Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-29
AN ASSAULT CASE.
The Charge Against Well Known
Young Man Dismissed.
Tho Statement of the Young Lady who
Made the Complaint--Tho Fathers
statcment-An Encounter Interrupted
by a Policeman-Tho Accused Testifies.

A gentleman. who was charged with
accosting q young lady on the street
the evening of Christmas Day, was ar
raigned in Police Court las. evening at
4 o clock. The case was tried by JUS
tice Charles II. Nash.
The lady making the charge came to
court i'll company with her father She
was youthful in appearance, apparent
ly not yet ~, and was decidedly pretty
and attractive. Her bearing was mod
est, ana her evidence, While stated
clearly, was given i'll voice slightly
tremulous and displaying some emo
ton.
According to her statement, she came
from Norfolk With her father, who,
upon leaving the ferry, stepped into H.
q. Pearsons store 10 get Il cigar. She
remained outside, and walked along
slowly toward High street, expecting
her father to catch upiwith her.
While walking thus some one touch
ed her on the shoulder, and accosted
her with the question. Aren't you
lost?' CHANGING up she found she had
been spoken to by u man whom she did
not know. She was much frightened.
a few moments later her father came
UP, and she pointed out to him the per-
son who had accoSted her.
The father told Justice Nash that as
he came out of Pearson'S he thought
he saw some one walking with his
daughter; that when he joined her he
asked her who it was. He then noticed
that she seemed very much agitated,
and 1t was several moments before she
could speak. she told him that she
had been insulted by Il gentleman
whom she pointed out TO him. The
father returned and struck the man.
The encounter was interrupted by
Police Officer j. e. Diggs. who placed
both parties under arrest. While the
policeman was endeavoring to restrain
the enraSed parent the other party in
the affair disappeared. The gentleman
who made the attack was carried TO
the station house and released on his
promise to appear in Police Court the
next morning. Officer Diggs later saw
the gentleman who had been attacked
and asked If he wished to make n
charge against his assailant He re-
piled that he did not.
This ended the evidence for the pro-
secution.
The accused said he had just came
out OF the ferry gate and was going to-
ward High street when he saw n gen
tleman whom he took to be an ac-
quaintance from Gloucester county,
whom he had met in the course of a
business transaction. This gentleman
seemed to be hurrying as if to catch
the ferry boat. The accused said to
him. Aren't you lost" but no atten-
ton was paid to the remark. and a
second glance showed the accused that
he had been mistaken in the mans
identity. The accused said he noticed
then that he was almost abreast of.
and close to young lady, who turned
and looked into his face; that he saw
she thought his remark was addressed
to her: that not wishing her to believe
lie had intended to accost her, or had
any intention of joining her, he slack
ened his pace and fell to the rear. lie
denied that he touched her on the
shoulder, or that he intended his re-
mark for her. He said also that his
reason for not making n charge agains,
the young lady's father for assaultinc
him was that he wanted to avoid any
notoriety the affair might occasion.
This. in detail. was the history of the
occurrence. Justice Nash, in disposine
of the case. said there were but two
witnesses as to what actually occurred
the young lady and the accused, the
father of the girl not having seen heI
accosted. He (the justice) could not
undertake to say which was right, as
the evidence of one about balanced the
evidence of the other. He, therefore
dismissed the charge.