The Topeka state journal., 1905-03-13
Miss TilIie Henline Has En-
counter With a Highwayman.
He Had Secured Her Purse and
Watch.
THREW THE MAN DOWN.
Escaped While He Was Helpless
on Ground.
Police Said It Was Too Late to
Work on Case.
Did Not Appear Till Nearly Noon
Next Day.

night, when Miss Tillie Henline was
robbed by a negro thug on one of the
principal streets and within a block
of her home.
Miss Henline, who is employed as
saleslady in Crockett's furnishing
store, started home alone at 1916
Saturday night, was followed from
the tranfer station by a negro, and
| between Tenth and Eleventh on
| Quincy was seized by the negro and
robbed of wrist purse containing u
gold watch and $6 in cash.
Miss Henline fought the negro des-
perately, and in the struggle pushed
him down. He was injured, evident
! ~, by the fall, as blood stains were
found on the pavement where the
Miss Henline was seen at her home
1874 Quincy street, this morning, and
she told the story of the encounter.
! The wonderful part of the affair is
not the robbery, as robbery is a fire.
Quent occurrence, but in the pluckv
defense of a lone woman against Il
brutal negro, which places Miss
Henline in the list with the bravest
faint but put up such a fight as her
assaiIant will remember.
The story is best told in her own
words:
II left the store about 1915" said
Miss Henline, land walked to the
transfer station, where 1 paused a
moment to speak to Mrs. EmmOnS, q
lady employed at the Jones store. AS
1 prepared to resume my journey she
said: You are not going home alone
are yOu2' answered that / had gone
home alone every Saturday night for
long time. Then hold on to your
pocketbook,' she said.
II am sure that our conversation
must have been overheard by the
negro as he stood in the crowd around
the station, for when / started on he
followed me. at a distance. I was
nervous, on account of what she had
said, and / tried to make myself be-
lieve that was the reason I imagined
was followed I turned east on
Tenth, and the negro turned too. Still
tried to think there was nothing
wrong, but as passed Mr.. Camp
the street. AS I crossed over onto
Quincy street and turned south. the
negro went on east, and I thought he
was gone. But as / turned in toward
the sidewalk again he turned and cut
across the vacant lot on the southeast
corner of Tenth and Quincy He was
crOuched over, and walking lightly in
the grass, and aiming to head me off.
saw it was a fact that he was fol-
lowing me, and / started to run. The
negro came at me, running fast and
swinging his arms. 1 turned upon him,
fearing that he would strike me in the
back and I would be powerless to de-
fend myself He ran up and seized
me by the shoulder. His other hand
was drawn back do not know
whether he was going to strike me or
not, but it looked like it. Then he
said. not very loud, Give me that
purse I drew back the purse and
grabbed him by the throat I know
he had on a flannel shirt because the
collar was heavy and soft. He grabbed
my other arm and tore the purse from
my wrist. I had screamed for help
when he first attacked me, and now
pushed him hard as could with
both hands. He fell north, on his
back. and I lost my balance from the
effort and fell the other way I could
not regain my feet for probably two
or three seconds but when I did get
up I saw him lying on his back and
kicking with both feet. He seemed
unable to get up, and I did not wait
fast as 1 could.
IT was so overcome with the excite
ment that I could do nothing for few
minutes after I got home, but when L
had recovered went over to the
house of a neighbor. Mr.. Knowlton.
He was not at home yet. and I feared
to go any further away from home to
tell the other neighbors. In a short
time Mr.. Knowlton came home. when
told him. he went and teIephOned
for the police. They told him it was
too late to do anything that night, and
they would come and see about it the
next day. The police did not come
until Il o'clock Sunday Mr.. Lucas
the sheriff. had been here before them
and had heard my story.
THE negro who robbed me was a
man a little above medium height, and
although darlx-darker than the ordi-
nary mulattO-was not real black. He
wore a suit of some mixed material
which looked dark gray at night, and
a soft hat of about the same color I
think when they find him they will
discover some injury on his head. I
think he was hurt by the fall"
The fact that the police were too
busy to come out in reply to a holdup
call Saturday night, was probably due
to the fact that a joint raid was in
progress, and all the available officers
were so employed One would nat
urally suppose that the police could
the same place and doing the same
business every day until the police
Iorce IS remodelled, go unmolested
long enough to look uo a case of high
way robbery. but such does not seem
to be the case. There was a chance
to catch the highwayman that night,
but the oolice failed TO embrace the
opportunity, and 1t seems they took so
little interest in the holduo that the
night force forgot to tell the day men
The police department had to be noti-
fed a second time before any notice
was taken of St
About the time this lady was strug-
Cling with the negro. and about the
time her neighbor was telephoning
the police, a squad of officers We're
busily engaged in the exciting sport
of arresting Kline. Van Solver and
others on warrants charging them
with violating the prohibitory law and
ordinances
Architect-aA house on this plan can
be built for $1,000" The Other Mani
have no doubt it can. What I want to