The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-02
ROMAN HELD FOR ASSAULT
 ON MRS. NOONAN
Shackett and Mason, Tried on the Same Charge, Dis charged After Mass of Conflicting Testimony Is Heard.
City Court Went Into Cham bers While Hearing the Evidence-Case Discloses Bad Condition on East Side.

After hearing from his own lips that he had assaulted Mrs. Margaret Noon- an of 539 Myrtle avenue, Christmas night in the rear of the plant of the i Weidlich Bros. Mfg. Co.,. Sterling street and Noble avenue, Judge Pullman in the city court to-day held Michael Romain for trial in the criminal su perior court in bonds of ss5O0. Denis Mason and Louis Shackett alleged participators in the assault which was most brutal were discharged as the | evidence did not clearly establish that | they were concerned in it. ROmain in telling of the assault said | the woman accompanied him willingly to the rear of the factory and accord | ing to his story after they came out l to the street again he escorted her to ! Kossuth and Nichols street, where he l left her standing against a building, 1 he going home. Romain claims that | he first met the victim of the attack at Reilly and Pembroke streets, and as 1 sine did not object to his proposal to see her home he took her by devious | route to rear of the Sterling street fac i tory.
 Mrs. NOOnan was in court to-day and 1 she presented a battered up appear ] ance. She identified Romain as one of l those who assailed her. She was not able to identify either Shackett or Mason. The two latter were in the vicinity of the place where the assault occurred, and aboutathe time of it, but there was no way to positively connect | them with the outrage. | Dr. Ives who answered the emer- gency call testified that he treated the woman for 2S bruises about the body. He said he detected the smell of liquor ] from her. q
 The victim denied that she had used liquor. She sad she was waiting for a trolley car near East Main and Nichols l streets when Romain came along. He was presently joined by a taller man and other fellow. She claims the men put their hands over her mouth and | hustled her down Nichols street toward Kossuth street where the assault was | committed. That she had an awful ex- 1 perience is shown by the marks which her body contains. She had ben dragged beneath rear porch in the house occupied by Mrs. Mary Shorn- dorf in Nichols street not far from Kossuth street. Her cries attracted the attention of Mrs. Shorndorf who came out and found the victim strug- gling with her assailants. John Keefe, who rents livery in Kossuth street heard the cries and went to Mrs. Noonan's assistance. Some of the as-
 
 by saying that the woman was a friend of theirs and they would see that she | was protected.
 Keefe demurred. however, and Mrs. | Schorn6orf took the victim who was bleeding and not far from unconscious into her home where she washed her and allowed her to remain until the | ambulance arrived.
 Shackett and Mason told the court | just where they are supposed to have been at the time of the assault They said they accompanied to their homes two young women, Margaret Bellfield | and Abbie Hedman, and the latter were in court to corroborate the testi- mony of their escorts. The Hedman girl said sh ewas positive that Shack cit was in her company at the time the assault occurred, and the mothers of the two boys were equally as certain that their boys were home early that evening.
 Mrs. Noonan denied Romain's story of her having accompanied him will lngly as an untruth and the police are inclined to believe that the story has been cooked up by the accused to save his bacon.
 Certain it is however that the police officials should get busy and see that this disgraceful gang that infests Kos suth street near Nichols street known as the old Kossuth street dump, is broken up. Mrs. Noonan is not the first unfortunate woman to be attack ed by the gang.