Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-22
REV. FLEMING'S SCRAPE.
HIS ALLEGED ASSAULT ON THE
PERSON OF ANNA PETERSON.
Anna Tells the Story Of the Attempted
Rape Cross Examination Fails to
Shake Her Testimony-Other Evidence
3iven--The Case Continued.

At / 80 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
the hour set for the preliminary exam
ination into the case against Rev. Sam
uel J. Fleming, charged with having on
the 1lth inst. assaulted Danish ser
want maid named Anna Peterson, with
intent to commit rape, at his residence
at South Pasadena, the hallway leading
to, and the lobby Of, the township court
room were packed with morbidly curl
GUS spectators, anxious to get glimpse
at the defendant and hear the recital oI
racy story from the lips of his victim.
The defendant was promptly on hand,
accompanied by his attorneys, Messrs.
T. J. Carran and G. w. Pendleton, and
soon afterwards District Attorney Nc
Lachlau appeared in person to conduct
the case for the prosecution.
The fret witness called was the COM
plainant, an undersized young woman,
not particularly attractive looking from
q physical point of view, whose bedrag-
gled appearance did not add to her
charms. She testified that her name
was Anna Peterson, that she was "a
years of age, and a native of Denmark.
which place she left for this country
seven years ago. She first went to Sioux
Falls, where she remained three and
one-half years, and thence came to Cali
fornia. She had no relatives living in
this country. She knew the defendant
since September 18th last, when she
was sent to his house from an employ
ment office, to obtain work as domes-
tic servant, and she remained at his
house until few days ago, in that ca
pacity.
On Wednesday, the 18th instant, Mrs.
Fleming and her sister went up to town,
telling her that they would not
return until the following morn
ing. Mr.. Fleming was also away
all day, but returned home about mid
night. AS the baby was sick the wit
ness remained up in order to give it
medicine and rock it to sleep, in q era
die placed at the side of her bed. When
the defendant came in she told him of
the baby's illness, and as he asked her
to make him glass of hot lemon
ade, she did 30. When she handed it to
him, however, he grabbed hold of her
and tried to kiss her, but as she threat
ened to tell Mrs. Fleming about his con-
duct he let her go, and went into his
room. She also went to her room and
in order that she might not oversleep
herself, lay down without removing her
clothing. About l O'Clock in the morn
ing, as near as she could Judge, she was
awakened by feeling some one unbut-
toning the bosom of her dress. and she
turned round to find that man. whom
she subsequently identified as her en-
ployer by his voice, was in bed with
her under the bedclothes. He put his
hand on her bosom and as she COM
menced to push him away, said !:
"Lay still, Annie, L will not
harm you." She struggled with him
until she was completely exhausted,
and both were perspiring copiously. He
was in his nightdress at the time, and
putting his arms around her neck,
kissed her repeatedly and whispered in
her ears that he loved her. and that II
was "all right, that was what God had
made them for" Finally she felt a
terrible pain in her side, and che told
him about it, whereupon he asked her
to turn over and he would rub her side
for her. She, however, resisted his
overtures as well as she could, and he
said: kiss me once, right on the lips.
and then All leave" Even then she
refused to accede to his modest request
and kept her lips away from him, until
he finally got up and went to his own
room.
Next morning he came to her and
said Forgive me, Annie, for bother
ing you last night. drank little wine,
and it must have gone to my head"
Sho ko1l
would not trouble her again she
would forgive him, promise he
very readily gave her. On the follow
ing Sunday he again approached her
and asked her if she had forgotten all
about what had occurred between them.
She told him she could not, but he told
her to remember it only as dream"
The day following the adventure she
was very sick from the extraordinary
exertion she had used in the struggle
with the defendant, and spat blood,
while the pain in her side still con-
tinued to annoy her.
She remained at the house until
Tuesday last, when she came up to
Los Angeles.
At the close Of the girls examination
in chief, Attorney Carran announced
Cudt uo ulu uOt uo6lre 10 cIOeS examine
her at that time, and she was allowed
to stand aside, it being understood,
however, that she was to be recalled
later.
N. A. Lyman, brother-in-law OF the
defendant, was then called to the stand.
He testified that on Wednesday last the
defendant came 10 his room in the Tenn
perance Temple building between the
hours of IL and IL p. m. It being un-
usual for him to be in town at that time
of the night, the witness asked him the
reason for his untimely visit, and Flem-
ing then told him that he was very
anxious to tell him something awful
that had happened to him. AS he did
not want any one to overhear their con-
versation, the witness suggested that
they 60 for stroll. They then walked
along Spring street and Broadway for
several blocks, Fleming, as they did SO,
relating thestory OF the charges preferred
against him by the girl Anna Peterson.
After hearing Fleming's story, the wit
ness accompanied his brother-in-law up
to his Office in the -Bonebrake
building,as the defendant wanted to look
up Anna Peterson's residence in the
directory in order to see the girl. The
witness told him, in response to Flem-
ing's question as to whet he thought of
the story, that he would not be satisfied
to express his opinion until he had seen