The Morning herald., 1876-10-30
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT;

A Child Discovered In . Vault Hor
rible Crime Of IN Old Msn-He A.
ssults . Child Of Dlx Years Of Age,
and shen Throws Her Down q
'Vault-The Fiena AFrested-An At.
tack hy the Mother.
Friday night the neighborbood Of Ridge
road and Poplar streets, Philadelphia, wsl
thrown Into q state of excitement by b report
that an outrageous assault had been made
upon . child six years Of age. A short
time previous to that man by the name OF
Rothemick, residing on Edwin street above
Ridge road, had his attention attracted to
faint cries from q vault in the rear of his
premises. On proceeding to the place from
which the sound came, he found the door
leading to it locked. Several of his neigh
bors came in, and the door was soon broken
open, when the cries became quite audible.
A light was procured, when q horrible sight
met their gaze.
Down the vault, and cliuging by the
walls. the head thrown back to catch wat
ever air might come in, was Mr.. Rother'
mick's daughter, six years old. With the
assistance of those who had been attracted
to the scene, the child was taken out, and
found in such an exhausted condition that
she at once became unconcious. A phys!-
clan was sent for, and after the proper re-
storstives had been administered the little
thing recovered sufficiently to relate the
story of how she came there.
She said, about O'Clock In the evening,
while playing In the street, an old man had
come along, and, by promises of giving her
some candles, had induced her to go with
him into cellar underneath blacksmith
shop, at the corner of Ridge road an Edwin
street, q few doors from her own home.
There he had committed an aggravated as
sault on her person, aud while almost
unconscious from the effects of his inhuman
conduct had carried her to the vault In the
rear of her residence and forced her into 1t,
where she remained till she was rescued BY
her father. She gave description Of the
man, and last night the officers arrested, At
No. 220s Carpenter street, man named
Ishmael Jones, sixty years of age. He was
taken to the station, and when 1t became
known in the neighborhood that he was In
custody, the indignation and excitement
knew no bounds. Early this morning he
WAS taken before Magistrate Stone and
given hearing. The little girl repeated
The story she told her mother and father In
such an innocent, straightforward manner
as to cause q thrill Of horror to run through
those who had assembled. When asked If
she could identify the man, she at once
pointed to Jones, with the remark, "That's
him."
During the examination the mother of the
child, bathed in tears at the misfortune
which had overtaken her offspring, had re-
mained standing by the side of the accused. !.
When the child identified the fiend, she
suddenly sprang upon him with the ferocity
of tiger, clutching him by the throat, and
pressing him down, began beating him.
Feariug the consequences, the officers took
her off, but 1t was with the utmost difficulty
she could be restrained from again attacking
him. At the close of the child's story the
Magistrate said this was case almost
without parallel, and he would feel justified
in holding the accused for Court without
bail. While the hearing was in progress,
early AZ the hour was, large crowd had
collected around the door, who greeted the
appearance of the prisoner with derisive
shouts and angry imprecations, so that it
was with much difficulty the officers could
convey him back to the station house This
was at last accomplished, and the crowd
contented themselves with making asser-
tions as to what should be done with man
ofthat calibrc.