The herald., 1897-05-18
One Of the Big Rock Creek Cases
Decided =
ACCUSED OF BEING A WITCH
A HEAVY FORECLOSURE IN THE
WINSTON ESTATE
The Contest Over a Horse Banded
About From Court to Court.
A Heavy Batch Of
: Suits Filed

Yesterday morning the two youths,
John Coberly and Willie Welsh, who
were brought TO the city by Constable
Yonkin, in company with the two young
girls with whom they had been living
in most wretched way at Chino, were
arraigned in the township court. Both
were charged with rape, and, being ar
raigned, the examination of Coberly was
set for Wednesday and Welsh on Fri
day, both of the defendants being re-
manded to Jail in the absence OF the
necessary bail.
While these young fellows were being
arraigned before Justice Young. the
elder of the girls. Laura Petrie, was
brought before Judge York as an in
corrigible. Laura was Is years of age on
the 1st of last March, but in that short
span of years has had most unenviable
experience Her mother said she could do
nothing with her, and her father, Geb-
hard Petrie, who is a stone mason, did
not want her at home. The court order
ed that the girl be sent to the Whittier
Reform school.
Later in the day Laura Petrie and
Blanche Cunningham, the other girl who
was concerned in the wild escapade, told
a part of the story of their lives in the
office of Assistant District Attorney Will
liams. The girl Laura is in face and
figure quite an ordinary looking girl,
with pleasant, albeit bold ard almost
brazen, look upon her face. Her COM
parton, Blanche, save for the same
hard and callous look, is quite pretty
girl, with raven tresses and eyes as dark
as sloes She is only 13 years of age,
and though her less mature form bellies
the fact, she has been tripping along an
evil path with more persistence than her
chum, Laura.
The story told by both Of the girls was
a sad commentary upon city life. and
upon the results of education not only
upon themselves but upon the several
youths whose names they mentioned.
The girl Blanche, according to her story,
was led astray two years ago by youth
named George Avis, who is about 10
years of age, and was engaged as an
usher at the Orpheum. She was then
only II years old. Later she had liason
with a sailor youth named Billy Van.
was doing what he could for living
around town. Then Ollie Cressen,
whose name was mentioned last week
in the examination of Walter Taylor, on
the charge of assault with intent to COM
NIT rape, as the girl who had introduced
to Taylor the girl he was accused of as
saulting. appeared on the scene. She
introduced Blanche to Taylor, and he,
30 o;r ociv, L. Y.th thnr
into the mre of an evil life. Then came
the episode wherein Blanche and Laura
left the city with Coberly and Welsh and
lived trampish life with them at va
rioue places up to the time of the arrest
at Chino.
The girl Laura gave her experience
in as matter of fact way as her COM
panion. She did not fall into evil ways
so early as Blanche, but her downfall,
by her own showing, has been just as
complete. 1t was during February last
that young fellow named George Fos-
ter. who is now supposed to be in the
state of Alabama, contrived her down
fall. He having left the city the girl
picked up with French cook named
Fin Demousset, and then Walter Tay-
lor got her, too, in the tolls. George
Avis, one of the young fellows mention
ed by Blanche, also accomplished his
purpose with her, and then she had an
intrigue with a bartender in a saloon on
New High street. The next adventure
was when she went on the road with
Blanche and the two youths now in
Jail.
Both these girls were the common
property Of the boys, and when, through
some little tiff John Coberly went off,
his brother, Ben Coberly lived with the
girl Laura.
Both the girls mentioned the names
of Lizzie CARRIER and Seraphina Freiden-
burg as those of girls with whom they
had been intimate and who had been ta-
ken by Ollie Cressen to Taylor'e place.
The frightful depravity indicated not
only by the facts as narrated by the
girls, but by the nonchalant manner in
which they were stated, seemed strange
on the part of children of people that.
however poor, are only relatively so,
and that are not stepped in the poverty
that is so appalling in the large eastern
cities.
Nor could they give any reason partic-
ularly for what they had done, cave
that their homes were unhappy. Laura's
father had told her to get out and would
not permit any one to come to see her.
When Ollie Cressen came along she was
not averse to going to Taylor's place
with her. as her sister Bertha had done
before her. Now Laura, as a conse-
quence of her actions, will follow her els
ter Bertha to Whittier.
In the light of what these girls have
stated, doubtless other arrests will be
made Of those who appear to have been
battening on the ignorance if not inno-
cence Of young girls of tender years.