Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-07-10
Reported outrage.-The vicinity of

Reported outrage The vicinity Of
Dickerson's Station has for several days
been the scene Of much excitement on ac-
count Of an alleged unnatural outrage said
TO have been sperpetrated q short distance
from that place. Some days ago the eldest
daughter of a man named David Edwards
made her appearance before Justice Samuel
S. Hays and demanded warrant for the
arrest of her father upon the charge OF COM
hitting an outrage upon her person. The
circumstances of the case as related by her,
and also by an elder brother, were that on
the previous night her father came home
somewhat under the influence of liquor and
drove all the other children except herself
to bed in the upper portion Of the house,
after which he knocked her down with
| chair and criminally assaulted her. The
son states that alter nc mad been in bed
some time he neard his sister scream below.
He ran down and found his father in the
act of committing the outrage. The father
then ordered him to leave the house or he
would kill him, which he did at once, and
afterward the father left and he has not seen
him since. The girl had bad wounds on
her head and face and showed unmstakable
signs of brutal treatment. The warrant was
placed in the hands of an officer, but he
failed to find Edwards. Afterward note
was sent TO States Attorney Peter detailing
the circumstances, but it failed to reach
him, and the first intelligence of the affair
reached here last week. The sheriff was
Immediately dispatched to the scene of the
outrage, and there learned that it was sup
posed that Edwards had gone to Washing
ton, he having been formerly a soldier in the
regular army, and at one time an inmate of
Soldiers Home. On Thursday of last week
the sheriff and states attorney visited WASH
ington in search of the man, and at Sol
diers' Home found that he had remained
there during Tuesday night and said when
leaving next morning that he was going to
work on a farm in the neighborhood. A
large portion of the day was spent in search
ing for him, but he was not found. The
detectives Were notified and put on his
track. Edwards came TO this county from
West Virginia in 1866 and married, now
having eight children. His wife died about
two years ago and since that time he has
lived with his children, working on farms
about the neighborhood. He is represented
as quiet man when sober, but very bad
one when drunk. The victim of the al
legged outrage is a handsome girl of fourteen
years and is represented as very quiet and
IEoffensive. Edwards is about sixty years
Of age and served in the army previous 60
coming to this county. Much sympathy is
expressed for the young girl in her terrible
affliction.
Shooting Affray.--On Saturday night
last lively shooting affray took place at a
negro festival, near MartiGsburg, this coun-
ty Among those present was Frank Bry
an, negro from Washington, who created
disturbance by firing pistol, and other
disordery conduct. AS those in charge Of
the affair could not quiet Bryan, Deputy
Sheriff Charlie II. M. Peyton was summoned
to quell the disturbance, and when he ar
rived on the scene. and attempted to arrest
him, Bryan shot at the officer and then made
his escape to house near by. When he
came out of the house the officer again at
tempted to arrest him and was badly cut on
one armiwith knife or razor, and in return
firedsat Bryan, who succeeded in making |
his escape. He was afterward pursued to
house where he had been stopping, and it |
was learned from the inmates that Bryan
had been there and that the ball from the
officers pistol had passed through his hat,
stri King him directly in the escentre OF the
forehead sand glancing 10 the back Of his
head, leaving an ugly scalp wound. After
securing another hat and some clothing left
at the house he then went away. Sheriff
Fairall being in the vicinity of the railroad
at Boyd station, not great distances from
where the disturbance occurred, was noti-
fed, and next morning arrested a colored
man who was making his, way along the
track onfoot, and carried him back to Mar
ttnsburg for Identification. He proved to
be the wrong man, and said his name was
Jackson, and that he was employed in Mid
dleton's grocery store in Washington, and
that when arrested he was on his way to
that CITY, He was promptly released, given
his dinner and q railroad ticket to his
destination. The Sheriff afterward went to
Washington and secured the services of the
police for the arrest Of Bryan. Y n -"S'