The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-23

OF Her Alleged Assailants.
The story in yesterdays Tribune
relative to the attempted criminal as
sault on two young women in West !
Park, caused a profound sensation in
many homes, and incidentally served
to bring out facts which tend to show
that not only has this sort of thing
been going on in West Scranton, but
also in Nay Aug park, Lincoln Heights
and other isolated suburbs, where the
lack of police protection is plainly ap-
parent
When Lieutenant Williams was noti-
fled of the occurrence in West Park
he made the assertion that a similar
assault with identically the same cir
cumstances, had been committed on
a young woman on Sunday night, June
10, in West Park, but it had been kept
from the newspapers in the hope that
the rufflans would be trapped in their
vicious practice.
At that time young man named
| Connors complained to the police that
he was held up by two Italians in COM
| pany with a young woman, forced to
| disappear at the point of revolver
| and that the woman's clothing was
torn and she was roughly handled.
, He refused to divulge the name of his
companion and nothing has been heard
of the matter since.
SUFFERS FROM SHOCK.
Both Miss Sanders and Mr.. Gould
substantiated the story which was ex-
clusively printed in The Tribune yes
terday, and when a reporter called on
| ,1n ,f
ternoon she was confined to her room
suffering from the shock and excite
ment of the previous nights expert
| enCe. Her story was substantially as
printed yesterday, except that it was
her assailants who We're with her at
the time the officers fired on them, in
stead of young Gould, as stated in The
| Tribune.
The young woman is only II years of
age, and resides with her married sis
ter, Mrs. Stevens. The latter blames
the girl for going out in such lonely
place late at night
Mrs. Stevens stated that young Gould
came to the house and asked permis-
sion to accompany her sister to an en-
tertainment in the central city, and
when the family retired at 0.30 o'clock,
the girl had not yet returned home.
Miss Sanders alleges that she was
walking with Gould near the Sumner
avenue entrance to the park, when they
were confronted by the two men, and
at the point of a revolver they forced
young Gould to run, threatening to
shoot him If he showed his face in the
vicinity again.
The two men then took her into the
open field and threw her down and at
tempted to assault her, also threaten
ing to kill her If she made an outcry.
She prevented them from accomplish
ing their purpose, and when the officers
fired on them the two ruffians ran
away.
THREE SHOTS FIRED.
Lieutenant Williams fired three
shots after them as they ran, but ow-
ing to the darkness was unable to tell
whether he hit them or not AS Pa
; trolman Evans was about to fire his
revolver, while running across the field,
he stumbled and fell. and had a mar
row escape from serious injury.
Gould was seen at his fathers car
riage works on Linden street yester-
day afternoon and admitted the truth
. OF the story. He stated the circum-
stances as related above, and said that
when he left the girl, the two men
, started across the field with her. He
ran out two blocks to the second boule-
ward in the park, and down to Main
, avenue, where he rang Davis door
bell and met young Jones.
His story was to the effect that he
, | and zones went In search Of the girl
, and spent several hours in the park
looking for the assailants. Ete also
: went to the girls home and Informed
, her sister of what had occurred and
, visited the police station to inform
: the officers He was with Patrolman
Evans when they found the girl in the
q field after her assailants had escaped.
, The Weaver girl, who was also as
saulted, tells a rather disconnected
y story of the affair in which she fig
ured. She could not give the time
but seemed to think 1t was about II
o'clock when 10 two men accostet
q her and her companion. In fact 4
a must have been 11.30 o'clock as she
admitted that the assault occurred
= about half an hour before she wa'
found on North Hyde Park avenue
which was a few minutes after mid
- night.
Il Her hands and face were scratched
ana Sne was DleedlnS at the nose Wnel
z found, At first she denied any knowl
Il edge of what had occurred, and salt
e she was returning home from party
II When asked to account for tn
= scratches on her face she broke dow
= and admitted the statements alread.
credited to her. Further questioning
t, brought out the fact that the sam
g thing has occurred to her on three o
o four previous occasions.
e The young men who are suspected o