The evening world., 1905-07-20
DRAGGED GIRL
into surf AND
She DROWNED
Frolicsome Bather, Seized
with Cramp, Had to Leave
Her to Her Fats.
Is nec,n, to The Evening world,

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. July sp.-Joseph
Barrett, twenty-five years old, Is under
arrest here for dragging fourteen-year-
old Lillian Brabner into the water at
Seaside Park against her will, where
she drowned within sight OF hundreds
Of bathers.
Tr, girl was sitting on the shore
WIKI n companion. Martha Cotton, fif-
teen years old, both being in bathing
-os.umes. when Barrett. with Fred
Butler, also twenty-five years old, op-
preached them and proposed that they
so into the water. The men were
strangers to the girls and they refused,
saying they could not swim. The young
men each seized n girl by the and and
rar. with them into the water. Barrett
had hold OF Miss Brabner. who tried
20 get away but failed.
Seized with cramp.
The Cotton girl freed herself from
Butler when they were some distance
into the water and waded ashore.
Barrett assured the Brabner girl of
her safety, and agreed 20 teach her to
fioat. hey were near a sand bar some
one hundred yards from the shore, and
Barrett was holding on to the girl who
was up to her chest in water, but was
off her feet.
Suddenly Barrett was taken with a
cramp in the stomach and. deserving
the girl. made for the shore, but was
seen bv some men in a sailooat near
by who pulled him on board.
Seeing the girl disappear under water.
however, he dived overheard in an effort
at rescue, but could not find her.
The Cotton girl. when she saw Lillian.
go down. screamed and ran into the
water, but tainted. Bathers rushed to
her and pulled her ashore. while others
swan to the sept where Miss Brabner
went down, but nothing could be seen
Of her.
Barrett went ashore after the girl
had gone down and. going TO the bath
ing pavilion, begged for a drink OF some
thing warm, saying he was suffering
badly from cramp. His face was al
NEST black.
A crowd gathered around him and tho
excitement was running high, the
bIthers. many of them womer Scd
children, becoming hyster!cal.
Placed Under Arrest.
Deputy Sheriff Louis Richards was at
the bath-house and arrested Barrett and
took him to Police Headquarters. where
he is held pending an investigation.
Barrett in his defense to-day said
that the girls agreed to go in bathing
and he and his chum were going IL
show them o to swim and aoat, He
was holding the Brabner girl up when
his legs suddenly gave out and a ter
rible pain caught him in the stomach.
He cried out that he had cramps. and
old her to get on her feet. He
cried out that he had cramps and told
her to get on her feet. He said that
he thought that she was frightened
and did not try to stand up. He was
pulled into the boat. but dived and
tried to get her. but she had d!sap-
peared.
Martha Cotton, however. repeated &c
the police her statement that the mer
dragged her and the Brabner girl into
the water against their will
The girls body was founo some hours
after the accident.
The Brabner girl was possessed Of an
exceptionally strong soprano voice Tor
one so young She was a member OF
Kings Highway Church and formerly
sang in the Christ and Calvary ChurcA
choirs. Her father was formerly choir
master of the Baptist and Calvary
Church clloirs, and is now the cnoir
master OF the Kings Highway Church