The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-11
FOUL CRIME OF A NEGRO
MRS. SOPHIE EATON ASSAULTED ON
CAPITOL AVE-, NEAR FALL CREEK.
Seized by the Brute and Thrown
Down an NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Vigorous Search.

At 6 o'clock last evening Sophie Eaton
the young wife of Claude w. Eaton, q car
| penter, living at (new) No. 1927 London
avenue, ran screaming into Browns drug
store at Capitol avenue and Fall creek. She
told a story of fiendish treatment she rad
just received at the hands of a negro. She
was intensely agitated and apparently, suf-
fered much, but contrived to make it UNI
derstood that a heinous crime had been
committed The police were notified and
twenty men were dispatched at once to the
place. Chief of Detectives Colbert, Detective
Splann, Detective Thornton, Sergeant Corri-
gan and Patrolmen Lancaster, Holtz, Wal
lace and Hull were among those who
reached the scene first. Mrs. Eaton told her
story and the officers started out to search
the neighborhood.
Mrs. Eaton had been making a call dur
ing the afternoon at the home of her cousin
at (old) Twelfth street and Senate avenue.
She left there at about $50 o'clock to go to
her home. London avenue is old Andrews
street. 1t is between Capitol avenue and
Illinois street, above old Eighteenth street.
Mrs. Eaton crossed over to Capitol avenue
and intended to walk across Fall creek, and
turn at Eighteenth street to London avenue.
She was walking on the east side of Capitol
avenue. Just before she reached the Fall
creek bridge q colored man met her. With
out uttering n word, he grabbed her and
put his cap over her face and mouth, and
threw her down the embankment She was
so frightened that she was unable to make
any resistance, and he held the cap over her
mouth so that she could make no cutlery.
When he left her, Mrs. Eaton says he ran
east across the vacant ground toward Illi-
nois street. She was able to get good view
of the negro's face, and thinks she would
recognize him should she see him again.
She describes him as follows About five
feet eight to ten inches tall, of medium
build; complexion, yellow; he wore d small
mustache black clothes and cap, and car
rled an umbrella. She could not tell how
old a man he was, but thought he was
young
The report reached the police station about
the time the day men were coming to roll
call. The day bicycle men were still on duty,
and the night men had just come to relieve
them. They had not been using their bicy-
Giles much in the rain, but on this occasion
they mounted them and raced with one an
other to the place. Sergeant Corrigan was
probably the first to reach there, however,
and he started a search. The bicycle men
searched the buildings in Wildwood Park,
/were sent in various directions. >After
while most of the detectives arrived, and
then Captain Kruger, several night SER
geantS and dozen patrolmen reported.
1t is supposed that the negro was a
stranger to that part of the city, for, with
the accurate description given by Mrs.
Eaton, no one seemed to know him. 1t was
reported at the police station, about two
hours after the crime was committed, that
the criminal had been captured and was be-
ing lynched. The report did not specify
where the lynching party was, and no con-
tirmation was received. There probably
would have been a lynching bee had the ne
gro been captured Immediately, before the
police arrived in sufficient number to protect
him, for the people living near where the
crime was committed and in the neighbour
hood of the Eaton home, were wrought up
to high pitch
The police were given orders at roll-call
to arrest and send in every colored man who
looked at all suspicious, and who answered
the description given by Mrs. Eaton. Three
quarters of an hour after the news was
first received at the police station a mes
sage from Mount Jackson was received
saying that a negro was being held there
and asking that an officer be sent for him.
Patrolman Holtz went for him, but he was
not connected with the case at all. Two
farmers from Ben Davis had brought him
to town to get rid of him, believing that he
was crazy.
Mrs. Eaton recovered shortly after the as
sault, and it is believed she was not seri-
OuSIV injured.