The herald., 1898-04-21
SLAPPED AND DRAGGED
AND THROWN INTO THE STREET
AT NIGHT
LAURA WHITES NARRATIVE
OF Her Rough Experience While a
Nurse Girl for the Cochrans
at the Figueroa

The cause of Miss Laura White Of Dow
new against Lizzie NJ Elliott and ]. K.
Cochran, in which she demanded $1,000
damages, was tried yesterday by Judge
Van Dyke without jury. The suit was
commenced in November, 1897, by Lavina
white, the guardian ad Item and mother
of Laura, who was then minor. 1t was
alleged in the complaint that Lizzie N.
Elliott and J. *. Cochran, whose rela-
tions to each other are those of mother
in-law and son-in-law. had entered into
conspiracy to ill-treat Laura, who was n
nurse girl in the employ of the Duncans,
and that on Sept 11th, 1896, they had. with
out cause. given her beating, resulting
In bruises. The defendants positively de-
xied the conspiracy and the battery.
Mrs. Lavina White testified that there
were several large bruises upon her daush-
ter's body when she came home after hav-
Ing received the beating at the hands or
the defendants at the Hotel Figueroa,
where they then resided, and that ner
health has since that occurrence been al
ways impaired. Mrs. DR.. Follansbee and
other physicians were called In by the
witness to prescribe for her girl, who. be-
sides bruises, also had her back and one OF
her ankles injured.
Laura White. quiet looking young
woman, then took the stand and told the
story of her ill-treatment. She said that
her mother had allowed her to go to the
defendants temporarily. as they had no
help at the time, but that 1t was under
stood that her stay was not to be per-
manent. After she had stayed at the
Figueroa street residence ten days, her
younger brother came on Saturday night
to fetch her away. She told Mrs. Coch-
IAN that she was going home, as she had
remained as long as she could, and asked
for her pay.
Cochran, who had made his appearance,
said that they had no one to take her
place and that she should not go. He
imperatively ordered her back to her room.
Mother-in-Law Elliott also interposed her
objections to Lauras departure, but see
ing that the girl still insisted, said: We'll,
put her right out!" Cochran then took hold
of witness by the arm, struck her and
started to drag her down the stairs. This
mode of egress appeared too slow to Mrs.
Elliott, who told her son-in-law to throw
the girl over the banisters. In her eager
ness to see her taking flying Jump from
the second story to the ground floor she
grabbed hold OF Laura, too and banged
her with such force against the banisters
that 1t hurt the girls hip very much.
Cochran preferred the dragging mode,
and jerked the witness off her feet and
down the stairs. When they reached the
foot of the stairs Cochran again slapped her
face, upon which witness little brother
tried to interpose, and he, too, got slapped
for his pains. After having once more
taken hold of Laura, Cochran renewed the
dragging process and pulled her. who
who could not keep on herfeet, about fif-
teen yards to the door and threw her ou..
giving her a parting shove which sent her
flying down the steps. She said that she
would have fallen on the pavement had not
her brother steadied her. She denied that
the original cause of the trouble was her
having said to Mrs. Cochran that she
lied. Mrs. Elliott told her that people had
said to her that she had been speaking
about her employers, and she replied that
1t was not true, meaning thereby that she
had not gossiped and not that Mrs. Coch-
lan's statement was an untruth.
The plaintiffs brother corroborated her
in the essential allegations of Mrs Elliott's
and Mr.. Cochran's brutality to her, ami
DR.. Moore gave evidence as to the bruises
he found upon the person of the girl.
]. X. Cochran, gentlemanly looking
person. when his turn came to testify, de-
MED that the acts of violence complained
of had taken place. He said that Laura
White had told Mrs. Elliott that she lied
and he requested her to leave the house
1t was not at Mrs. Elliott's request that he
did so. but of his own volition. He walked
beside her down the stairs without touch
ing her and let her out of the house Coch-
ran also denied that Mrs. Elliott had or
dered him to throw Laura over the banis-
ters He stated that Laura's brother was
not in sight when she left the house.
Mrs Elliott and Mrs. Hanley daughter
of the proprietor of the Figueroa. Mr.
Lemmert, who followed Cochran, gave evil
dence tending to show that there had been
no such violence used against Laura White
and her brother as they had alleged.
Judge Van Dyke said that the case as
presented showed that an assault had been
committed but he preferred to let the liti-
giants have five days each to present GER
tain authorities before rendering judg-
ment.