The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-18
AFTER A BLACK FIEND.
vILLAINOUs ASSAULT UPON A
YOUNG GIRL AT POOLER.

Lula Kissman's Terrible Struggle
With a Negro-Posses Hunting the
Assailant With Shotguns and Win
chesters-The Girl Assaulted in Her
Home and is Rescued from Her As
sailant's Clutches BY a Colored Man
Two Families the Victims of the
Negroes Rage.
Lula Kissman, the 17-year-old daughter
of Engineer Kissman, at Newton's lumber
mill at Pooler, was the victim Of desper-
ate assault by Walter Asbury alias Berrien,
a negro mill hand, yesterday afternoon.
All Of Pooler was under arms last night.
and half dozen posses armed with shot
guns and Wlnchesuers secured the woods
all night for the perpetrator Of the assault
Sheriff Roman and Chief of Police Green
were notified and the sheriff's deputies and
the police were notified to keep a lookout
for Asbury.
ASSAULTED IN HER HOME.
The assault was committed at the Kiss
mans home on Newton street about a quar-
ter of mile from the Pooler depot The
father Of the girl was at work; her mother
was visiting a neighbor. aud the other
members of the family We're away,
leaving the girl alone in the
house. Asbury told colored man at the
depot that he was going to KiEsman's house
TO collect some money. A short time after
he had gone the girls cries were heard, and
the man whom Asbury told that he was
going to Kissman's hurried there and found
the girl struggling with the negro, who
sprang through back door, and jumping a
fence started toward the woods
TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.
The girl was nearly unconscious. Her
clothing was torn from her body. Her
face was terribly beaten and gashed.
One eye was closed. The finger prints II
the negro were on her neck, and
her cheeks were torn and bleeding
Her neck was so wrenched that she
was unable to turn her head. The neigh
bors were aroused, but in attending the in
jured girl her assailant was allowed time to
escape Dr. Bleakney was summoned, aud
be found the girl in a dazsd condition and
suffering from her wounds, but other than
the cuts and Lruises upon her head and body
she was unframed.
FOUGHT LIKE BRAVE GIRL.
The struggle must have lasted several
minutes. The floor and furniture were
covered with blood and the girls hands
were bloody where she fought her assailant.
The girl herself in her excited condition
could give but vague account of the
assault.
After leaving the Kissman house Asbury
attacked Mrs. GraysOn, about a quarter of
a mile from the scene of the first assault,
and beat her over the head with the
butt end of a gun which he seized
as he entered the house. Mrs Grayson es-
capped into the street, and Asbury raided
the house and armed himself with double
barrel gun and single barrel gun. He
then went TO the house of Mr.. Walls, and
was about to assault Mrs Walls. when
her husband entered the house, and Asburv
escaped into the woods in the direction of
Monteith
ARMED POSSES IN PURSUIT.
Armed posses were started in pursuit and
Dr. Bleakney aud Mr. Is. Rothwell came into
the city to notify authorities here. An
Eden dispatch to the MORNING News last
night said that the pugsuers had passed
there. There is no telegraph connection
with Pooler and no news could be had from
there later than O'clock when the fast
mail passed. Nearly all of Pooler was then
i'll pursuit of the negro.
Asbury is a large black man with a re-
pulsive countenance and ugly manners. He
is well known at Pooler, where he had been
employed for some time in Newton's mill.
Before that he worked at Eden
and he is known in Savannah.
The victim of his assault is
a rather prepossessing and well developed
girl. Her father came to this country with
his family from Germany, and is engineer
at Newton's mills, where Asbury also
worked. The family is emnently respecta-
BILE and the assault caused the greatest ex-
element. The threats of the people IN pur-
suit OF Asbury indicate that he will be
lynched if ne is caught.