Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-06-10
Jack Lemen Gets Twenty Years.

In Hagerstown on Tuesday Jack
Lemen was found guilty of attempt
ing to ravish and murder Miss Lizzie
Taylor in Williamsport and was SEN
fenced to twenty years in the peniten-
tiary. He was tried before Judges
Sloan and Stake, declining jury trial
The court found him guilty of both
counts in the indictment, and gave
him ten years for attempt to ravish
and ten years for attempt to murder.
The trial occupied parts of Monday
and Tuesday. The evidence of a num-
Der of witnesses was so complete that
there was no hope of escape for Lemen.
Miss Taylor, the victim of the assault,
who is just recovering from the wounds,
took the stand and gave her testimony
as follows
81 started down to the postofice
little after nine o'clock on my way
from the office, with letter in my
hand, met Jack Lemen at the corner
of his store; he spoke to me and |
didn't answer him. Then he started
from the door of the store and called
me and said Don't be in a hurry, l
will walk up home with you On the
way home said, Jack, l have fine
compliment for you; l have heard
that you stopped drinking whiskey,
and, I said, that surely looks fine.
He said yes, and papa is having me
new buggy made. On our way up, l
met two young ladies and Jack tipped
his hat. When I got to our porch,
the bay windows were wide open and
the light shining out bright as day; he
went to the bay window and looked
in and said, where is the old man ?
l said, he has gone down street. He
asked if Mr.. McGruder was sitting at
the window up stairs, and l told him
that he was. We laughed and talked
awhile, and then I asked him to come
in on the porch; he said he had some
business to attend to and bid me good
night and tipped his hat. I thought
he had gone down street, SO thought
l would go over to my sisters to read
my letter; when l got there l saw
they had company and turned back
to 90 over home. Just as l stepped
on the last step to 60 on our porch,
Jack called to me from across the
street, right opposite the house. 1
went over and asked him what he
wanted, and before got the words
out he slapped his hand across my
mouth so hard l thought every tooth
in my head was going down my threat.
Then he kicked and showed me with
his knee and dragged me to the hill
and tripped me up and put his foot
on me and told me if l didn't lay still
he would kill me. showed him off
and kicked him in the stomach and
struck him in the face. He told me
that if didn't keep quiet he would
cut my throat he took his hand off Of
my mouth, and got his knife l said
oh, Jack, why do you do this-Id
rather die first before I'd disgrace
my mother and father this way. |
grabbed bis knife and he cut my hand
he was on his knees. screamed
murder and he said, if you boiler
murder I will give you bloody murder
and | will cut your heart out, and he
cut me on the left hand side of my
throat twice. 1t felt like cutting
log of wood. l screamed three times
and the second time he got up and
pulled me by my hair; then he ran
little distance from me and turned
around and looked at me and started
towards me again +; l screamed and he
turned and ran away from me with
all his might. When l got up the
blood rushed from me and l though l
was dying, and called for papa.
When l started across the street to
him he walked on and l called to him
to wait and he stopped for me, but l
can't say exactly where was when
he cut my throat. She said that
she suffered great deal from her side
from his knocking her with his knee.
She said she knew her assailant was
Jack Lemen and had known him all
her life intimately. She had walked
with him and gone into his store
three or four times a day. Before
this he had never made any improper
remarks to her or used any smutty
words in her presence.
When Judge Sloan sentenced Lemen
the young man gave no evidence of
emotion, but his gray-haired father
burst into uncomfortable tears as the
doom of his hayward boy was pro-
nounced. The crime was committed
on May 6th-justice has been swift
and sure. Lemen is but % years old.
Miss Taylor is nineteen,
Lemen was taken to the Maryland
penitentiary yesterday to begin his
long term. His father and mother are
both Frustrated and are confined to
their beds.