The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-17
INCIDENT OF MOB RULE
INHUMAN TREATMENT OF A GIRL ON
THE STREETS OF ST. LOUIS.
Pauline Hesser Tells How She Was
Forced 10 Run for Her Life.
ST. Lonis RepuhlIc.


on Geyer avenue. between Twelfth and
Ninth streets. has already been productive
Of several things Among them a petition
70 the Governor, an Indignant public senti-
ment against such mob demonstrations and
the sending to the Reform School of three
young Bohemian girls who confessed to
taking part in the assault upon the I'M
fortunate domestic. Ii the efforts of c. X.
Reach. of No. 2314 Hickory street, who has
represented himself to Miss Hesser to be
an attorney of many years experience, are
successful, there will be another develop
ment to the assault upon that young wom-
an That will he a damage suit against
the city Of st. Louis for large amount Of
money.
Miss Hesser is tail and intelligent look
ing young woman OF twenty-three years.
She has been for some time in the employ
OF her present mistress. who lives at No.
5oe2 Cabanne avenue, and who treats Miss
Hesser as a member of the family. The
young woman's parents are both dead, and
the only relatives she has in st. Louis,
where she has lived many years. are two
married sisters and an uncle. Since Me-
mortal day, when she net with the most
hazardous experience Of her life. Miss Hes
ser has been laboring under severe nervous
illness, which is the natural result of her
frfghtful experience. Her story of the az
fair was given in these words:
at had not been on Transit car since the
strike. but the lady who employs me rode
on them frequently without fear or mo-
lestation. I took the Tower Grove-avenue
car down town. and rode to my sisters
home without any unusual experience.
About o'clock started home. At Twelfth
and Calhoun. as the Tower Grove car in
which was riding crossed Calhoun street.
I saw a great crowd OF men and women
and children running toward the car. 1t
frightened me. and got off the car. Up
TO this time I had not thought anything
about the strike. but as got off it occurred
to- me that the crowd was going to attack
the car started to walk across the street
to the sidewalk. when all the men and
women in the cre<yd rushed at me as if
they were going to kill me. was panic
stricken. and did not have any idea why
they we're after me. I turned around to
the crowd. and, seeing a woman in the
front. said to her: Tor Gods sake, what
Is the matter?
Matter enough, yea - she said. call
ing me vile name. You are scab, riding
for money
Then the whole crowd took up the cry
sScabi Scabi Paid scabi Soak her! Xiii
her, Well teach her to ride on scab carsp
These and many other expressions they
hurled at me- My legs trembled beneath
me. was frightened almost to death.
felt that / would faint. But, fearing that
they would kill me. steadied myself and
tried TO speak
"a Il am no scab,' said IF you speak of
riding for pay, do not understand you /
paid my fare and am simply riding to my
home. L
MEANT TO KILL HER.
''But the oaths and jeers Of the men and
The vile epithets of the women stopped me.
! could not be heard. Several in the crowd
rushed toward me. and again thought my
time had come. In a second my whole life
passed before me. and gave myself up for
lost. remember had one regret, that
must die on the street suppose every one
likes TO die at home, surrounded by their
friends and relatives. Well, L thought my
death was about to come. and wished that
the crowd would let me go home to die.
can talk about 1t now very composedly,
but 1T was awful then. I never saw such
fiencish, vicious faces as were turned
toward me at that moment Tt was like a
blood was in every eye. believe owe my
life to-day to the mercy of God and my
own frantic efforts to escape verify be-
lieve that had stood there another second
/ should have been killed. / believe that
mob meant to kill me.
But Il is not In the nature of woman
TO stand still and receive injury. Either she
Will faint or run. too badly fright
ened TO faint. / thought IL meant death to
faint and I ran. A great brawny man
caught my skirt as L turned 10 fee and
tore II from my body. AT the same instant
another man-about eighteen years old, L
should judge-struck me on the head The
blow was heavy and il felled me. Then the
crowd closed I'm around me and some of
the boldest pushed through the ring of
women who were closest to me and started
for me is If TO kill me. Again terrc- lent
strength and somehow I got up and
broke through that crowd again and ran
for dear life, the bowling jeering cursing
crowd following me and throwing stones
at me.
ST ran east on Calhoun street to Eleventh
street Then ran south on Eleventh street
10 Geyer avenue. Then / ran east on Geyer
avenue towards Tenth street As / ran
several men struck me- A rock two hit
me In the back, but IL they hurt | did not
notice the hurt Always there was that cry
of 'Scab' Damned scab. Kill the scab" in
my ears. / ran as one runs from death
and the terror greater than death.
"A great brawny woman stood in open
doorway on Geyer avenue with her arms
resting akimbo on her hips Her face ex-
pressed the pleasure she felt In the scene
had 70 PASS her as / ran and she reached
out one OF her big. bare arms as passed
and struck me a heavy blow behind the ear
with nsr fist The blow stunned me and
knocked my hat from my head. but / did
not fall. In a second was running gain
Then a man made a grab for my under
skirt. A piece of the lace In which ii was
trimmed came off in his hands and he fell
behind me. / must have run very fast.
''The men seemed 10 be running as hard
rs they could. but managed to keep ahead
OF them A thousand ideas flashed through
my head. but they were all about what the
mob would do to me If they ever caught
up with me. / knew they would try to pull
of my remaining skirt. If they did
thought I would let them kill me. I can
remember thinking as / ran, Better death
than such shamer Then another man
grabbed at my shirt waist. II was fiimsy
STUFF and the wonder Is that IL did not come
of in his hands. But fortunately il held.
by this time had reached Tenth and
Geyer- On the northeast corner L saw a
grocery store and saloon IT was the place
owned by Herman Schumacher. / ran in
through the side door. on Tenth street.
without moments thought. The mob
was a little way behind me- The grocer
saw the mob and told me 1 must not stay
In his store.
DRIVEN FROM HER REFUGE.
ct pleaded with him as I never pleaded
with any man before in all my life. 1 al