Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-19
.COLORED WOMAN
FIGHTS OFFICER
Helen Burnett Swings on Detec'
tive Carnes With Fry.
ing Pan.
MISTAKES HIM FOR A LAMB
She Is Fined S. and Costs on the
Charge of Oisorderly
Conduct.

Helen Burnett. a dusky damsel
whose home is on Twenty-second street
between Second and Third avenue.
was before Police Magistrate q. A.
Johnson this morning to answer 10
charge of assault and battery. in which
Detective Richard Carnes was the
complainant. Helen last night struck
the officer with a frying pan and had
him when he grappled with her and
took her To headquarters.
Helen engaged II. NJ. McCaskrin for
her attorney and served notice of her
intention To fight the case. but at a
conference between her lawyer and the
magistrate she became more docile and
il was agreed to- drop the assault
charge and docket her as a disorderly.
To this charge she entered a plea of
guilty and was fined So and costs.
Called Fancy Indy of Coon Town.
Helen is the fancy lady of coon
town" by which name the district in
which she lives is known in police cir
Giles. She invariably is dressed in the
height of fashion when she appears on
the street. and is the envy of others of
her race in that particularly locality.
She says that she does not mix with
the trash" OF her race. and appeared to
be highly offended when the officer ac-
cused her OF making practice Of en-
tertaining white men in her home.
Helen has a police court record.
Some weeks ago she was caught with
others in a raid on a house on Twenty
second street and Third avenue. a
block from her present home. Helen
stated then that she had only recently
arrived from Chicago; that she had
come for visit with a friend, and if
she had fallen in with folks who were
OF bad moral repute she regretted it.
for she supposed her new friends were
real ladies and gentlemen. Helen de-
clared that she would return immedi-
ately TO Chicago.
Trunk Sent to Wrong station.
She ordered an eXpressman To take
her trunk to the Rock Island station.
The expressman inferred that she had
been arrested again and wanted her
belongings taken To the police station.
and there one Sunday night he unload
ed the trunk. Helen located it there.
after a search, and had it transferred
to the Fifth avenue depot. She has an
admirer in Davenport. and when he
learned that she was blowing the city
he hoped ON train at Davenport and
rode TO Rock Island, meeting Helen
at the Fifth avenue station in the act
of purchasing a ticket. He induced
her TO remain TO enjoy more of the To-
cal scenery. and they returned to DAY.
export. This engagement was not of
long duration. however. and Helen
came back TO Rock Island.
Gives Officers the High Sign.
Yesterday afternoon Detective Carnes
and Officer Ginane were standing on
the corner of Twenty-second street and
Third avenue. when Helen peered out
the door of her home. Both the officers
were in plain clothes, and Helen appar-
emily did not recognize them, for she
gave them the high sign. Carnes walk
| ed toward the woman, and she came
out TO meet him. carrying the frying
pan in her hand. Carnes says that she
took him for lamb. Helen says that
this is not so; that she knew who he
was all the while. and that he returned
the salute. She simply wanted to give
him a piece of her mind for testifying
against her at former trial Carnes
says that Helen surely expressed her
thoughts on that subject. and when he
told her to go back to her house and
behave herself she swung on him with
the pan. The officer says that Helen
knows how 10 use her dukes. and was
giving him a battle when he found to
protect himself he would have to take
hold Of her. for she was in the act of
heaving a brick at him when he did So
Car.es Has n Mean Smla.
Helen is long on police court ser
mons. and she delivered another this
morning. the burden of which was the
annoyance that one of her color who
looks good" must suffer from white
men while she is walking through the
streets at night She said that even
| bo har