The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-09-26
A Lady's Apartment Enter
ed at Midnight by a
Bold Intruder.
MOBILE MlSCREANT
Undertakes to Commit An
Outrageous Assault.
FORCES HIS WAY INTO THE
HOUSE AND ATTACKS SLEEP
ING WOMAN, BUT is FORUM.
ATELY FOUGHT OFF-TWELvE
YEAR OLD GIRL GRAPPLES
HIM.

Mobile, Sept 25.-An unknown ne
gro fiend who is still at large made
an attempt at criminal assault upon
Mrs. j. NJ. Touchstone, wife of
railroad man employed on the Mobile
and New Orleans division of tho
Louisville and Nashville road, last
night about 1850 o'clock at her
home on south Conception street, be-
Carolina streets, and was only pre-
vented from carrying out his desper-
ate act by the fight the lady gave
him.
Mrs. Touchstone is sure the party
who attempted the crime is a negro
from the statement made by her II.
year old doughter who also had a
struggle with the man when he was
getting out of the house
The police station was notified of
the attempted crime, and several
officers were sent to the scene, and
with a number of citizens who re.
sponded to the calls for help of Mrs.
Tombstone, searched the vicinity for
some time, but no trace or clue to the
negro was obtained.
Forced His Way In.
The negro forced his way into the
Touchstone home by almost breaking
in a door on the south side of the
house. He went into the front room
where Mrs Touchstone was sleep
ing, and there tried to assault here;
but for the fact that she awoke in
time he would have accomplished his
purpose. The negro. when he saw
that his intended victim was awake,
knocked her down on the bed, and
as the brave little woman got on the
floor to fight him, ne knocked her to
her knees, leaving a cruel scar on the
left side of her face
Mrs. Touchstone was seen this
morning at her home by a press rep
resentative. She was still suffering
from the excitement of last night,
but she was able to tell her story.
Her first intimation of the presence
of the man in her room was when
she awoke and found him standing
by her side. She said he then I-Sock-
ed her down across the bed, but she
got to her feet, and as she made an
attempt to grab him, the negro struck
her terrific blow on the side of the
head, and she fell to the floor Mrs.
Touchstone says she made several
calls for help, and this woke her
daughter, who tried to get out of
her room where she was sleeping,
but when she tried to reach her
mother, the negro ran in on her and
felled her to the floor. The little
little girl grappled with him, and at
one time had him by the hair, and
she says that from the way it felt, the
man was a negro. Mrs. Tombstone
says she could not identify the man
but to all appearances from the out
lines of him in the dark he was about
5 feet 5 inches tall.
Fled to the Swamp.
The negro, after getting into the
housefi went into a kitchen safe near
the door, which he entered and
smeared lard all ovcI his face and
hands. He left the house by a rear
door, and went into Choctaw swamp
He left grease marks on the edges OF
the door as he went out.
Mrs Touchstone said last NIGHT a
negro was arrested in the vicinity
but she could not identify him. and he
was released. She says her husband
is away from home a greater part OF
the time, and she had no weapon in
the house, but in future will not be
without one Mrs. Touchstone, in
parting with the reporter. said that il
the negro was caught she would like
to pass sentence on him.
Acting Mayor A. S. Lyons this
morning directed Chief of Police
Rondeau to put all the men at his
command on the case, and make
every effort to get the intruder