Evening journal., 1904-11-21
FIREMEN WITH
WATER RESCUE
DEMENTED GIRL
Dehed Crowd and Threatened
to Kill Those Who Went
After Her
FOR HOURS REMAINED ON ROOF
Crawled Along Narrow Ledge
Making Watchers in Street
Shudder

After keeping at bay for several hours
n crowd which tried to rescue her from
her perilous position on a housetop
Mary Ann Watson, a demented woe
man, was rescued at o'clock this
morning by two men while the Water
Witch Fire Company played two
streams Of water into her face to tenn
porarlly blind her. The woman Is now
IN the police station awaiting to be ex-
amlned as to her sanity. Miss Watson,
who is 21 years old, was employed in
the house of John S. Rossell, No. 1901
Clayton street.
She had only been with the Rossell
family since Saturday, having been for
merly employed at the home of John
Banning, who recently killed himself.
She was there at the time of the shoot
ing and IL Is known that the tragedy
had a bad effect on her nerves. She
told friends she Nas afraid and wanted
TO leave and when upon applying to
Mrs. Rossell on Saturday for a position,
was Immediately engaged.
At II o'clock last evening she told
Mrs. Rossell that she was feeling sick
and announced her intention of going to
the drug store for medicine.
Crawled Out on Roof.
Mrs. Rossell was sitting in her own
room when she was startled by hear
/ ing blood-curdling screams emanatlng
from the regions OF the roof OF the
house. Investigation showed that the
| servant girl had by an apparently i'm
possible feat gained access to the roof
of the house. She had walked around
the ledge of the cornice work, a space
not more than four inches wide. and
like n monkey clambered to the roof
of the house next door, at No. 1903
Clayton street. Between this house
and the one next door, No. 1905, there
is an alleyway about ten feet wide
Projecting from each dwelling is a
smal bay window. The demented wo.
man crawled to the roof Of the bas
window of the house at No. 1903 anl
sprang from there TO the house at No
1905.
Walked Four-ineh Ledge.
Here she repeated her previous per.
formance Of walking a four-inch ledge
and taking up her position on a corner
peak, defied the crowd which had col
lected below to come up after her. She
sang a number of Irish songs and fire.
quently called for "Hughie." She
threatened to annihilate her would-be
lrescuers II they came within striking
distance of her. She had armed her
self with states which she pulled from
the roof and waited events.
Fire Company Summoned.
Mr.. Rossell was in quandary what
to do. but finally summoned the Water
Witch Company. Ladders We're put up
against the house and efforts made 10
rescue the woman. Whenever a head
showed itself above the roof, however
a number Of slate projectiles would be
hurled by the demented girl in the di-
rection of the fireman.
Water Was Effective.
l This mode Of warfare was kept up for
+ several hours, when finally the occu-
pants of the houses were prevailed
upon to allow the firemen to use water
The latter then got down to business
A plug stream and a chemical stream
, were gotten ready and at a given sig
nal both streams were turned upon the
figure on the roof. One stream attack
ed from one side and the other from this
other and aimed for the face of the de.
mented woman.
In the meantime several fremen gain.
5 ed the roof and watching their chance
$ when the water had sufficiently blind.
ed the woman, they swooped down OF
t the girl and overpowered her. She wa.
{ sent TO the police station in the patro
I wagon and confined there.
Rational Today.
- The woman appeared rational thii
morning and spoke of her relatives ant
, the place where she was recently EN-
5 ployed before going to the home OF th'
q Rossells. She does not appear to re
member anything of her roof-climbinl
proclivlties.
The woman was turned over TO hel
relatives this afternoon.