Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-03
GADSDHN.
A Youth Jailed on a Heinous Charge - Tom
Watson to Help Howard.

| Watson to Help Howard.
Gadsden Oct 2.--(Special Correspond
| ence) --George Written, an 1S-year-old
white boy of Seaborn, is in the county
| jail He Is charged with attempting to
outrage the wife of one of the most PROM
| inent citizens in Etowah county, and if
reports are true the young man is IN a
good way to be severely dealt with.
on last Sunday afternoon at about 3
| O'Clock Mrs Mary Leath, wife of Booker
| T. Leath of Seaborn, left her home to
| visit the family of her son, about mile
distant. When she had gone about half
| the distance she passed Whitten, who
was lying by the roadside, seemingly in
drunken stupor. Mrs. Leath had gone a
few yards further when Written overlook
her on a mule. He made insulting pro-
posals to Mrs Leath, frightening her con-
siderably. She resented the insult and
started off, when Written got off his
mule and attempted by force to accom-
plish his helish design. Mrs. Leath
screamed and fought the boy with all her
power. Whittier sliced her and choked
| her and threatened to kill the woman
with rock, which he held over her. if she
| did not submit. Mrs. Leath finally sue
| ceeded in releasing herself from Whit
| tens grasp, but not until her son, who
heard the screaming, appeared on the
scene Written ran off when he saw
young Leath, but he was subsequently
arrested by Constable A. V. Southerlin.
Written was given preliminary hear
ing before q justice of the peace and was
ordered to Jail without bond. 1t is said
that the testimony is direct and very
damaging.
sunday night Written admitted his
guilt. but said he was "beasty drunk"
and mistook Mrs. Leath for another
party.
He lives in the neighborhood where he
attempted the crime and was considered
above the average youth in point of
| morality Up to this time he was regarded
highly in his community and his ac-
| quaintances were surprised to learn or
| his dastardly crime.
Mrs Leath is most estimable lady
| and is the wife OF one of the best known
| farmers of the county. The family is a
prominent and influential one.
The Times-N News of today says:
| "Gudsden Is to have the pleasure of en-
| pertaining very distinguished gentle
man some time during this month, prob
| ably near the 18th instant. He is one of
| the most talked of persons in the coun-
| try today and is no other than the bril-
| liant but erratic Hon. Thomas e. Wat
! son Of Georgia. candidate for vice presl-
| dent OF these United States on the peo-
! pies party ticket.
He will make Il speech here for the
| ticket on which he has the honor of occu-
! plying the tail end.
Congressman Howard. who. it seems,
will be antagonized in the present cam
paign by the populist leaders of the
state and who probably feels the neces-
sity of counteracting their influence. is
said to be engineering The scheme to
bring Watson here. In fact, Mr.. Howard
has stated that he would bring Watson
to Gadsden during October and If Wat
son should come there will be lively times
in the seventh. Kolb and Bowman on
one side and Howard and Watson on the
other will furnish a team for your whisk-
ers."
Two stores have been broken into and
burglarized this week thus far. On last
Sunday night some one entered the store
of r. P. Duncan and carried off several
sacks of -four. The flour Is all that Mr..
Duncan has missed. The thieves went On
| through the back window. They tore
away the shutter piece by piece. On Tues
! day morning Messrs. Kohn Bros. opened
| their store to find the rear door wide open