San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-23
KATIE WARD ABDUCTED.
LURED TO NEW YORK BY THE
PROMISE OF AN EASY LIFE.
The Story of Her Treatment at Tene-
ment Houses-Let Go at Last and
Followed Back to New Bruins
wick by Ernest Plath.

in New Brunswick, by a New Yorl
procuress, and the details of the treat
ment to which she was subjected at
house in Allen street and another il
Bayard street, this city created ,
sensation in New Brunswick yester
day.
| Three weeks ago young woman
flashily dressed and wearing a gilt
tering array of jewelry, went to New
Brun swick and found lodging at q
house on Melton street, adjoining the
home of Sarah Barlow, the grand.
| mother of Katie Ward. This woman
| represented herself as a servant
whose employer had given her a
| weeks vacation. She and Katie be-
came close friends, but she gave no
name to the girl, representing that
she did not care to be known, as she
he had relatives in New Brunswick,
whom she did not wish to see. Katie
was asked to accompany her back to
New York and become servant in a
family where every other day was a
holiday, and where she would have
fine dresses.
Without telling her relations of her
purpose Katie left town with the I'M
known woman on June 26 When
they entered the saloon man named
Ernest Plath came forward and in
sisted on showing Katie and her COM
panion to a room where they would
not be disturbed. When they were
ascending stairway, Katie says, she
was suddenly torn from her COM
panion's side and thrust into room
and the door locked after her. The
room was tenanted by ruffianly
looking man, who assaulted her.
Plath came to the room and ordered
her to 60 with him. The two gotinto
a vehicle and were driven to Bayard
street dive. Here Katie's clothing
was taken away and a Mother Hub
bard, !" wrapper was given her. For
two weeks she was kept there, and
her story of what she was compelled
to submit to is terrible. Her captors
hearing that q raid was to be made n
the house decided to get Katie, who
is under 16 years of age, out of the
way, and on Saturday last her cloth
ing was returned and a ticket to New
Brunswick given her. The girl went
home to New Brunswick more dead
than alive, and on reaching Mrs.
Bartow's house had two spasms from
which she has not yet altogether re-
covered.
The story of the crime was brought
out on Wednesday afternoon, when
the man Plath, who had detained
Katie in Allen street, appeared at
Mrs. Bartow's. He secured an inter-
view with the girl and told her that
he was in Trouble with the New York
authorities for having had girl I'M
der Is in his house.
He demanded an affidavit from her
that she was more than 16 years of
age. Katie refused to go with him
before a notary public as he asked,
anu he then said that he had authori-
ty from a New York Judge to en-
ploy force If necessary, and take her
to New York. This frightened the
girl and she ran to the house of a
Mrs. Dunn.
Plath followed her. Mrs. Dunn or
dered him out of the house, but he re-
fused to 60 without the girl. Mrs.
Dunn then sent her young son to po-
lice headquarters for an officer, but
before one came Plath bolted out of
the house and pran for the railroad
station, two blocks off.
He was subsequently arrested while
waiting for a New York train and
locked up in default of bail to await
hearing. When arraigned on a
charge of disorderly conduct before
Recorder Harkins, he gave his name
as Ernest Plath, real estate agent of
% Bowery. He afterward said his
name was George Mott.
AT the numbers in Allen and Bay
ard streets given by the girl, it was
said yesterday that nothing was
known of her. Both places are lodg-
ing houses, and, as far as outward
appearances go, are respectable. At
the Allen street house there is no
saloon. The only place in Allen
street near by bearing the appearance
of such house as Katie describes is
l04. 1t was said here that Plath was
always getting into trouble over
young girls.
Plath is notorious in this location
as dive-keeper. 1t was learned that
As Bayard street is now under his
especial care. A young woman here
acknowledged that Plath ran the
house.
He had been gone since Monday,
she said, and she did not know when
he would return. She knew nothing
of Katie Ward, she said, although
she admitted that they had had
trouble recently with young girl
named Kate Tanner who had COM
planned that her trunk had been