The daily gazette., 1881-07-19
FIRST EDITION.
LAURA McGRATH'S STORY ,
A Horrible Tale of Crime
and Debauchery.
DECEIVED, DISGRACED AND OUT
RACED In THIS CITY.
A Record OF Crime that fs q Dis
grace to Wilmington.

The case OF Laura Mc3rath, the wo-
man whose pitiable plight along the
Brandy was d tailed In the GA
zETTE, was not fully developed until
last night, when all the facts were
brought out at an interview between the
girl, her father, Mayor Almond Chief
Maxwell, aud another party, In the
Chiefs private Office. The Mayor de-
sired all the points elicited al this inter-
view to be kept quiet, until certain con-
tamplated arrests are made, but they
leaked out, aud beiug put together form
the following horrible sttry Of crime
and indecency:
THE FIRST STEP. EP.-FLIRTATIOH.
On The morning of Friday, July 1st,
Laura McGrath, a rather good-looking,
but needless miss of fifteen years, fesid-
ing with her parents OIL Fawn street,
Philadelphia, went out to Fairmouut
Park TO spend the day. During The
afternoon, while enjoying the beauties OF
the Park, she was noticed by q 70 ing
man named James Maloney who atlrac
ted by her prepossessing appearance,
started Irritation, to which The giddy-
headed girl promptly responded. AS a
result they soon became intimately ac.
qus'nted, aid by evening the porr girl
was so completely enraptured with her
new acquaintance that she imagined her
self deeply in love with him and vas
ready to accede to bis slightest request.
| He accompanied her to her bonie, aud
induced her to promise TO meet him
later in the evening, which promise she
fulfilled.
THE SECOND sTEP-RUIN.
BY representing TO her mother that
she was going to spend the evening with
female acquaintance she left home
without attracting any suspicion, and
conhiiDgiy IN 1t the man to whom, but
a few hours previous, she was an entire
stranger. He easily induced her TO ac-
company him to d house OF ill-repute ON
Wood street near Eighth, where the vii
lain accomplished the girls ruin, and
they rema ned all night.
FLIGHT AND EXPOSURE.
Next morning Maloney proposed to
the girl 10 come to Wilmington, and,
being ashamed TO return home after
staying out all night, she readily assem-
ted, and they came down on the steamer
4 FeltOn. Arriving here he took her to
Manuel Richenberger's hotel (tbe old
Giubb's hoteD at Front and MARI ct
streets, where he registered as man and
wife. He was recognized by Mr.. Rich
enblrger, who had known him well In
the past, and seemed rather surprised at
fading al old acquaintance in the pro.
prietor. However, MIR. Richenberger
suspected nothing wrong and gave the
pair all desired accommodations, They
remained At the hotel together during
Saturday night, but on Sunday morning
Mloney returned to Philadelphis, tell
Ing MIR. r. that be was going after some
money. He has not been seen in vii.
mington since.
| During Sunday the girl remained al
the hotel, and aroused the suspicious
of the proprietor by her conduct. She
was very fee in talking to the male
boarders, and persstently held on to
the key Of her room, saying she would
attend to the chamber work herself.
Monday morning she told Mr.. r. she
had dispatch from ''her husband,
announcing that he would return that
day, but as Mr.. Richenberger knew
positively that she had received nc
dispatch, he became convinced that
she was not a proper person to stay al
his house and ordered her to leave,
which she did, first giving up the key
of her room. When the room was
examined, Mr.. r. says, 1t was found
to bo in horribly dirty condition, and
| filthv avpu tn lousfupaa
ON THE DOWNWARD PATH.
The girls subsequent career il
gathered mainly from her own state
ments. 1t was on Monday, July 4tb,
that she left Richenberger's, aud she
went Immediately out to the Brandy
WINE, where she spent the night ant
also the .ext day without anything tt
eat, not having a penny about her.
VIOLENTLY OUTRAGED.
Tuesday night, July 9Th, she agar
went to sleep along the south bank o
the Brandywine, above the barley mill
but between 10 and II O'Clock wal
rudely aroused from her slumbers anc
found two men bending over her. Shs
attempted to fly, but they held hel
| IOTGlDiy auu FiolChUy ouUSScu hO
person, each in turn holding her firm
ly while the other accomplished hi
purpose. In order to subGue he
struggles, she says one of the mel
struck her .wice ON the head with |
sharp stone, inflicting the cuts tina
were noticed when she was brought t,
lhe police station last Saturday night
DowN IN THE DEPTHs.
It was horrible night for the poo-
unfortunate wretch, aud by morning
/. she was SO benumbed and stricken b.
horror aud exposure that sh, becam
,, utterly reckless aud plunged into
whirl of frightful deprayity for th
next few days. With the well-know
, gang that constantly haunt the bank
of the Brandywlne and make th
presence of policemen q continus
necessity, she had no difficulty In Gu
tering upon a career of disgusting
harlotry, in return for which she ~a
: supplied with food and constantly fill
ed with vile liquor. onse, while in
= state of semi-unconsc ciousness, she wa
again assaulted by four men, who's
. advances she resisted, but they stuffe
|. handkerchief in her mouth aud force
y her across The third dam to the mort
N side OF the stream. These men, how
3 ever, she says did not outrage hel
During her career of harlotry sh