Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-08-07
"Near Crimes" Followed by
Near Lynchings Add TO Ter
rorS of Life in Nations Great
est City,
INNOCENT MEN BEATEN
BY INFURIATED MOBS
Children'S Society Records All
Show Crimes Against Chill
dren are No More Frequent
Than Usual in Gotham.

IBy Morning journal Special leased WIre.I
New York, Aug. 6.--More of what
have come to be known at police
headquarters as near crimes" against
girls were followed by near lynch
ings" today. Out of the score of conf
plants that reached the police, a half
dozen demanded serious attention
Whether the number Is extraordinary
is disputed, but certain II Is that never
has mob vengeance so frequently at
tended attacks upon children.
Led by woman, who alternately In
Italian and broken English, cried.
crowd of 1000 persons tonight
stormed the Fourteenth street car
barns of the Metropolitan Stret Rail-
road company where policeman
had sought refuge with a seriously
pummeled prisoner, Paul Sorgerate, Il
Greek peddler. thirty years of age,
had made the mistake, so Il is said. of
kissing Grace Josco, an Italian girl of
eleven years. A shrili cry from the
girl and an impassioned appeal by
the mother put the foreigners of the
neighborhood in a rage and as the
Greek took to his heels a crowd pur-
sued. When block had been COW
cred Sorgerate stumbled and fell, and
senseless the Greek a powerful man,
nevertheless gained his feet, only TO
be Knocked down again. By this
time someone had snatched a clothes
line from the window OF the grocery
store, and the rioters attempted 20
put moose over the Offenders heal
Only the over-eagerness OF each rioter
to have "A hand in the Iassoing saved
the prisoners neck. During the con-
fusion a policeman arrived and
clubbed his way to the endangered
man. For a moment the crowd fell
back and within that time the officer
had dragged his man to the nearby
ear barns. Concealing his prisoner in
car, the officer awaited assistance.
while the rioters threw themselves
against the doors In an effort 10 force
an entrance. Police reserves stood
off the mob while the Greek was hus-
tied into a patrol wagon.
Through a crowd that cried. XIII
him." lynch him." the police fought
their way to the nearest station house.
He was in a bad shape, but It was
thought inadvisable to attempt his re-
moval TO a hospital during the ex-
citement. His eyes were biackenod,
and his body black with bruises.
Cheated of their man, the crowd
vented its fury on CASTOR Keriskell.
an unoffending workman, homeward
bound. As he was passing the riot
ers, a boy pointed him out, at the
same time yelling: "rhats the mans
friend. He was there, too" The man
was pounded until ne was uncOn-
scious. The police finally got the in
tured man and removed him to a
hospital.
Edward Pratt, a mlllwrght. IS
years Of age, had a somewhat pecul-
lar experience late this afternaOn In
West Fifty-seventh street. Nellie and
Helen Farrell, each about ten years
old, accused Pratt of improper re-
marks. lie was frlghtfnlly mauled
before rescued from a mob BY the
police.
"This Is not a crime wave" said
Superintendent Jenkins OF the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty TO
Children today. IL mean by that that
our statistics showed no increased
number Of actual assaults committed
upon girls and women. / have just
examined the records to make sure
whether this is true"
ut is very easy for a mother or
father to take alarm at a perfectly
innocent caress bestowed by a grown
man upon a child and TO infer n
criminal motive.
AT this season Of the year there "a
always a relative increase in the NUM-
ber Of assaults on girls of sixteen.
They nave not, however, Increased
relatively to the increase in popuia-
ton. There are about the same num-
ber TO date this month aud last that
there We're In July ana August Of
1906"