The evening world., 1908-03-06
Eghteen-Year-Old Miss Petit
Describes Attack on Her
in Harlem Flat.
GAGGED WITH A TOWEL.
Miscreant Tore Down Clothes
line to Bind Her, but Took
Only Footgear.

When the police find the man who
bound and gagged pretty Miss Ada
Louise Pettit-if they do find him
they think they will have nabbed the
weird lunatic whom they have sought
for more than year-a man whose
mania is tearing the shoes from the
feet of good looking girls
At the home OF her parents. Mr.. and
Mrs. s. D. Petit. on the first floor OF
No. 2G3 West One Hundred and Twen-
taeth street tho latest victim of the
daft marauder had so far recovered t.
day as to be able to tell her expert
ence. She is a handsome. dainty girl
OF eighteen years, an honor graduate
Of the Albany Normal School
II was alone in the house about 10
o'clock yesterday morning" she said to
an Evening World reporter, when a
young man knocked at the door. He
told me that he came to collect the
telephone dill. l recognized him as
nan who had been to the fiat twice be-
fore on the same pretext. l told him,
as. my mother had already done on the
previous visits, that my father was
connected with the telephone company
and paid his bills at the office.
Gagged Her with Fingers.
Then he said he would inspect the
'Dhone. Suspecting nothing. l admitted
him. He walked slowly down the hall.
pserinS in every room. When he en-
tered the kitchen l told him the tele-
phone was in the dining room. He
reached up to line. pulled down a
dish towel and jerked the rome loose
Then realizing for the first time that
something was wrong. started to run.
HE seized me from behind and forced
me to my knees, stuffing his fingers into
my mouth. ! am subject to fainting
spells. and l suppose I must have
tainted.
when I came to I was helpless. /
think l must have lain on the floor
for an hour before help came. Part of
that time I could hear the man moving
about"
The janitress, Mrs. Bertha Schmidt,
discovered. the plight OF the girl Mrs.
6chmidt heard muffled means through
the dumbwaiter shaft. She traced the
sounds to the Petit apartment and en-
tered by way of fire escape.
Trussed Up Like Fowl.
On the floor OF the dining-room Miss
Petit was lying. The dish towel was
hwisted over the lower part Of her face.
Her hands were tied behind her back.
A length OF cord mad been tied about
the ankles and then the loose end had
been brought up and knotted about the
waist, so that the girls knees were
drawn back and she could neither crawl
nor stand upon her feet.
For hours after her release from the
bonds, MISS Petit was in a hystericaI
state When she revived somewhat. she
described the intruder as stoutly built
man, twenty-five years old. with dark
hair and skin and heavy eyebrows.
He was # medium height. sne sad. anu
fairly we'll dressed.
The man packed up rillow case
doned 1t at the front door. He ignored
q lot OF other valuables But ne re-
moved Miss Pett!ts shoes and carried
them away with him. He made no
further attempt TO harm her.
The police say Miss Pettt's account
of the mans appearance covers the de-
scrt,tion of a man WIN ranged parts
OF Harlem a year ago, overwhelming
Young women in Railways and fats and
tearing their shoes off their feet TWO
chorus girls had such an experience
with him on a stairway within block
OF where the Pett!ts live