The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-02
MENT0 IS
HELD FOR
GRAND JURY
Accused Of AssauIiIng Little
Girl He Is Bound Over
Without Bail.

Paul Mento was tried before Judge
sweetland, today. on the charge OF felon-
iously assaulting Ada l.. Campbell, II
years old. Both principals are colored.
Mento being Of Portuguese extraction.
The affair Is alleged TO have occurred In
Mentos house. last Sunday afternoon.
The girl testified that her father sent
her to Mento's to get bottle OF beer
and that he forciby assaulted her.
Her father said that Mento was
friend of his and he sent Ada 10 borrow
the beer. Ada had but 20 feet to 60 to
reach Mentos tenement; but she remain
ed away for three-quarters OF an hour.
Getting angry, for the reason that he
suspected Ada was out. playing and not
doing the errand he sent her on, he arm
ed himself with a whip and went In search
OF the girl
When he saw her the girl was crying
and explained that she had been assault
ed. He asked her why she didn't cry for
help. She told him that she did. where
upon he remarked that II was very funny
that nobody had heard her. Campbell
testified that he had never whipped his
stepdaughter.
The girls mother testified that she gave
whenever she needed it, and that he had
been whipping her for four years. When
Ada didn't come home from the beer cr-
rand she told her husband TO take the
whip. go out. find Ada and whip her.
Campbell went out as directed and was
about TO whip Ada for not bringing the
beer, when Ada began to cry and told OF
the alleged assault.
Campbell swore that all the windows OF
his house were closed that hot day and
that was why he hadn't heard the girls
screams. lie had the windows closed to
keep out tie flies.
Mrs. Campbell said that the windows
were up, save two, and that she had
screens TO keep the flies out; but on this
occasion she didn't use them.
When the girl made complaint OF the as.
sault, Mrs. Campbell, so she said kept
right on cooking the dinner, never think
ing IL essen .ial or proper that she should
examine the girl or her clothing and she
had not since that day made, or caused
any person TO make, such an examina-
ton.
Capt. Horton testified that Mento made
a statement to the effect that he had re-
FUSED TO give her beer and that after
wards there was an intimacy. Also that
the girl admitted TO him (the captain)
previous association with another man.
In her direct and cross-examination the
girl said that nothing of that nature had
ever occurred
Patrolmen Petrlne and Corey corrobo-
rated what Capt. Horton said as 10
Minto's admissions. although Campbell
and his wife had testified that when they
were I'm the station and i'm the presence OF
the officers. the accused had refused 10
talk about this affair. and did not say
that he had committed the assault.
Nento said that he was born at Cape
Verde On the day In question, which
was a very hot one. all his windows were
open. There were six tenements In the
house he lives In and right across the
yard is a two-tenement house. All these
tenements are occupied.
The girl came in with FIVE cents and
asked for bottle OF beer She was re-
fused and then she asked him for money.
This he also refused to give her and then
she said that he was mo good" and that
she would fix him" She would go and
tell her mother that he had done some
think TO her.
He told her TO go ahead and tell any
thing she wanted to. She was In his
house, he said, about six minutes, and
no longer. Had she screamed. as she
alleged every person I'm the neighborhood
could have heard her Particularly would
the people IN his own house have been
alarmed and made an investigation.
Mento denied specifically the serious al
legation made by the girl and the ad-
missions OF guilt asserted by the police
witnesses.
Gen. Brennan made a strong plea for
a discharge, but Judge Sweetland held the
accused for the grand jury and without
hail