The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-08-20
Police Items.

One evening last week, q wretch named Balm,
living near Buffalo Rock, who is in the habit of
beating his wife, came home and administered to
her her usual pounding. She got away from him
and disappeared. He went to q neighbor's, q
widow woman, a Mrs. Holland, and accused her
of secreting his wife. She denied all knowledge
of her whereabouts. He knocked her down
with . cham and kicked her until he was
out of breath, then he disappeared. Her life is
despaired of.
The neighbors turned out to find him, deter.
termined if not to lynch him, at least to admin.
lister good wholesome lesson, but failed to find
him
Mrs. Holland is q very excellent woman, and
her neighbors would be perfect justified in deal
ing roughly with this miserable Balm whenever
they can find him.
Last Saturday night, between II and 12 o'clock
couple of vagabonds named respectively Lau.
renee Burke and John Buss, went to the house
of two women, living alone near Shabbona
square. They knocked at the door and, on be-
ing refused admittance broke the door IN and
entered. One of the women escaped by the back
windows. but the other, less fortunate, was seiz.
ed BY the rufians. She bravely fought the best
she could, while her companion, calling for help,
ran as fast as she could to the residence of officer
Brown, who hastily dressed himself and went to
the house where the disturbance was, while Mrs.
Brown ran to her bro,her's, also an officer, to
arouse him. In q moment both were there.
One of the villains had thrown the woman down
and was choking her 40 that for q minute or
two after the officers came she could not utter q
word. The scoundrels escaped as soon as Brown
reached the door, and the two officers spent the
night in hunting for them, but did not find them
Marshal Alden, happening to be returning home
at that hour, saw two men skulking along the
fence. He followed them and saw where they
went to sleep, but knowing nothing of the affair
course Of did not arrest them. Next morning he
saw the Browns, and, on comparing notes, they at
once arrested the fellows, the women Identifying
them, and Justice Smith held Burke TO bail in
5000 for riot and Buss $500, for assault with in.
tent to commit rape, and no one being willing
to he their security, they are in Jail.
sad case Of human depravity was developed
before Justice Leavens. on Wednesday last. A
stupid. sensuous German girl, aged absut sixteen
but not sweet" appeared before the court, evi.
IDENTIFY in !. condition tina. is anything but "iu.
| teresting" to herself and demanded "ius:ice"-
that is, she wanted some one to marry her o. 'pay
for that" A dozen or so yonng men, all from
Germany, testified as to ber hin morals, and she
failed to make case in the opinion of judge
Leavens.
One thing about this subject occurs strikingly
to our minds. We observed in that court room
twenty or thirty boys, young lads, who have ar
rived at that age when, without proper safe
guard, youth may be led without thought or q
struggle into the lowermost depths Of vice
These young men were erowaing the room with
eager ear aud watchiul eye to observe every sigr
and catch every word Of the bawdyism Besid,
these boys, we regret to write it, were old gray
haired men with dim eyes, a tew scattered snags
Of teeth, and wrinkled cheeks, gaping witt
mouths wide open, at the woman, and greedily
listening to the details of the unfortunate girl,
career! Can not courts exclude from trials o.
this character sll who have no business to at
tend them?