St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-21
A RUFFIAN ASSAULT.
Caught in the Act Of Commit
ting an Outrage at South
st. Paul.
An Effort by Influential
Friends to Square 1t Mis-
erably Fails.
The Prisoner, Locked in a
Room, Easily Makes His
Escape.
Singular Circumstances I'm
der Which a West Side
Girl Is Dying.

A party of pienickers at Inver Grove
were startled by girls screams yester-
day afternoon. Several rushed to the
edge of the woods near the Mississippi
and saw Clara Schmitten struggling
with a burly young man, who was at
tempting, apparently, to outrage her.
She fought vigorously. A child near
by added its shrieks, and the man.
seeing the pursuerS coming, ran
away at full speed. He was chased by
the young mennearly mile anu across
the riprap dam to an island opposite
Inver Grove, where he. was captured by
a couple of ball players. They
took him back and turned
him over to Deputy Sheriff And
rest, of Dakota county, Who held
him awaiting examination at lnver
Grove this morning. The complainant
is about sixteen years old and the
daughter of Jacob Schmitten, Of 1904
West Seventh street, st. Paul. She
claimed that the man had approached
her short time previous, while she
was with some children, friends OF
hers from South st. Paul; that she re-
fused to accept his acquaintance. but
he continued following and talking
10 her until the children took another
path when he threw her down and she
had to fight against him. One of the
children that shrieked when she heard
the girls screams. is likely the little
daughter of Mrs. HeSse. of South st.
Paul, for whom Miss Schmitten is said
to be doing homework. The name of
her assailant is given as James n.
Mitchell, but this is believed to be an
alias, and that he is employe OF the
st. Paul g. Duluth road. A
man claiming to be his brother
came from White Bear last night, saw
the deputies at Inver Grove and tried
to hush the matter up, saying that 1T
would be such disgrace to his Tamlly.
He was unsuccessful. He then went to
the girl at South st. Paul and proposed
that she go out of town or to Minneap0-
lis. Tine girl refused to accede to his
request.
The Prisoner Escapes.
The man claiming to be Mitchell is
known to have several aliases, one of
them by when he is known even i'll
this vicinity being Williams. Deputy
Sheriff Andrest took his prisoner TO the
lnver Grove hotel. there being no jail
in which to confine him. The fellow
was placed in an upper room, twenty
five feet from the ground, under lock
and key; and, thinking him
secure, the deputy left the
hotel for short time. On his return,
about 10 O'clock, he proceeded to the
room of the supposed captive and
found 1t to be empty. The window
had been raised. and there were marks
on the sill which indicate that the
prisoner had dropped from the win
dow to the ground, distance
of twenty-five feet. A general
alarm was given in the vicinity,
and posse of citizens turned out in
search of the man, securing the woods
in every direction. No trace Of him has
been found. however, up to late hour.
Deputy Sheriff AndreSt proceeded at
once to st. Paul and furnished the po-
lice description of the prisoner,
though the information is so small as to
give but little idea of the man wanted.
There is great excitement here over the
affair, and a search party is still en-
gagged in hunt for the man of many
aliases. If found. it is likely that he
may, considering the pitch to which his
pursuers are wrought at the enormity of
the offense, be treated to dose of mob
law. The victim of this diaboiical out
rage is said to be feeble-minded. which
makes the crime seem still more helm
GUS.