The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-07
AN UGLY CHARGE
AGAINST! |! II Z ].
lNpleNANTLY. DENIES :: CHARGE I; |: Z I ] ::
Claims I He Went to Market and
Did Not See GirlHor NJ. Modest ,Il1:s
Her, as She Claims.
,1s n, y .rha rIn,es plpnat et. )


Is@FYisS Especial to Tho Times d sratc cha
I)ANy1LLE, i AZ. Feb. ~. Vincent y ant vs. w
Jefferson, tho local agent here OF y the el
STANDARD Oh Company, was sent on s, Q
1.-The grand Jury this morning from rom, ne
MAYORS Court, on tho charge Of q tempt
Ing criminal assault OF, Matte Mefa ffey,
| the twelvc-year.old daughter OF Joseph
lB. Mchuffcy, foreman n t the Rivers!l J. Y
cotton mills ,$# Mr.. Jefferson has q VIE
! md three children The alleged crime
was committed last Sat urday night nn ntte
the front porch OF the tenement y o o1. ~
Henry Street occupied Jointly 81 by t :. !,
Mehaffcy md Jefferson fanll g y a.
LEGGED Victim 3 Il the outrage was tie first
witness placed 4 On the stand. The little
girl Is Quite pretty and intelligent, tell !ell.
ling her story IN I d straig forward ana 1tl!
| mod eat manner She described the $tene-
l,ner1t on Henry Street, stating q ha AZ 2her
family occupied one side and IS the SJ y. er
fersons the other. The front porch facing
1.-The street Ifs divided off by means OF g! q
parut onsand tho yard by a fence c y,
l On last Saturday night she tes tlcd ! ma az
shc was sent byr1ierS mot her. to ! borrow y, y,
| 8 },,oseg spray from, Mrs. Jefferson. and
that In the front room there we're pres +
eInlt Mr.. and Mrs. Jefferson and 4 nc col
ored nurse. 4 n {. ss5S5 Ell " Vi ,f4ia
RI rho child stated that she secured the
spray. 4 and that Mr.. j ef ferson precedfed
her out ct the house, but wa ted on:gthto
front porch II mo child then told q now now
the accused grabbed her by the arnl X u and
led her under tho house whe re sh ne vas vas
too frightened to make any outcry. s'htl She
|; hen rave 4 the details OF n the alleged at!
tempted assault. Aftcr8 the alleged " as az
"a ut, the girl returned to her j ONE and
between her sobs related the account OF.
tho insult first to her randmot her, Mrs.
Matte Harris, and latcrk to n her fa thers
and her. n s3S KS sS VI
n Mrs. u lice fferson, the wife Of the
accused testified that she was IN / the
room when Tho alleged vic tim Of the AS
sault entered, and that she q so 3 rd
her husband slam the front ga to be fore
the child left the house Mrs JET ferson
stated that her husband went to the mar
ket ana returned q bout fifteen minutes
later with a fish e H ~ e. I35 {. .5S
After the warrant was served on Nj. 4
Jefferson, she went to the home OF the
Mehaffeys and inquired what IN o trouble
was about Mrs. y efferson ga s3 8 ne IVA
referred to the little girl, who declined
to grant herG to tell her husband
Of ]. the charge made to his face. #s Mrs
Jefferson stated tina t a he two families
had heel neighborly, but that the chllren
OF Mrs. u leha fey had given her much
trouble by throwing rock at her !, ouse,i
killing her chickens, q She also IL sti-j
fled that owing thu r'id and Jun be- t'e,
coming conduct OF her ghbors' fchildren}
THAT she had forbade 81 hem assocla ting
with her offspring .F i4 NJ M 81 5a
II SAF SIMILAR INDIGN1TY!g5 DOE
II Mrs. Jefferson leges t hat George, the
young a son OF Mr.. and Mrs. Mehaffey,
had " OF fered VI an 81 indignty to her little
daughter, similar to the charge preferred.
against 4 her husband. Mrs. Jefferson
stated that she had gone to the scene,
OF trouble to examine the gro und under
the front porch and scene Of the alleged
attempted assault, but could #dlilscoveranlo
footprints, which she said uld nave
been Visible in the dust II any parties had
zen under there Saturday nj ght. sSS
Mr.. ]. X Dudley and Mr. G. T.. fer
son also testified. tina they had examined
the place and practically corrob orntcd tho
statement OF. Mrs Jef ferson. Iz
II Mr.. Jefferson then appeared on the
stand in hts own behalf, denying most
emphatically the charge made. Ile stated
that he did not see the girl after he
loft his homo Saturday night and had
never on any occasion offered her any
indignlty nor showed her the slightest at
tention.s Mr.. efferson testified that he
vas warming by the fire when the child
came In. but left shortly afterwards for
the market, returning in about g fifteen
minutes With some fish. {s8 z .s
u IIe corroborated the sta ement OF his
wife relatlve&to the bad conduct on the
part Of Mr. and Mrs. & NJ ehaffcy's chill
;dren. He could Gnssgh no reason iwha tt
ever for Matte Niehnffcy making such q
charge galnst hm. Ill En- i 95sli
s55 The statement made by Mr. Jefferson
and his wife, that during the time that
the alleged attempted assault occurred,
'heS was marketing would lead to the con-
icluson that he could easily prove an
alibi by producing in court the merchant
was made to do so. This Is probably the
weakest point in tho evidence, ~ l3
1T Is stated by the attorney that tho
necessary WITNESSES Will BIO produced at
the trial in the Corporation Court Mr..
Jefferson is represented by Attorney 3. ii. i
rN.. r L . ~. y