Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-09
STOLE HER HAIR.
Awful Experience of Young Woman in
Darby, Pa.

| Darby, Pa.
From the Philadelphia Record
The usually quiet village of Darby is in
great furry over what appears to be one
| of the most mysterious outrages ever com.
mitted in Delaware county. While Mrs
| Lizzie Buchanan was asleep on a lounge
in her mothers house, on Saturday even
ing, man entered drugged her. cut of
her hair and disappeared again without
disturbing anything else in the house.
Both the front and lear doors of the house
were locked before the entrance of the
man, and when the young woman was
found after the affair was over they had
apparently not been disturbed
Mrs. Buchanan is not yet IS years of
age and quite handsome girl, with dark
hair and good figure. Her story, as she
recounte it last night, did not throw any
light on the mystery. Mrs. Savidge, her
mother, had gone to market in the city,
and the younger children were all in bed,
when, some time after 8 o'clock, Mrs. Bu-
chanan fixed her hair before the glass in
the kitchen, locked the rear door, and,
putting one of the keys of the front door
in the cellar window for her mother and
older brother, who was at fair in Paschal,
she locked the door with another key and
then laid down on lounge in the parlor.
When she was fixing the front door she
noticed shadow, resembling the figure of
a man, on the opposite side of the street,
but paid no further attention to it.
1t was about 9 o'clock when she laid
down on the lounge. There was no light
in the parlor, but lamp was burning
dimly in the adjoining room. She was
aroused by hearing somebody walking
about, but thought it was her brother
George. Presently she heard voice ask
ing, "Where are you?" Still thinking it
was her brother, she arose to go out into
the kitchen for light, but she had taken
only few steps when man caught her
by both shoulders, blew something into
her face which went into her mouth,
eyes and nostrils, and she became uncon-
scicus.
When Mrs. Savidge returned at $50
o'clock she noticed peculiar odor as she
opened the front door, She was further
surprised to find all the cupboard doors
and the cellar door open, and going into
the parlor found her daughter lying un-
conscious ON the floor in front of the table
At first she thought the girl was sleeping,
but when her efforts to arouse her failed,
and she noticed the short hair, she be-
came frightened and called for help. The
neighbors responded, and by their united
efforts the girl was revived.
She was fighty and irrational and could
offer no explanation, but talked about
man with whiskers and a cap On the
front of her dress was sprinkled a fine
NH. 20 ,Nnxr-1ar o,,H har Ena hloal- Io,~ I,l
been cut off close to the scalp. There
were no other signs of violence on her
body. DR.. Paynter was summoned, but
he could throw no light on the subject.
Investigation showed that nothing in the
house had been disturbed
Mrs Buchanan says that when she laid
down she had her shoes on, but when
found by her mother she was barefooted,
and her shoes were found under the
kitchen table. The most careful search
failed to find any of the hair beyond a few
little pieces found in the kitchen.
The idea advanced by her and her
friends is that the shadow which she no
ticed when closing the door belonged to
man, and, seeing her hide the key in the Gel
lar window, he afterward got it and entered
the house. This theory is strengthened
by Mrs. Sweeney, who lives next door, and
who says she also noticed the shadow.
DIR. Painter, the physician who was
called to attend the girl, is inclined to con-
slider the story false. He says the powder
seemed to be nothing but flour, and that
when he asked to see her eyes, which she
said panied her, she turned them up and
down so far that nothing could be seen.
In investigating the premises DR.. Paynter
says he found tin cup in the cellsr-way
containing -four, and which showed the
imprints of fingers. He thinks the girl
cut the hair off herself and got up the
story TO create sensation.