to find his wheel in the possession of the police. It was
found on the Central tracks by Officer J.J. LYNCH. It had evidently been
abandoned there by the thief.
The police also have a Wagner wheel that
was found in front of 72 Smith street last Saturday night and was turned over to
Officer WHITE, who took it to the police station, where the owner can get it by
proving property.
CUT HIS HEAD.
Sylvester CLASSEY Injured
on Central Avenue This Morning.
Sylvester CLASSEY, aged 26 years,
employed in the repair gang of the Central road, fell on Central avenue this
morning and cut his head. Dr. KING was called and stopped the flow of blood.
Lieutenant STETSON then called the City Hospital ambulance and had the man taken
to that institution.
At the hospital it was found that the injury was not
severe and that the wound did not require any stitching. The man left the
hospital inside of an hour after his arrival.
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