Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-25

Farley yesterday morning, short
ly after five o'clock, an attempt
was made to criminally assault a Fifth
ward married lady who was on her way
to early mass at St. Alphonsus church.
The affair happened in Alley is, be-
tween South Market and Chapline
streets. This alley runs by the ST. AL
pnonsus church and is used as much
by the people as the streets. The lady
mentioned has always been in the habit
OF passing through this alley early on
Sunday mornings on her way to church
as it saved considerable time and dis
lance. Yesterday morning at the time
mentioned, Just as soon as she had en-
tered the alley from Chapline street.
she was accosted by an unknown man
VINO made an indecent proposal TO her.
Considerably frightened she did not
look around and fastened on. She had
gone but short distance until she dis
covered that the scoundrel was follow
ing her. He caught up to her at the
intersection of Alley Is and Alley O.
midway between Chapline and Market
streets. He grabbed at her, and al
most frightened 10 death, the lady ran
with her utmost speed, screaming at
the top Of her voice. Her cries attract
ed the attention of other people in the
neighbOrhOod and number of ladies
who were also on their way to church.
When she reached Market street and
was met by several persons who came
to her help, she almost fell fainting at
their feet. a policeman was in the
hook and ladder house at the time the
affair occurred and heard the woman
crying for help. He went out and went
down the street. Meeting a crowd of
women on Market street, they explain
ed to him the trouble and asked him TO
chase the rascal Instead Of doing so
he only replied when he found out the
trouble. That's too bad and walked
leisurely down the street. There was
no effort made to find the party, who
deserves lynching if caught, and the
ladies in that vicinity are very appre-
hensiye about going out after dark.
This is not the first time that this
kind of an attempt has been made, for
another Fifth ward lady had almost a
similar experience near the same local
ity not long ago.
Yesterday afternoon a knock-dOwn
occurred on Main street. between
Tenth and Eleventh streets Two
young men became engaged in dis
pute One was a big. muscular fellow,
and the other was considerably small
Ter, so badly intoxicated that he was
hardly able to stand After a passage
of a number of vile epithets, spoken so
loudly that they could be heard for half
a square. the big fellow went up to the
drunken individual and hitting him a
brutal blow on the face, knocked him
headlong on the pavement. He got up
badly bruised. with blood streaming
from his mouth. He had not. nor did
not attempt to defend himself. By
ISLANDERS interfered and saved him from
further injury. The young man who
had been beaten up. was pretty we'll
sobered up by the punishment he had
received. and was taken into a neigh
boring saloon to get fixed up.
Notwithstanding the extremely cold
weather there was a large number Ct
drunken individuals seen staggering
along the streets. In the afternoon
tho writer saw three boys, two Of whom
were about sixteen years Of age, and the
other about eighteen or twenty, all ~
a drunken condition, staggering up
Chapline street, opposite the city hall.
The two smaller boys were endeavOr-
ing to hold their older companion up
as best they could. They did not sue
coed very we'll and about every ten
feet they would all fall down, face first
on the pavement.
Early yesterday morning the resi-
dents in the vicinity Of Maude Smiths
house of ill-fame on Twenty-first
street. were aroused by a disturbance
which was going on in that baginO. An
officer was making his report to head
quarters rom the hook and ladder
house at the time, and was called away
from the telephone by one of the girls
rushing in and asking for help. The
officer went in and found that the mad
anne was on one of her usual sprees.
and as is always the case on such oc-
casions. was giving her girls a good
beating. When the policeman march
ed in a dozen or more men came out
the front and side doors and took their
departure. The policeman. after re-
naming in the house over half an hour
succeeded in quieting the madame. She
was not put under arrest.