Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-11-19
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
A SHAMEFUL AFFAIR.

A Columbia Girls Experince in Pbiiadei-
phiS.
The city papers this morning have an
account Of dastardly assault upon
young girl from Columbia, who has many
friends in this city and is we'll known as
beautiful and reputable young woman.
According to the Philadelphia journals
Miss Ida Baight,a bright country girl aged
about 81 years, came from Columbia, Pa,
on the 9TH of this month, aud last night
she rested behind the bars of a cell in the
Ninth District police station, Twenty
third and Brown streets, in consequence
of her failure to furnish 81 900 bail as a
guarantee of her appearance as witness
against Chas. H. Engel, scrap iron dealer
residing at 1902 Parrish street, who occu:
pied an adjoining cell on the charge OF
having feloniOusly assaulted the girl. 1t
appears that Engel, who is 36 years of age
and a widower with one child, girl aged
twelve years, formed the acquaintance OF
Ida in Columbia and after much persuasion
induced her to come to the city and &C
cept wo,k as seamstress in his house.
She made her appearance on the 9Th OF
this month, and the man Immediately be
gan paying to her more attention than she
appreciated and on ono or two occasions
attempted liberties which she resented.
Notwithstanding this she still remained in
the house because she had no other friends
in the city. On last Tuesday evening, after
the girl retired, Engel sent his daughter
on an GRAND, and during her absence
entered tho room of Ida. Accord
ing to her affidavit before Magistrate
Brown, the man dragged her out of bed
and threw her on the floor. She attempted
to scream for assistance, but this Engel
prevented by catching her by the throat
and stuffing the end of quilt in her
mouth. She was obliged to pass the night
in the house, as she could not escape from
the room in which they were. Early
on Wednesday morning Engel attempt I'd
to repeat the outrage. Another struggle
ensued, during which the girl was brutally
handled. She managed to elude him and
escaping down stairs met Miss EnSel as
she was returning home. Miss Baight ran
into the street ip her nightdress and bare
feet, with the blood flowing freely from
several wounds about tho held. A police
man who happened on the scene then took
her to the station house. Twenty-third
and Brown streets. She laid her case before
Magistrate Brown, who promptly issued
a warrant for the arrest of Engel.
For some reason best known to
themselves, the police did not exc
cute the document until yesterday after
noon. The prisoner was taken before the
magistrate, and when his victim was
brought forward to testify she showed an
inclination to become reticent, and counsel
for defense remarked that there was no
use in proceeding with the case as a CON-
promise had been affected. TO this the
magistrate would not listen, as he had no
desire to appear in the light of com.
FOUNDER of a felony. Engel then attempted
to prevent Ida from testifying, but the
magistrate succeeded in obtaining from her
sufficient evidence to warrant him in send
ing the case before jury. As there was
probability Of the girl leaving the city,
she was held in $500 bail, but this
amount was afterward reduced to 81, ZOO.
Engel offered his check for that amount of
security, but the magistrate would not
receive that character of bail. Engel was
committed without bail for trial.