The herald., 1897-11-08
BRUTE.
FOulIy Assaults a White
Woman
BL00DH0UNDS TRAIL HIM
MANHATTAN JUNCTION SCENE
OF THE CRIME
His Victim, Mrs. Belle Holly, Now
Lies in Critical Condition and
Excitement Runs High

The vicinity of Manhattan Junction
was thrown into a high state of excite
ment yesterday afternoon by the news
that Mrs. Belle Holly, who lives near
the corner of Santa Fe avenue and
Slauson street, had been brutally as
saulted by a burly negro, as a result Of
which she lay at the point of death.
Posses were hurriedly formed, and
secured the country for the wretch.
Sheriff's officers from this city put
pair of bloodhounds upon the trail of
the negro, but have not captured him.
They did succeed, however, in tracing
the fiend to this city, and as all the
avenues of escape are closely guarded
his apprehension is thought to be mat
ter of only a few hours.
Mrs. Holly, who is highly respected in
the neighborhood where she lives, was
returning along a lane from visiting one
of her neighbors at o'clock yesterday
afternoon. AS she passed a high hedge
about half mile from her home big
negro stepped out and said: wait a
minute. l want to speak to you" Mrs.
Holly turned around, and as she did so
the negro ran up and grabbed her by the
throat and began choking her. He threw
the woman down and then drew a big
butcher knife from his pocket and Or
dered her to follow him. Terrified, she
obeyed, and was conducted through
cornfield to a Shanty about two hun
dred yards distant, owned by e. o. Nc
Clure, a rancher, who lives in the vicin-
ity. The house is at present unoccu-
pied, and is used only at certain seasons
of the year by ranch hands. There is
a dirt floor, and nothing in the room
save an old mattress. Into this shanty
Mrs. Holly was led, and the brute coolly
closed the door behind them and as
sauted her. He drew the keen edge of
the knife across her throat and threat
ened if she made an outcry to kill her
instantly. When he opened the door
he again warned her not to cry out, and
compelled her to go out ahead of him.
Mr.. McClure's house is only about a
quarter of a mile distant from where
the assault occurred, and Mrs. Holly
hurried there and told what had oc-
CURED. She was put to bed and soon
became hysterical. The news of the as
sault spread like wildlire, and the whole
neighborhood soon turned out to hunt
the fiend. MI Mcclure drove to this
Ecity as rapidly as possible and notified
Sheriff Burr. Deputy Sheriffs Mamma
! han and Smith were at once dispatched
to the scene with a pair of bloodhound'
belonging to John Belt. Under Sherif
Clement left about the same time.
| When the officers arrived at Manhat-
tan Junction they found the neighboi
hood already astir. The ground about
the shanty where the assault was cam
mitted had been tracked over which
/ made it difficult for the dogs to take VI
the scent. Feeling ran high and it is
likely that had the rape field fallen into
the hands of the excited neighbors he
would have ornamented the limb of the
nearest tree.
When the hounds finally got on the
right scent they traced the negro north
from the shanty through forty acre
cornfield to eucalyptus grove and
down into a ravine. The tracks then
led out to the road where the negro had
, doubled back to the railroad track. The
| tracks were then followed to the out
skirts of the city, where they were lost
The negro made a peculiar track, which
was easily distinguished wherever an
| impression was left.
| Several people in the vicinity of Mall
haitian Junction saw negro walking
along the road early in the afternoon
and it is supposed that he is the same
who assaulted Mrs. Holly. The descrip-
tions of him varied greatly, although il
| is agreed that he is big fellow, stand
| ing nearly six feet tall.
| The sheriff's officers did not return
until II 80 o'clock last night, They state
| that they have information which
| makes the capture of the negro almost q
! certainty. When they left Mrs. Holly
she was hysterical and is pronounced
| by the physician to be in critical condi.
| ton.
| The Holly family lives on small
ranch. Mrs. Holly is about 80 years old
| Her husband is a paralytic and unable
to work. She is being cared for at tn,
home of Mr.. Mcclure.