Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-02-25
GIRL ASSAULTED
IN CHICAGO HOTEL
Cut, Bruised and Poisoned, I'm.
conscious Form Is Found
Lashed to Bath Tub.
CASE MYST|F|tS THE POLICE
In Conscious Moments, Girl Babies
Historically of Assault and
Abduction.

Chicago, Feb. 19.-One of the most
| mysterious cases with which the po-
| lice have had to deal in many years
developed in the Wellington hotel
yesterday, when the unconscious form
of Miss Ella Gingles was found lash
ed to the supports of bath tub.
Whether she was the victim of foul
plot, as she incoherently alleged in
her few conscious moments, or chose
fantastic means, including suicide, to
retaliate upon a woman whom she be-
lieved to have been her enemy, form
ed mystery which the police set
about to solve.
Evidence of Mistreatment.
The girls face showed cuts and
bruises, and it was later determined
that she had been mistreated. She
! was also suffering from laudanum poi
soning. A towel was tied tightly I'M
der the girls jaws, and a wet cloth
was found stuffed in her mouth. Her
clothes were found in a corner of the
room
Restoratives were administered by
the house physician, but she recover
ed only sufficiently to babble hyste.i.
cally: Don't let her come. nearer
Don't let her make me drink any
more it will kill me-"
Later in the day, after she had lain
several hours at the Frances Willard
hospital, she regained consciousness
for several minutes.
Told Strange Tale.
Chief of Detectives O'Brien was ut
her bedside and to him she told a
strange tale Of having been attacked
near her home Tuesday night by a
man and woman. One of them
struck her and the other threw yep.
per in her eyes. She was then hus.
tied into a cab. She knew no more
she told the captain, until she regain
ed consciousness last night in a
strange room. She recognized he
apartments, she said, as belonging to
the Wellington, and wrote note 10
her friend, Miss Mary Joyce. She
threw it over the transom, she said,
with a penciled note on the envelope
! asking Some bellboy'' to mail it.
| The letter ran:
MARY: Will be killed at yelling.
| ton hotel Come quick. Ella"
1t was this note which set the pc.
lice on the trail yesterday.
Arrested for Theft.
The name of Miss Agnes Barrett
! was brought into the case in the
course of Capt. OBrien's brief talk
with the patient at the hospital
The latter said she recognized as
Miss Barrett the woman who helped
to get her into the cab The latter
| conducts lace shop in the Yelling
ton hotel building. and a few weeks
ago caused the arrest of Miss Gingles
on a charge of stealing lace from the
store. Miss Gingles came to Chicago
| two months ago from Ireland, and be.
ing an expert lacemaker found EN-,
ployment with Miss Barrett. This
employment ceased with the theft
charge. The case was not pressed,
but the Irish Fellowship club, believ.
ing the immigrants story that she
was being prosecuted, took up the
matter An indictment charging the
theft was brought in order, it was
planned, that the girls name might
be cleared. Mr.. O'Donnell was re-
tanned to defend her.
Strange Fiction.
She spoke Indefinitely at times Of
being prosecuted and Of fearing that
bodily harm would be done her.
| Mr.. O'Donnell's version of his
clients traits is as strange as fiction
1--WE were just about to 20 to the
states attorney with the details O,
as foul conspiracy as ever existed
he declared to reporters, when sud
denly the case was ended Now we
must see that the punishment is swift
and sure. A horrible act has been
perpetrated and the laws of God and
man set aside. 1t is worse than mur
der"
Mr. C'Donnell then outlined a stor,
of how the girls youth-she is onI,
nineteen-her virtue and her beaut,
made her the object of persecution on
the part of man who, he said, wa.
well known in several states. This
man, he declared, was aided by 81,
least one woman in his efforts to sc
cure unholy possession of the pretty
Irish girl.
Mr.. O'Donnells view of the .ase
was not fully shared by the police
who were mystified by the circum
stantial evidence.