The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-07-19

Squire GIllespy had before bin last
night a case Of peculiarly aggravated
character. The prisoner vas arrested
shortly after noon yesterday by Officer
Herbert. He Is known smoue hts
acquaintance o. italian Jim," bet
gave his name az Giovanni sarigi. He
10 one Of tho denIzens Of what Ia known
IS "the Black Diamond" the dive in
tho roar Of tho saIoon lately run BY
Louis Bachclli. lie Is . hUt.iscsd
man. OF medium hoIght, stoutly built,
and probably between thirty and forty
yeara Of ngo
SariE Is accused Of rapc. hts victim
being Nina Griss, girl niuc yeare old.
Under the state Law tho penalty OF his
alleged crime is death. OhensCs OF the
sRTne character have been Giarminaly
frequent in tho past toW years, but tho
extfGme penalty has mob been mescd
out in one case
Tho crime is alleged TO harp been
committed on Monday, July y. II WIS
not known Of until yesterday, howover.
tho little girl and her companions be-.
ing dirnid 10 tell tho circumstances.
Yesterday Il was discovered that tho
child had contracted loAthsome dis
case, and when shc was questioned tho
truth came out
The story told by the witnesses AZ tho
henring Inst evening was pretty BtrnighL
and while tho main facls came undot
tho observation Of three Children only,
there was abundant corro6orativo testi.
mony.
The rattIctraD, Of housu IN which
Mrs. Grist and her three chiIdrou 1.-Two
ia notorious, and ought long ugo TO have
been cleaned ont. Two Italians had a
room in il. jim, according to tho lit.
tic girls story, Invited three OF them,
Nina aud Penrl Grist and EGio Akin.
son, into his room. There ho mado on
assault on all three OF them. after lock-
ing tho door. Pearl slipped under tho
bed and hid behind o box. Etiie also
kept out Of tho brntc's clutches. but
Nina foil victim to his unnatural pas
sion. A boy named Farrell, whose
mother lives in the samo house, tried to
got into tho room, but found the door
locked and waa told by Jim that he
could not come in.
Mrs. Farrell testified to tho Chtid's
condition. When SarIgi interrupted
her, gha told him very omphuttcnlly
that il her child had been tho victim
sho would have rIddled him with
bullets, and that oho wished the mon
present had grit enough TO take him
out and hang him.
Tho child Is a bright Dyed, dark haired
little girl, quito pretty. as is her sister,
who is not much older. They arc chill
drun Of CharIea Grist, an ex-policoman,
now living separate from his vito.
Squire Gillespy aont jim TO Jail with.
out bail. Ito also sent Mrp. Grist and
her two children and Mrs. Atkinson
aud her child to Jail to be detained Us
witnesses.
In tho investigation OF tho caee Il was
developed that another inmate Of the
dive, known as Spanish Bull" but
giving his right namo as Joe Fritz, alias
Joe Gregor, had tried to acduce tho littlo
Atkinson girl. md offered hor quarter.
He was also locked up for hearing.
The lntquity Of this place Is unspcas-
able, incredible, almost uncomfortable.
II there is no law TO rid'the community
Of such ho:bud Of vice and crime and
degradation the laws arc woefuIly weak.
1t is inoxplicablc that after all tho
causes OF complaint on moral and SAM.
tury grounds that have been shown to
exist thcrc q decent community romans
indifferent to its continued existence,
In almost any other place tho people
would not tolerate such o filthy, vile
hole for single day.