Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-14

Authorities to Increase the Force
at the Jail-Win be Given a Hear
Ing Saturday-DetaiIs of the Crime.
William Mitchell, black fend. is In
the county jail charged with attempted
| assault upon Mrs. Frederick W. Schu-
man.
The crime was committed about ten
O'Clock yesterday morning in a thickly
populated residence district. The vic
tim was woman who had befriended
Mitchell by giving him employment. 1t
was evidently premeditated. Mitchell
is closely guarded in the county jail.
precautions having been taken against
the possibility of a successful attempt
at violence.
Mrs. Schumann has been twice mar
ried, and is a widow, aged about As
years. She is small woman and deli
cate. She owns the house in which she
lives. 1t is two stories high on the
street and three stories in the rear. She
i occupies the basement and first story,
and tenant lives in the upper story.
| There is private alley from the street
to the rear.
Mitchell had previously been employ
ed by Mrs. Schumann to assist in beat
ing carpets. He last worked for her
about week ago, leaving a carpet I'M
finished.
Yesterday morning he walked to the
rear of the house. Mrs. Schumann was
in the basement, washing out a few
small articles of wearing apparel.
Mitchell Accosted Her
and asked for work. He carried a din
ner pail in his hand and said that he
had been working on the 7. S. Riley
! flats on Fifteenth street, and had in
tended working yesterday on the old
court house site.
Mrs. Schumann said she did not have
any work for Mitchell, remarking that
she would have to watch him to see
that he did the work properly, and she
did not have time to do this.
Mrs. Schumann turned about, expect
ing Mitchell to leave the premises. In
stead of doing so she heard his step
behind her and turned about. He step
ped toward her, grabbed her by the
throat and pushed her back through a
door opening into the cellar. She
screamed loudly, the look in his eyes
plainly Detraying his helish purpose.
Her struggles were useless. The black
fiend frightened his grasp on her throat
and roughly forced her into the cellar
room.
Then he closed the door behind him
with one hand ana roughly pushed her
against a frame partition in the cellar
Her hair caught upon an iron hook in
the partition and several strands of hair
on the hook gave evidence of Mrs. Schu-
mann's struggle.
Mrs. Schumann's fright and the rough
treatment which she received from the
negro caused her to become insens-
ible.
Fortunately for her, her cries We're
heard by the lady who occupies the sec
ond story She thought tub had fall
len Upon Mrs. Schumann or that she
had met with an accident. She ran
I
down hurriedly. looked into the base
ment and saw nobody. She then picked
UP her child, ran to her own fat and
heard another scream.
An e-Witness.
She ran down again and pushed open
the door between the basement room
AMI the cellar. Mitchell and Mrs. Schu-
mann were upon the floor The black
brute was kneeling and reached for, the
door. The woman pulled it shut and
ran out to Louis Schwab's residence,
one door north.
Mrs. Schumann had regained con-
seriousness when the other woman en-
tered. Then Mitchell became alarmed
an, ram Mrs. Schumann did not know
what would happen next She did not
know whether the fiend had left. the
basement or not. Realizing her own
heiplessness she again tainted away.
Mr.. Schwalb got to the rear OF the
house in time to see the negro leaping
over the rear fence. He dropped his
dinner pail on the inside. Mr.. Schwalb
called to a man on the Panhandle rail-
road track to catch the fugitive. The
negro ran rapidly until he reached Will
son lumber yard. between Fourth and
Fifth streets. rhe negro hid himself
in the yard and his pursuer gave up the
chase.
Meanwhile general alarm had
been sounded, and information was
telephoned to police headquarters. A
little later Officer Schotsinger caught
him near the ferry landing. He was
securely hand-cuffed and taken to the
Vigilant engine house by Schotsinger
and Chief of Police Ritz. Mitchell had
the appearance of a man who was