The herald., 1897-06-29

On Sunday evening the Mayne family
attended church, and the girl Lee re-
turned home with her step-mother, both
retiring very shortly afterward. About
o'clock in the morning Mrs. Mayne,
who is light sleeper. heard noise as
II someone was being choked, and at
once arose and walked into Lees bed
room. 1t was just across the passage
way. and, both doors being open, the
occupant Of one bed could look straight
through and see the other. The room
was discovered to be vacant The bed
was mussed up as If 1t had been slept in,
but the girl was missing. Mrs. Mayne
shrieked for her husband, and upon his
appearing on the scene and discovering
how matters stood search was in
stituted for the missing girl No sue
cess attended these efforts, but about
dawn of day Lee came home and told a
most strange story of abduction.
According to the tale she tells her alb
ductor must have been hidden In her
bedroom behind a curtain, which en-.
closed space utilized as clothes closet.
She had no consciousness, however, Of
anything being wrong until she was
awakened from her sleep by being
dropped from the arms of her captor in
the yard, outside the house. Upon.
getting her senses. and realizing where
she was she would have shrieked for
help but was prevented by her captor,
who first choked her and forced her to
accompany him. He took her to place
about half mile from her home, near
the Southern Pacific railroad, and made
her climb three fences en- route. Arriv-
ing at this place the unknown man out
ragged the GIRL and then returned to her
her shoes and stockings, which he had
brought away in his pocket Rather
peculiarly. too, the fellow left behind
him. in the girls bedroom, his own shoes
and socks.
The girl states that her assadl ant asked
her If she knew him, and as she thought
she recognized well known resident of
Downey, she replied in the affirmative.
He then told her not to tell anyone of
what had taken place or the people would
kill him, and If she kept quiet he'd see
her again. Then she was permitted to
return to- her home, where she arrived in
such an exhausted condition that she
tainted away. During the morning an
examination was made of Lee by ply
sician, but there were circumstances
which made it impossible for him to state
positively whether the girl had been
outraged or not. She was positive, how
ever and confessed to great pain. She
gave the name Of the man she charged
with being her assailant, and this per-
sonage was arrested and brought before
her. But at that point she broke down,
and failed to identify the young man,
for the reason that her abductor, she
knew positively, had a mustache. and
the young fellow under arrest was clean
shaven. a
So soon as information was given to
Constable Brookshire he telephoned to
the sheriff's office and Under Sheriff
Clement and Detective White went to
Downey on the first train. The blood
hounds were put upon the trail, but were
not able to follow the scent. The foot
prints of the abductor led back to
Downey, but once inside the limits OF the
town the dogs were baff1ed, and after a
fruitless effort this mode Of search was
abandoned. The whole section for
miles around is agitated over the mat
ter and searching parties are securing
the country in an effort to apprehend the
guilty man. A subscription for reward
is also being circulated and largely
signed.
1t is quite possible that the scoundrel
who perpetrated this outrageis the same
one who attempted similar abductions at
Azusa and Glendora. The colored man,
Woods, who was suspected of being the
one who made an attempt week or so
ago at Azusa, is still In the county jail,
but this latest attempt seems to
strengthen his claim OF innocence.
The residence OF DR.. Brunson at Dow
ney has been visited twice during
the past fortnight, when, 1t is now as
sumed, efforts were made to abduct one
Of his daughters from the house. For