Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-14
MRS. HAMM'S WHIP.
She Uses 1t to Mark Mrs.
Harding's Face.
Three Handsome Women In
YOlved in a Row.
The Details of a Most Exciting Case
Of Cowhiding.
Mrs. Hamm's Attack on Mrs. Harding.
Mrs. Jackson Said "Hit Her
Again" = Mrs. Hard
ing's Story.

''I'll show you whether you can ru n
after my husband, you nasty thing;
take that, and that and thatv-and
each time the lash of dainty cowhide
whip, with the handle decked with an
orange ribbon, descended with consider
able force on the face of lady standing
in front of the Hollenbeck cafe at 5
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. Second
street was crowded with Saturday after
noon promenaders, and soon quite a
knot of interested spectators gathered
around two fashionably attired women,
who figured in the above sensation al
scene.
One of the ladies was dressed in a
black satin gown, a la princesse, with
panels of heliotrope satin, and black
lace hat with heliotrope flowers. She
was rather tall and slender, her hair
was dark brown, her hazel eyes were
large and her bearing rather aristo-
cratic. The other lady, who held the
whip in her hand, was dressed in a
street costume of black silk, with a veil
half covering her face. Her face was of the
southern type and rather handsome. Her
lustrous black eyes were fairly blazing
with anger and her bosom was heaving
with frantic excitement. A third lady,
in plain attire, but equally handsome,
stood by her side.
"Hit her again, Mrs. Hamm, )" said the
latter lady.
Again was the whip uplifted and it
swished through the air with a vicious
frou frou, and the lash cut deep cash
in the tall lady's right cheek, from which
crimson stream quickly flowed.
"I'll give you lesson that you will
remember" she hissed between her set
teeth. "I'll mark your face for you. I'll
disfigure you SO that you will never run
after another woman's husband"
With every word almost the whip was
raised and switched on the tall woman's
face and breast, until she threw her
hands up in the air and cried hysteri-
cally, "For Gods sake go away and let
me alone; l want nothing to do with
you."
This seemed to excite her assailant to
more vigorous efforts, and the air fairly
hummed with the music of the bovine
cuticle as blow after blow was rained on
her shoulders by Mrs. Hamm. Several
gentlemen who had been gazing on the
scene in open-eyed astonishment, now
stepped forward and checked further
hostilities for the time being. Half
sobbing with pain and shame the tall
lady broke through the crowd and
started toward Spring street.. sAt the
corner she turned north, and closely in
pursuit followed Mrs. Hamm and her
lady companion. When the tall woman
reached the Hotel Nadeau she quickly
stepped into the Office of Mr.. Hamm,
the ticket broker, and said to him in an
agitated voice:
"Mr. Hamm, / want you to stop your
wife from dogging my footsteps and
striking me-"
Mr.. Hamm was amazed, and before
he could recover himself Mrs. Hamm
darted into the office and again began
raining blows on the tall woman's face
and shoulders.
''Get out of this right away" she
said. "Tll teach you to run after my
husband"
In few minutes another crowd had
gathered, and Mrs. Hamm continued to
belabor her with stinging blows from
her dainty little whip. Finally the as
sailed woman ran out of the office and
down Spring street and made her way
into the Office of Chief of Police Glass.
As she started away Mrs. Hamm's COM
panion, whose name is Mrs. Jackson,
turned to the bystanders and said:
THAT woman's name is Mrs. Hard
ing; she lives out on Thirty first street,
and has been in San Francisco for some
time. She has been running after Mrs.
Hamm's husband"
Mr.. Hamm, who is a we'll known
business man, quieted his wife's anger
somewhat and sent her home. Down at
the police station, Mrs. Harding told
her story to the chief of police, who ad-
vised her to enter suit against Mrs.
Hamm for assault. She said that she
would think the matter over and decide
later, and then left for her home under
the. escort of Detective Bosuui, the
knight errant of the force.
Last evening HERALD reporter called
at the home OF Mrs. Harding-a cozy
little cottage near the corner of Maple
avenue and Thirty-first street.
II have had no other relations with
Mr.. Hamm than business relations
she said, somewhat excitedly. II have
been up in San Francisco for some time
and only returned to Los Angeles yes
terday morning and have not seen Mr..
Hamm until | was forced to 60 into his
Office this afternoon and appeal 10 him
for protection from his infuriated wife.
Her whole object in creating that scene
today was to disfgure me and to degrade
me. She said that was her purpose in
creating that scene on the street. l
came down today to try and arrange to
sell my property here, as had decided
to move away. | had no intention of
meeting Mr.. Hamm, and have never
had any dealings with him except with
regard to a business matter. That
woman, for she is a woman, struck m e
today solely for the purpose of degrad-
ing me.
II went to see Chief of Police Glass,
who knows my husband, and he has
advised me to prosecute her in order to
clear my name. I cannot repeat it too
often that Mr.. Hamm and 1 are little
more than strangers to one another. I
saw him before went to San Francisco
on matter of business, and that was
all. | will not decide what / shall do
until l can consult with my husband,
who ls not in the city at present.
AS Mrs. Harding told the story she
stroked the silken curls on the head of
a bright little boy of six summers who
stared at the tears in his mothers eyes
and the red, angry, blood stained welts
on her face with an expression of vague,
uneasy wonder.
Later in the evening Mr.. Hamm was
l.. L.