Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-26
Tramp Arrested at Center
vile May Be Assailant
of Mrs. George Stech
of Bethlehem
BLOODHOUNDS ON TRAIL
IN FRUiTLESS SEARCH
Cries of Woman Into Open
Telephone Receiver
Arouse Neighbors
and Save Life


Centerville, Feb. Is (speciaD- AN
unknown tramp, who partially answers
the description of the assailant of Mrs
George Stech Of Bethlehem, was arrest
ed at Udell today and brought to this
city. He is being held in the Jail
awaiting Identification.
Telephone Warns Neighbors
Rural telephone users all over Wayne
county heard the screams of Mrs.
George Stech while she struggled des-
perately with tramp who ATTACKED
her in ner home near the county line
Men in the homes of her nearest
neigbors, who hastened to get out
teams and rush to her assistance, were
too late to save Mrs. Stech- or capture
her assailent. Posses w i t h
bloodhounds are searching the country
side, and there is chance that the
tramp will be lynchsl if captured
Phone Left o. in Struggle.
Mrs. stech saysN&S tramp came to
her door eaily In B afternoon and
demanded admittancH She was alone
IN the house with her year old girl
and frightened she closed the door in
the tramp's face and locked it. The
man at once commenced to break down
the door. Mrs Stech carried her little
girl to a bedroom and locked her in.
she then ran to her telephone and rang
to call for help, but before she could
speak the tramp had forced his way
IN and seized her.
She dropped the receiver, leaving the
phone open and the central operator
heard her first scream.
Screams for Help Carry Far.
For half an hour the woman strug.
bled desperately with her assailant all
over the little living room. Each time
she found herself near the telephone
she screamed for help. In nearly every
home on the system to which her
phone belonged her screams were
heard.
The nearest neighbor half mile
away, having heard the screams over
the phone thought the Stech house
was on fire and jumping on horse
rode n1adly there. He says it was not
over fifteen minutes from the time he
heard the bell of the phone ring until
he was at the door of the Stech home.
He found it locked and went to a win
dow which was open and climed in.
He found Mrs. Stech lying unconscious
on the floor, her hand bound behind
her and handkerchief crowded down
into her throat so far that he could
scarcely reach it with his fingers.
Neighbcrs Scour Country
More ne;ghbors reached the Stech
nome anG search was at once organ
lied. The wrath of the people who
gathered was something indescribable,
and had the man been captured then
he would have been torn from limb to
limb. In an hour there were two hun
dred men at the Stech home and they
threw out lines for several miles over
the county. The man had left the
house in a southwesterly direction to-
wards the nearest timber and on lit
tie creek his tracks were seen, but that
was all that was found to indicate
where he had gone. All evening and
all night hundreds of men searched.
Neighbor women went to care for Mrs.
Stecn who was in pitiable condition.
The search continued and as it was
thought the man was4 surely within
the circle thrown out5they commenced
to gather closer towards the center.
but the man had escaped and was out
side the line of search before it was
formed, evidently.
Hounds are Useless.
A telephone message was sent to
Centerville asking j. D. Hanks to send
his blood hounds to trace the escaped
brute. Mr.. Hanks was away from
home, and his daughter, Miss Essie
Hanks. determined that the hounds
should reach the scene as soon as DOS
sible and do all that could be done to
capture the scoundrel, started to take
the hounds to the Stech home.
They were taken down on a, little
creek where the man had been tracked
before the snow, but there they failed
to take ZIP the scent owing to the time
and the heavy fall of snow Hundreds
of people had tramped the ground over
and there was no hopes for the hounds
doing any work. Over one hundred
neighbors were in the vicinity of the
Stech home at the time the hounds
we're tried, and it was found impossi-
lie fer them to do any work.