The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-04
BRUTE FORCES WAY
IN old LADY'S HOME
Kicks Door Down, Beats Woman
Into Insensibility and Com
nlits Assault.
PEOPLE GREATLY WROUGHT UP
rspeolal 10 The rimes-Dlspatch.l

CHAPEL HILL, N. c., January a.
The story OF one of the most foul
crimes ever committed in this section
was brought to the ears of the authori-
ties here to-day, and has aroused the
most intense feeling.
On saturday night last, about mid
might, Mrs, Davidson, an aged woman.
who lives alone In q cabin in the negro
settlement on account of extreme pow
erty, was aroused from her slumbcrs
by loud knocking on the front door.
Upon inquiring who was there, she
was given the name of negro Who
has not been here in several years. and
who is believed to live in New York
1t was the deep bass voice OF man,
and asked to be turned into the cabin
and allowed to warm. The frightened
woman promptly refused to let him in,
telling him at the same time that IL he
persisted In his effort to force admis-
sion she would scream for help. The
man. evidently frightened, ran off.
Forces His Way In.
On the following Sunday night Mrs.
Davidson. not feeling very we'll, de-
|cided she would retire early. So be-
tween the hours of and . she was
sitting on the side of the bed remov-
ling her clothes, when she suddenly
became aware that some one was at the
door. The lamp was sitting on the
table in the centre of the room and
burning brightly. Nothing daunted by
this, however. the brute did not ask
for admission this time, but proceeded
astonished and helpless woman could
make an outcry had covered the dis
lance between the door and bed and
seized her by the throat, and began
cursing and beating her In the face and
elsewhere. The poor woman struggled
b1avely for her life and honor, but
the superior strength of the brute soon
began to tell, with the result that she
lost her footing and fell to the floor in
an unconscious condition. The brute
remained as long as he wished, and
escaped in the night.
Goes Out For Help.
| Upon regainine consciousness the
frightened woman, trembling. with grief
! and the infirmities of old age, seized
a lantern, and, bareheaded and bare
footed, ran through the darkness to a
NEARBY negro store. Finding the In
| and stupef1ed condition, and being un-
able to attract their attention. she
called to a small negro boy who was
standing on the outside, and with his
assistance made her way through the
| chill and darkness to the nearest house
about a half mile down the road, and
occupied by negro woman. To this
woman she told her story, and asked
to be assisted and protected. This
woman soon spread the news, and a
crowd gathered around the suffering
victim and minIstered to her needs.
Mrs. Davids son is a very old woman
perhaps seventy years of age. She is
very poor but respectable, and the
whole community is terribly wrought
up over the brutal outrage she has
been made to suffer. Her face and
hands are terribly bruised and
scratched, and her throat shows finger
marks. She seems to doubt her ability
to identify her assailant, but feels con-
fdent that it was negro. AS yet no
clue to his identity has been dtscov-
cred, though the authorities are mak-
ling every effort to locate him..