The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-11
BOYS HELD FOR
NAMELESS CRIME
ASSAULTED CoLoRED GIRL
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT ON A ROAD
NEAR BEAULIEU.

Jnstice MendeI Met Girl, Crying,
and Learned of Alleged Assault.
At Once Took Action That Result
ed in the Arrest of MinEO Bond,
Johnnie Lanzy and stephen
Holmes, All COIOred-BOnd Tells
story Seemingly COrrOborative OF
THAT of the Girl.
Charged with criminally assaulting
11-vear-old Clara Shelton, colored,
three negro boys, Johnnie Lanzy,
stephen Holmes and Mingo Bond, were
arrested yesterday morning and con-
fined in the county jail. The warrant
for their arrest was sworn out before
Justice W. H. Mendel by the mother
of the girl.
Justice Mendel himself is responsible
for the prompt arrest of the boys He
was driving along the Beaulieu road
on Sunday afternoon shortly after 2
o'clock, when he met the Shelton girl,
CRYING. The justice stopped her and
asked her what was the matter, and
between her sobs she told him the
story.
According to the girl, she met three
100 o'clock. One of them, Johnnie
Tanzv. approached her and made an
improper proposal. This frightened the
girl and she started to run. Lanzy
at once grabbed her.
Before she could utter an cutlery he
L. j
then, with Holmes assistance, threw
her to the ground. Holmes held
the girls hands and Lanzy, still keep
ing his hand firmly pressed over the
girls mouth.
Lanzy then caught the hands of the
struggling girl and Holmes, smother
ing her cries with his hands,
Young Bond. the smallest of
the three, took no part in the
assault, merely standing and watching.
The instant Holmes took his hand
from the girls mouth she began
screaming and all three boys ran
away.
As soon as Justice Mendel heard the
girls story he made preparations to
arrest the alleged criminals. The girl
was taken home and her mother swore
arrested late Tuesday night near
Bethesda and brought to Savannah
and locked up early yesterday.
Confirms Girls story.
Mingo Bond. the youngest of the
three. and scarcely IA years old when
arrested yesterday, broke down and
told a story that confirms that of the
girl in almost every particular. He
maintains he did not touch her, though
he said both of the other two attacked
her.
Lanzy. a boy of about II or IS years
of ge, was seen at the Jail and asked
for his version of the affair. He talked
readily, denying his guilt and claiming
that the mother is to blame for his ar
RESI-.
According to his story, he and his
two companions were standing near
the Beauleu depot when the girl pass
ed them on her way home from church.
She called to him and asked him some
light question about where he was go
ing He answered her and the two
then parted, the boy claiming he re-
NAMED in Beaulieu the remainder of
the afternoon. The next he heard of
the affair, he claims, was when Justice
Mendel's constable placed him under
arrest.
Says Mother Is to Blame.
Il never laid my hands on the girl, -
he said, really 1 didn't. She jes' call
me and ask me where 1 was goin'.
tot her and then she went on down
the road. l never seed her again and
none touched her and didn't have any
thing to do with her.
Her old woman is all to blame. She
is mean an spiteful and alus wants
I get somebody in trouble. She jes
made UP the story to Justice Mende
and done had us arrested. The cir
never saw me that afternoon after she
lef' the station
The bows will be held to await the
action of the grand jury. The fact
that the story of young Mingo Bono
comes so nearly corroborating the story
Of the girl makes it appear that al
Indictment will be returned.