The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-09-17
1ittIe Town of Liberty
Wrought Up Over Assault
Made on Mrs. Ora Miller
Saturday Night.
HUSBAND SAYS THAT HE
WILL SHOOT ASSAILANTS
MRS. Miller Lying in Precari-
GUS Condition, Tells How
She Was Bound, Choked,
Burned and Kicked.

Liberty. Ind, Sept. 16. (Spl)-If
the fiendish robbers who attacked
left her in dying condition had been
icaught, this quiet little city would
have been the scene of lynching.
And even this evening the feeling is
intense. The husband of Mrs. Mil
Ter, who is now confined to her bed, is
furious, and says that in case one, or
both of the men are ever caught, he
will axe the law into his own hands
and shoot them down at sight. Those
who know Mr.. Miller believe that he
will carry out his words. The blood
hounds which have been here from
Dayton, have not been able to find any
trace of the men. The Larger crowd
which gathered about the house short
ly after the affair. has spoiled the
scent for the dogs.
Significant Stealing Of Horse.
The feeling about the affair was
made more manifest this afternoon,
when a horse and surrey were stolen
farmer who was hunting paw paws in
grove northeast of the city. The
rig was driven through Liberty and
from the appearance of the man in it,
the people thought that he was one of
the womans assailants. large
crowd at once gathered about the pub
lie square. and a searching party
was organized Men in rigs and
armed with revolvers, took different
roads leading out of the city, in the
hope of overtaking the rig.
Mrs. Miller is in a precarious con-
dition today The nervous shock
has affected her heart and the attend
ing physician fears that she may have
received internal injuries. While ly-
ing in bed. suffereing great pain, Mrs.
Miller told of the brutal assault of
the masked men.
Had Put Children to Bed.
She had prepared for bed after her
husband had left the house to go
down town. She locked all the win
dows and doors. and had put her two
children, the boy aged three, and the
yirI aged six, in their beds. She
then noticed that there was a splinter
in her thumb, and went to the kitch
en- to try and extrac it. While stand
ing alongside the lamp. picking her
finger with a needy, she was struck
over the head and fellad to the floor.
Broke Bed Room Window.
While in this condition she was
bound about the feet with towel and
about the hands with some handker
chiefs. The men then gagged her
4
tested that there was no money in the
house, but the. men would not listen to
her. A sale had been held by Mr..
Miller in the afternoon and they felt
certain that there must be large
sum of money Secreted about the
place. In an effort TO make her tell
where it was, they burned her feet
with matches and choked her. Mrs.
Miller became unconscious and when
she revived. she was in the bedroom
where she had been dragged. Hear
ing the men working in the other part
of the house. she tried frantically to
loosen herself. and got one hand free.
She then pulled herself to the bed
room door and locked it, BY great
effort she reached window facing an
alley. She struck it with one hand
and partially broke it. The men
hearing her. tried to break into the |
bedroom She then struck at the |
window with both hands and broke it !
out. This frightened them and they
left
Bravery of Miss Bethge.
Mrs. Miller called feebly. they're |
killing me, they're killing me-" This |
was heard by Alma Bethge, young /
woman in the house across the alley |
She ran to house square away |
where she knew G.. C. Maupin to be at |
home. Telling him of what had hap
Millers aid. The young woman beat |
Mr. Maupin in the race and went to |
her own room. where she secured a re
volver. With this she went bravely /
into the house. and says that she |
would have shot the men had she seen /
them Miss Bethge says that she
was not in the least frightened and /
believes that some of the neighbor I
men We're
Little Girl Not Frightened.
Mrs. Miller's little daughter. Lora,
was awakened by the robbers and |
tried to help her mother She beat
on the back of one of the men with |
her chubby fist, and tried to make him /
leave her mama alone. After they
put her mother in the bed room she /
went into her brothers room in or !
der, she says, TO protect him. The I