The Washington herald., 1908-08-17

As a result OF being choked into in
[ seus.bllitv and bru-aIly beaten by a ne
[ ero. who entered her home early yester-
{ dav morning and robbed her Of Se5. Mrs
Mary J. Cole. or 81 Elmo. Alexandra
+ County. Va. is lying dangerously near
death
DIT. :. p. Moore who was called 70 as
T sis- the woman. has not left her bedside
and last night said Mrs Cole had been
/ so badly bruised she would be unable 10
/ identify her sssauant even should he BE-
/ captured.
/ Although the police OF this city and
Alexandria have been notified Of the af-
fair. and are searching for the fugitive.
/ the residents of St Elmo and the neigh
boring country are highly excited over
] the assault. and openly express their in
{ tention Of summariIy dealing with the
negro = he falls into their hands
/ Rum0rs as 10 the capture OF the negro
were rife in the vicinity just across the
Long Bridge yesterday. and late last
night it was said the assailant had been
/ captured and was being held in a box
+ car ut the Potomac railroad yards by
/ employees
Awakened by Noise.
{ According 10 the story told Constable
r : Pennypacker by Mrs. Cole. when
I she ran 20 his house for assistance an
hour after the assault, is that she was
asleep on the second floor Of her home
when the noise Of the intruder awaken
ed her. Being alone she became con.
vuIsed with fear The negro. realizing
his presence had been discovered. lost nd
time in preventing her from making ar
outcry.
She had risen 10 a sitting posture and
the ueEro's attack bore her down. he con
tinuing 70 choke her until. apparently IN
J conscious. she loosened her hold of hi.
arms.
Not fearing further molestation. the
negro rapidly. concluded his work Of ran
sackInE the bureau drawers. FIudin.
4 nothing OF much value there, he threw
the woman to the floor and lifted the mat
tress from the bed Here he found IN,
money
Mrs. Cole lay IN a state % semi-un
I consciousness for about a quarter Of al
hour. and VIXEN she recovered sufficient,
70 realize the happening was afraid q
stir. fearing the negro was stiH in tn
house
After waiting for what seemed an in
. terminabie length Of time she arose. hur
b riedIy dressed herself and went 20 n
home of Constable Pennypacker, 10 whom
she reported the affair
r After telling of the affair. Mrs Col
j returned TO her home more than a half
mile away. and collapsed just as sh
gained the door She was discovere,
in a highly nervous condition shOrtl,
afterward. carried TO her room. and tn
. physician summoned from Alexandria.
II is understood the negro had beel
lurking in the vicinity for several DAYS
evidently sUspecting Mrs Cole hal
: money in her home. Mrs Cole conduct
! q boarding-house and il was only afte
, all Of the boarders who are mostly rail
road men. had departed that he entered
Mrs. Cole said the same negro had ap
preached her door Saturday evening an
asked for something 10 eat He re
ceiveG some cold victUals and wen
away.
} Mrs Cole fn describing her asSailan
? twenty-three years old and was sbor
. and heavy set. He weighed about i
pounds and was about five feet 81
inches in height He wore black clolhe
d and a siouch hat
It is said he went toward the Potoma
railroad yards after committing the rob
berry.