On the afternoon of Friday Mrs. Kenyon, who has since died under the
mysterious circumstances, came over alone. Miss Barrett did not come.
The captain ordered her to bring the things over with her and to have
Miss Barrett come over by noon of the next day. The next day I went
back to the captain's office and they both came over. They brought with
them only a part of the things they had taken from my room and they
also put in some things which had never been in my room. I told Captain
O'Brien so when I looked over the lot. We went over everything piece by
piece, and only four small pieces of lace was there any difference of
opinion, Miss Barrett admitting that the rest of the things belonged to
me. I was allowed to take them away.
Captain O'Brien then asked Miss Barrett whether she was going to
prosecute me for theft, and asked her if she was to get the warrant out
before all the offices closed so that I could get bail that night and
would not have to spend the Sunday in jail. Miss Barrett declared that
they had no intention of pushing the prosecution, and we all supposed
the case was then over, except myself. I intended to get my other
things back in time, if I had to sue for them.
We all then left Captain O'Brien's office. I was astounded that night
to be arrested at about eleven o'clock on a warrant sworn out by Miss
Barrett, charging me with having stolen the four pieces of lace valued
at fifty dollars. I was taken to the Harrison street police station.
Here I was compelled to spend the night in a filthy cell.
I understood later that it was the next morning that Captain O'Brien
called up Attorney Patrick H. O'Donnell and asked him to come down to
the station and get out my bond and take up my case. Mr. O'Donnell did
come, and he did get me out on bail furnished by Samuel Feldmann. Mr.
Feldmann came to go on my bail at Mr. O'Donnell's solicitation and that
of Captain O'Brien, as I understand it, although of this particular
point I am not sure. At any rate, I was released on bail pending a
hearing on the charge, which subsequently took place in the municipal
court before Judge Hume.
Mr. O'Donnell kindly took me to his home, and his wife there cried over
and mothered me and was as good to me as my own mother could have been.
Up to this time I had given no hint of the horrors of January 4. I
could not bear to think of them, much less speak of them. Mr. O'Donnell
did not know. No one except those present and myself knew of these
things.
Then the people of Chicago began to come to my aid because I was poor
and friendless. The Irish Fellowship Club employed Attorney John
Patrick O'Shaughnessey to take up my case and investigate it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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