South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-05-09
A BRAVE GIRLS BATTLE.
Desperate Encounter with a Negro
n Her Bedroom.

desperate encounter with q Negro
N Her Bedroom.
Jennie 0of. 10 years old. and her sis.
toe Mary, Is years old are orphane,
and live alone in cottage 10 Washing
ton avenue, in the village OF Rossville,
on Staten Island, N. Y. Tho sisters
own the cottage. Their mother died
i've months ago. They support them.
selves by sewing. Both OF them are
highly esteemed. On Sunday night
Thomas Wilson, . colored map. Who Al
so lives in Rossville, forced open wins
dow and got into their bedchamber.
Miss Jennie Gof, the elder sister, is q
handsome brunette, 1--WE feet and six in.
ches high, and muscular. She has ev-
cry appearance Of having abundance of
nerve and self-reliance. The manner In
which she put the negro to fight was
thus told by her Monday:
Ny sister Mary and myself have al
ways slept in the same bed up stairs.
Last night We retired after fastening the
doors and windows. We went to bed Q
little later than usual, az some of the
young people had been in to see rs AZ
ter church. How long We had heen a.
sleep | could not tell, when felt my
self smoshered. and as sleep lightly
since mothers death, l seemed to awake
and get my senses instantly. l felt
some one strangling me and keeping q
terrible grip on my throat. Then a
light was put in front OF my face.
could hardly move before that, but whom
the negro, for saw by the light of the
lamp 1t was colored man, turned TO put
the lamp away, he loosened his grasp On
M throat little.I expect, d that itwoulj
be my last chance for life, but made q
desperate move side ways and broke his
grip. Then l rose up, aud with my
clenched list struck the man with q II nv
strength in the face.
He was kneeling on top Of the uuil,s,
aud knocked him off on the floor. He
again sprang upon the bed. when I hit
him second time, and with the other
hand L scratched his face go that the
skin was under my nails this morning.
| was not bit frightened, but terribly
angered. I did not expect that I would
escape alive. but did what l could to
defend myself and my sister. IA the
man sprang at me the second time
madc certain that his face was colored,
and shouted to my sister. Heavens |!
It's niggcr!'
Mary was too much frightened to
move until she heard my voice. Then
she screamed as loud as shc could, aud
so did !. The man dashed out tue
light and attacked me the third time,
and in TIE dark, which made me feel a
little timif, for it flushed upon me that
perhaps ho would strike me with club
something that would stun or kill me.
That thought seemed to dead my
strength. and l reeled, when he caught
me again. l continued to stru ygle with
him, however, and soon found that my
blows were defeating him, so kept on
hitting and scratching as hard as
could.
'Our screams were kept up all the
while and that. with the resistance, must
have convinced him that he had better
leave. lie ran to the window of our
bedroom, raised it. and began to climb
out. | guess / had become used to
hitting him, and certainly seemed to
have lost al! fear, because as be sprang to
the ground l gave him another blow,
which caused him to go sprawling head
long. His chin struck an ash can, and
the sharp edge, the policeman told me
this morning, almost severed his wind
pipe. and he very nearly oiled to death
before they caught him.
AS soon as the man had gone out Of
the window, looked out ami saw that
he vas on the stoop. Fearing that he
would como up, stairs again, jumped
from an attic window to tn, ground in
NY night clothes,a and ran 10 Mrs. Flats
house. next door. The two Ilatt boys
hurried out, and when the colored man
saw them he ran off. He had left his
boots on the front stoop, and had crept
up to my room in his stocking feet.
The police and the neigbbors found hat
Tom Wilson, who has known us all our
lives, and who works for Mr.. Decker,
the storekeeper, had been out last night,
and they suspected him, though never
would have thought that he would harm
US. They went TO Mr.. Decker's, and
found that Tom was not in his room.
Blood marks led from the door TO The
stairway leading 10 the cellar, however,
shu bbOio tbCy bSOb, WpO was
terribly from large cut On his
throat, and he was too weak from loss
Of blood to speak at irst. They called
q doctor and sewed up the wound.
Then he was brought to the house, and
] identifi I'd him. His face was bloody
and had ridges on it where | scratched
him. he was all bloody from the cut,
and | almost tainted at the sight Of him
aud the thought of his murderous dc.
signs upon myself and sister.
We found that he had taken from the
parlor and carried up stairs with him a
heavy coat of my sisters which, the po.
lice said he probably intended TO use to
stifle our outcries, as Chastine Cox did
Mrs. Hulfs.
I'VE had until few weeks ago, a We.
ry savage and large dog about the house,
and generally took IL in at night, but
our dog bit a man some time ago. and
Wilson was employed to shoot and bury
the dog.
Wilson was arrsigned before Justice
Halle, at Rossvillo' Monday, and taken
to the Richmond county Jail, as ii was
believed that the people might attempt
To do vinlpucc ta him If no uara Lont 10