Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-05
A WEAK CASE.
A Boy Charged With At
tempted Rape.
A LIVELY VERNON EPISODE.
The Warrant for Arrest Issued, But
Held Back for Further De-
vel0pments.

Clinton Stephenson, the boy who was
examined and held to answer to q charge
OF assault with deadly weapon, has
again got into trouble, this time on Q
charge OF attempting to commit rape on
Bertha Fisher. The warrant for the ar
rest OF the boy was sworn out by J. 8. Le
Banta, q saloon keeper in the Vernon
district. All the parties in the case live
on Central avenue, near the terminus of
the Vernon railway.
Justice Getchell, before whom the
complaint was sworn, was visited at his
residence yesterday afternoon by re-
porter, and asked about the case. He
said that on Monday evening LIE Banta
came to bis house and wanted a warrant
for the arrest of young Stephenson. He
said that he had left his saloon,
which is in tent about 4
block northeof the terminus of the
car line, in charge of Bertha Fisher, an
eleven-year-old girl, while he came up
town. When he returned late in the
afternoon the girl told him that Stephen
son and some other boys had come to
the place between and 8 O'Clock in the
afternoon and helped themselves to
liquor. They soon became intoxicated.
and went outside the tent and laid down.
The girl went out with Stephenson, who,
according to LIE Banta's story, attempted
to ravish her, but was prevented from
accomplishing his purpose by the arrival
of some people on the scene, who were
attracted by the girls cries. Stephenson
and his companions ran off when they
saw strangers approaching, and none Of
them were caught. The Justice issued
the warrant for Stephenson, and in
tended to have it served the next morn
ing, but LIE Banta came to his resi-
dence after he had retired for the
night and wished to withdraw the charge.
giving as his reason, when asked by the
Judge why he wanted to do SO, that he
had made mistake, and that there was
nothing in the charge. LIE Banta was
under the influence of liquor ON the
occasion of both his visits to the house.
and the Justice did not know what to
make cut of the case, and decided TO
hold tho warrant and await further psr-
ticulars.
Mrs. Fisher. the girls mother, was
visited at her home on the corner of
Central avenue and Edwards street. She
said she knew nothing about the charge,
but acknowledged that her daughter had
been at Le Banta's place on Monday, and
when she came home told about ths
boys stealing the liquor.
Le Banta was found in his tent. the
front portion of which is fitted up AZ a
bar.room and the rear as a sieeping
apartment. When the reporter entered
the place, LIE Banta was talking to two
girls, one of whom was the Fisher eirl
on whom the crime is alleged to have
been committed. When asked about the
case, Le Banta related the story as given
above; and when questioned as to why
he withdrew the charge, said: "Oh, we
have got into nice mess, and I did it
to save trouble" The girl told about the
boys taking the liquor readily enough,
but could not be induced to reply to any
question as to whether Stephenson at.
tempted to do her any harm.
The ACCUSED boy y's father was next seen,
and said that the whole thing was done
to spite him and his family. He said
that BantR did not possess an enyiable
reputation, and the Fisher house was a
rendezvous for disreputable characters.
MIR. Stephenson is carpenter. and has
been working on East Jefferson street for
some time past. His son has been car
rying his dinner to him every day, and
on last Monday was at the place where
he was working, where he remained until
after l o'clock.
A number of the residents of the local
ity corroborated Mr.. Stephenson's state
ments in regard to the character of the
Fisher family and LIE Banta. They say
that the boy is rather wild and gets into
considerable mischief, but opinion is di-
vided as to his guilt or innocence of the
charge brought against him by LIE Banta.
Another warrant has been sworn out
by Le Banta charging Stephenson with
petit larceny, but it seems rather strange
to many of the people of Vernon that no
complaint has been made against the
other hnps who helnad him 70 stoal Az