Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-08
In JAIL.
THE SUPPOSED RAVlSHER OF MRS,
LITTLE.
Story Of Fiendish Outrage Committed in
Fayette County, West Virginia
A Probable Lynching.

Special Dispatch to the Enquirer.
|. PARKERsBURe, July 6.-Iour reporter,
upon visiting the Jail this morning to in
terview Mort Lee, the alleged perpetra-
tor OF foul outrage upon a married
lady, near Kanawha Falls, met several
gentlemen from that locality, who gave
the following particulars OF the crime;
The lady who was outraged is Mrs.
Little, wife OF |. j. Little, OF kanawha
Falls. Mr.. Little is a surveyor, and at
the time OF the outrage was sur
veying lands near the Hawks
Nest, and there was no one at
home with his wife but several
little children. My informant states that
the negro had been a servant in the
family for several years and the family
placed great confidence in him, and
never suspected him OF ever doing any
thing wrOrg. Indeed, up to the time
of the perpetration of the outrage, he
seems to have borne the reputation OF
an inofTensive, good-natured fellow, but
how far they were mistaken the nara
tive of Mrs. Little, as given by my IN
formant. will show.
Last Tuesday night the family retired
at the usual hour, and about two o'clock
i'm the morning she was awakened by
feeling the hands OF some one upon
her throat, and recognized the
person to be a negro by the peculiar
odor. She called Lee by name, but he
made no answer, but compressed her
throat and chOked her into insensblllty.
When she revived she was lying upon
the floor. with her throat terribly lacer-
ated. her shoulder blade and right shoul-
der broken, some of her teeth Knocked
out and ner back and hips terribly
bruised. She recovered sufficiently to
make her way TO her brothers house,
about a quarter of a mile distant, and
managed to tell the tale of her infamous
wrongs, and then relapsed into insensl-
bility.
Her brother Immediately sent for a
physician and alarmed the neighbOr-
hood. When the physician arrived he
gave it as his opinion that she could not
recover. The whole country was I'M
mediately aroused and search made Tor
the villain, who had several hours start.
He was tracked To- the river, where 1t
VAS found he had stolen a canoe and
gone. The next thing heard of him was
that he had boarded freight train, and
rode several miles before he was dis
covered, when he was put off by the
Conductor near Cannelton. This was
Wednesday morning, and the pursuers
followed the trail past Charleston
and Coalberg, near which place,
it is said, he had stolen poor
horse and was making poor headway,
with his pursuers close behind him. I'm
fortunately for them they lost the track,
and some of them went down road to-
ward Pomeroy and others toward Rip
lev. They recovered his track and got
into Parkersburg this morning to find
him in Jail.
Rewards were offered, as already sta
ted, and rs soon as they could be printed
were sent to the various counties. The
cards were received by the Sheriff and
given To the offers OF Parkersburg only
a few hours before the tiend put in an
Constable Al Stagg reCOg-
nized him in crowd which was near
the Court House, and landed him in
Jail, where he now is.
lie answers the description fully, and
when interviewed acknowledged him
self To be the man and recognized the
purSuers. He seems in deadly fear OF
meeting the vengeance OF the people OF
Fayette, and he may well be, Us there
seems to be no question OF his guilt
from the admissions he has already
made. lie told officer Stagg he would
confess the whole matter to him, but
has not done 50, as yet. He will be
taken hack tomorrow TO Fayette,
where he will be tried, ii the people
in their Indignation do not string hm
up before that time. The gentleman
from whom | hurriedly gathered the
above information says that the COM
munity is in state OF great excitement,
and will see that he don't get away.
Mr.. Little, who was in pursuit of him,
will be here himself to-day, perhaps,
having taken a wrong trail.