Evening star., 1885-07-22
ATTEMPTED OUTRAGE IN VIRGINIA
Assault OM n Girl Of Fifteen by n White
creant Narrowly Escapes Lynching.

Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
CULPEPER, VA, July %, 1SS5.-The Cul-
pepper Jail last night and this morning presented
the unusual spectacle of a military guard sur
tiru iucter ntrpssiaY2 I'm Was, The. apprehen-
terday on charge of rape. would be taken from
Jail and lynched. The company which COM
poses the guard is the "Culpeper Minute Men,"
The facts OF the case are these: Yesterday
morning the fifteen-year-old daughter of Mr.
Frank Berry, residing one mile west of Mitch.
ell station went to the cOwpen, In company
Reaching the place, they were Set upon by Har-
ris. The girls were wholly unaware of the
apparent. Miss Berry's companion escaped,
and ran screaming towards the house. Harris
seized Miss Berry and checked her until
nose. But before he could fully accom-. %
plish his purpose the alarm had been given
and and, he, help appr9aching h he became fright.
about the neck and head.
Harris, the assailant. is about thirty years of
age and a brutish-looking fellow. ard does not
seem TO be possessed of much intellect. He has
for years been leading trampish sort of life.
Two years ago he was in Pennsylvania, and got
into prison there. He claims that he was under
the influence of whisky when he assaulted the
girl.
The news of the outrage spread rapidly, and
men were securing the country in every direc-
tiOn in search of Harris. At least one hundred
men left this town on horseback before noon.
ship, happened to be in the neighbOrhood of
Mitchell,s station, and hearing a descrip-
ton tbp nIm of the heo,9 man. kept Caac lookout
mile from the station, he met Harris.
Hume had no arms except an old empty re-
yolyer, SO ne eng sngaged Harris in conversation.
and get drink, to which the latter acceded.
After going short distance they met another
to find out privately from Hume whether he
came suspicious and attempted 70 = get get
and, running after the fugitive. brought him to
a halt by threats of shooting Harris was taken
to Mitchell's, where there were already indica-
Hume, seeing that it would be unsafe to Keep
his prisoner there until the train for Culpeper
(Which passes Mitchelrs at q quarter to six,
his man to Orange Court House, from which
point he took the six O'Clock return train to
Culpeper. By the time this train had reached
there, who, suspecting Hume's program,
boarded the train and searched every car.
But the ;ds latter ,sd, had taken the pre-
and the crowd failed to discover them. Ar
rived at Culpeper Harrit was safely lodged in
Jail.
AS soon as it was discovered that Harris was
in town a plan to lynch him was set on foot.
steps to get out the cuipsper Minute Men, , who
were posted as guard at the jail, as above In
would certainly have been lynched at Mitch
ellis. There Is vet q great desire to lynch him
and fears OF trouble are still entertained.
HARRIS TAKEN 10 ALEXANDRIA,.
LATER.-Since the above was written an ef.
fort has been made by the court to impannel
a grand jury to-day, but this was found Inn
practical, and it was determined to send the
prisoner to Alexandra for safe-keeping. He
was accordingly taken to the depot guarded by
the whole company and carried away ON the