The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-09
UP TO The POLICE
To Rid Willow Street Side of Loring
Park of Men Who Insult
Women.
Rev. w. B. Riley Says Vicinity Has
Been Infested for Several
Years. ss.

Citizens in the vicinity of Loring park
appear to be almost ready to take up
arms to rid their section Of the city Of the
presence of brute or gang OF brutes.s
The men, for it is believed there are
more than one, have made a practice for
years, according to the testimony of one,
Of assaulting and insulting women who are
obliged to pass, especially along the Will
low street side. Patience has about
reached its limit, says Rev. w. B. Riley,
pastor of the First Baptist church, who
lives on Willow street, in an interview
in which he expresses the opinion that the
police should do som ething and "dO it
quick Mr.. Riley says: =.
AS a resident on Loring park want to
express myself regarding the experience of
Tillie Anderson with the thug Of Tuesday
evening. For six years 1 have lived at
1os Willow street, facing this park. Dur
ing that entire time the vicinity between
Twelfth street and Willow street has been
infested by evil men, And on the tes-
timony of a multitude Of women who have
either been assaulted or insulted, one or
two men have been at work there during
this entire time, and the indications are
that it is the same man or men. Less
than two years ago, on a Thursday even
ing, nearly every woman passing thru
that vicinity on her way home from
prayer meeting was approached and in
suited by this brute. Only few evenings
afterwards L1lS outrage was repeated III
number Of instances.
"It seems that this has been continued
! long enough for some definite and eff
! fective steps to be taken by the police
| force to rid this excellent neighborhood
| of such characters. 1t is not safe for our
wives and daughters to walk the streets
| in this vicinity. Even church attendance
| is perilous under these conditions; and
| for one, 1 am not disposed to think the
residents Of that vicinity will bear this
| much longer. If the police cannot bring
| an end to these outrages the neighbors
will be compelled to devise means for their
! self protection, and it would seem that
! such means, for the sake Of law and
| order, were better devised by the city au-
| thorities. Such an outrage as that per-
! petrated on Tuesday could easily result
| in mob violence if the man had fallen into
| the hands Of the long suffering citizens Of
| that vicinity. The fact that these out.
| RACES have occurred as often, or oftener
in the early evening than late at night
| only goes to prove the boldness Of the per-
| petrators and their apparent conviction
Isthat no patrolman is In dangerou!
proximity. The very block on which thi
| outrage occurred is the one around which
these men have hung, and while there ar
a few vacant lots there, the park hiding
| places for such men are poor, and prope
| vigilance on the part of the police fore
could certainly bring this to a speedy ant
permanent end. It is not long since :
resident in Yale place took his revolver II
broad daylight and followed one Of thes
men to the center of the city, melted t
this by the outrageous conduct OF th1
low-lived individual. People who pa
taxes ought not to have to keep gun a
| hand for protection" -. .ss-. -, Il