Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-08-22
WOMAN MAY DIE
AS RESULT OF ATTACK
Hundreds of Men are Searching
Fer Fiend.
NIECE OF INJURED WOMAN HIT

Miss Ethel Lawrence Is Suffering
With a Broken Arm, a Fractured
Head, and Her Right Eye Was
Gouged Out.
Atlanta, Aug. 21.-As the result of
q cowardly and brutal attack upon
Miss Ethel Lawrence, of London, Eng
land, and her little niece, Mabel, IA
years old, by a negro fiend Monday
morning, just stones throw from
the home of the little girl, three-Quar-
ters of mile from the end Of the Co
penhill car line, the aunt lies in a
dying condition at the Wesley Memo
rial hospital; the niece is suffering
from three blows on the forehead, in
ficted by a big stick, and the country
for miles around is being secured by
small mobs and posses of determined
men, who will take the law in their
own hands if they succeed in finding
the guilty brute.
In the attack upon the aunt her
right eye was gouged out, her nose
almost entirely severed, one of her
arms broken, her skull fractured and
her death is expected.
The niece escaped with lesser in
juries, as She feigned death in or
der to secure an opportunity to make
her escape and bring aid to her aunt.
The aunt had proposed to the niece
that they make a trip into the woods
just across the road in quest of some
beautiful ferns which grow abundant
ly in the fertile soil of an antiquated
breastwork, a relic of the late civil
war While they were picking ferns
and were just about ready to go home,
the negro apeared from the side of
the embankment opposite to the one
they were about to ascend
Come with me, girls, your father
and brother are not here; I want
you both to go right down here with
me-" said the negro, after which he
grabbed Mabel, his black b~,rds clos
ing around her throat, but not until
the girl had first caught his hands
with her own, preventing him from
choking her seriously.
Releasing his grip on her, he took
up huge stick and struck Miss Ethel
terrific blow full In the face. please
don't treat auntie like that" scream
ed the little girl, and the negro turn
ed again to the child Producing
coarse rope from his pocket, he tried
to throw it over her head, and upon
being unsuccessful in his attempt, sue
ceeded in Iassoing her aunt. The
niece rushed to her aunt's aid in the
nick Of time and caught the rope near
her aunt's head and kept the brute
from tightening it and choking her
into unconsciousness, as he had plan
ned. The negro again turned upon
Mabel, and after he had struck her
several terrible blows on her fore
head with the stidk, she fell to the
ground, crying OUT I'm dead"
Thinking he had killed her, he again
attacked the aunt, who was already
in stunned condition from the first
blow. In the meantime the little
girl, with remarkable presence of
mind, jumped up and ran to w. c.
Hunters residence, the nearest place
of refuge.
Seeing that the little girl had es-
capped and fearing capture, the negro
ran from the scene, leaving his vic
tim fxyiYo an ir,
scious condition as the result of his
blows
Although much frightened and bleed.
ing from her wounds, little Mabel ran
on until she reached the home of Mr..
and Mrs. Hunter nearby, and told
them her story. Mr.. Hunter immedi-
ately left the house and went to the
scene of the brutal attack upon the
aunt and her little niece and found
Miss Ethel Lawrence still unconscious,
but the negro had succeeded in max.
ing his escape, having failed to ac-
complish the the object of his attack
through the vigorous fight of aunt and
niece.
441o. La SuCO WdS AOl1u6u VI LIE
attack by Mrs. Hunter and though
unable to realize in it's fullest extent
the frightful nature of the assault,
she at once notified the county officers
and as many of the neighbors as pos.
sible.
In the meanwhile with Mabel as a
guide Mr.. Hunter, having found the
unconscious victim, lifted the body in
his arms and carried it to his home,
where every possible assistance was
rendered by Drs. Roy and Fischer,
who had been notified over the tele-
phone and arrived in their autos. At
ter her injuries had been dressSd she
was tenderly placed in a large tour
ing car and brought into the city and
taken to the Wesley Memorial hospit-
al, where an operation was performed,
removing her right eye, which had
been almost knocked out.
1t was found necessary to use Il
stitches In sewing up the gashes on
the forehead of little Mabel. Her in
Juries, though painful, are not dan
gerous, and 1t is believed that she will
recover within a short time.
County officers, friends and neigh
bors focked to the scene at once,
where they received an excellent de-
scription of the negro from the niece.
She DECLARED him to be about 25
years old. feet in height, clean shaw
en-, nearly bald, with protruding
forehead and a thin face, wearing bro
gan shoes. She stated that she could
easily identify him upon sight.
Bloodhounds were hurried to the
scene and within two minutes took
: up the scent which was held for a
half mile at which point It WAS hrok.