The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-24
Police Convinced That He's the
Man Who Stole Ruby
Steele.
The Girl Identifies Him and He
- Can't Account for His
Time. t.
Feeling Runs High and the Prisoner
.. Is Being Carefully
Guarded. 'E !.

Extra precaution will be taken by the
police tonight to protect James hayes,
the negro who is charged with stealing
13-year-old Ruby Steele from her room
at 1414 Sixth street Sc early this morning
and attempting to assault her. Feeling Is
high and the police will guard the station
tonight with an extra detail.
Hayes crouches in corner OF cell NO.
at the central station and his teeth
chatter with fear when he hears any I'M
usual sound. He starts suddenly when
addressed and at times his lips tremble
until he Is scarcely able to speak. He
maintains his innocence, but Is unable to
explain how his handkerchief came to be
in the girls room and can only give a
lame explanation for not staying In his
own room last night. He says he was IN
ST. Paul all night, but a man was found
by the police who saw the negro board a
st. Paul car shortly after the assault
The police say that they have such evil
dence against the negro that he cannot
escape conviction.
How Hayes Was Arrested.
Hayes was arrested this morning by De-
tective J. G.. Doyle and c. D. Brown. They
found handkerchief In the girls room
which bore the laundry marks IF. A. B. >
This handkerchief was identified by Frank
A. Benjamin, Hayes employer, as one
that had been given the colored man. The
detectives then went to Hayes room and
found that the bed had been unoccupied
They sent general alarm to all the sta
lions and to all officers, as well as to ST.
Paul. Then they went to the Benjamin
barn, where Hayes works, and awaited
developments. Shortly before O'Clock
they heard the sound Of a key In the barn
lock- and an instant later the negro
stepped In.
The s11snect WAS at once confronted by
the two officers, who began to question
him. He told them that he had been In
ST. Paul, where he slept in the room OF
a friend. This friend, he said, had left
out ON the breakbeams Of a freight train
He said that the absent friend was the
one who had stolen the girl from heI
room, but when the handkerchief was
shown him, he was at a loss to explain
how 1t came to be in the room. The de-
tectives decided to question no further
and Hayes was arrested and charged with
the crime.
A Desperate Attempt.
The crime attempted was one of the
most atrocious in the history of the city
About I o'clock this morning a negro en-
tered the room Of Ruby Steele and liter
ally stole her. It was only after the
mother was knocked down that Hayes sue
ceeded in getting away with the girl, ant
but Tor the arrival OIL SEVERAL Iuel
awakened by the mothers screens, the
case would have been even more serious.
The girls room was in the rear of the
second story Of her home mad directly
beneath the window Is the root of {
summer kitchen. The negro climbed tt
this roof and made his way to her win
dow. He carefully removed the scree1
and went to the girls side, placing {
handkerchief saturated with chloroforn
over her face. The girl awok,
and screamed for help. The negrt
placed his hand over her mouth and start
ed to drag her thru the window. Her cries
attracted her mother, who seized the CIR
by the foot as she was being dragged
thru the window. She maintained he
hold until the negro dealt her a stunning
blow in the face and knocked her down.
He then dragged the terrorized girl tt
the edge of the roof and threw her to the
ground, a distance Of several feet. HI
Jumped after her and picking her up II
his arms, ran thru a small corn patch tt
the barn. where he Is employed. He ther
threw the girl on the ground and sat OF
her body, keeping his hand over he
mouth to prevent her from making an!
out cry. He listened for pursuers bu
did not hear any one approaching. TIL
girl then began to fight for her libert!
sensibility.
Rescued by Neghbors.
Just as the girl was about to give III
her struggles. neighbor who had beef
aroused by the girls cries, approached
and her assailant disappeared in tn,
darkness. A good description was secured
of him and the Steele girl was able t.
identify Hayes.
The girl Is hysterical to-day. She dit
not realize the mans brutal purpose un
til she had been rescued. Her injurie
consist Of few cuts from broken glass
several painful bruises and a few
scratches. Her throat shows discolora
tions where the brute choked her.
Hayes Record Bad.
Hayes seems to have mania for as
sauting women, as this Is the second at
tempt he has been accused of in Mime
apolis, altho he says he has been in tn
city only four weeks. The other attemp
was made upon Miss Arunga Burres,
domestic employed in the household Of F
A. Benjamin, 700 Fifteenth avenue Sc
Hayes was employed by Benjamin an
occupied a room in his employers resi-
dence. About a week ago Miss Burres
who has a room on the upper floor Of tn
residence, ran screaming down the stair
to Mrs. Benjamin's room. She said tina
Hayes had entered her room and ha
thrown a quilt over her head and tried t
gag her. She had fought him off. A fey
scratches about her face were evidence Q
the truth Of her story. ..
Hayes said he had not been in the girl
room, but that he had heard her screar
and presumed she had night mare MI
Benjamin believed the negro's story blu
at the instigation Of his wife and daugh
tiers he secured the negro a room o
Fourteenth avenue near Sixth street, les
than a block from where the assault wa
attempted last night.
Hayes is an inferior looking negro
being Of small stature, with recedin
forehead and thick lips. He is blacke
than most negroes seen in the north an
seems to be very illiterate. He says the
he Is q years old and was born in CO
lumbia, Mo-, but has lived at 1908 Cherr
street, Kansas City Mo-, for sever,
years. He also says he was In Siou
City, Iowa, for several days before con
ing to Minneapolis
Mrs. Steele is very nervous to-day as
result Of the excitement, while her fac
Is badly swollen from the blow she re
ceived. She was alone with the childre
Ruby and another daughter, the fathe
j. P. Steele, being at Warroad, MINI.
MIIJJ0NAJRN STILL, LIVES