The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-27
SLABS GIRL ASLEEP
GADsDEN CITIZENS AROUSED OVER
STRANGE CRIME.


Gadsden. July 2s.--An unknown
white man entered the sleeping room
of Alma. the 15-year-old daughter OF
Matt Turner. In this city. and stabbed
her seven times. at an early hour this
The girl was awakened by some one
touching her hand. When she saw q
man by her bedside she screamed.
whereupon the intruder commenced
stabbing her. She was cut on. the
head, on the hand and In other places
from breast to knee. It Is believed
that scissors were used.
The father Of the girl heard the
a gun. The father fired at the fleeing
form Of the man, who jumped out Of
a window. Bloodhounds could not taxa
up the trail.
Considerable excitement prevails and
II the intruder IL caught premature
punishment may be adminitserer. One
theory is that the work was that of
sweetheart did the work. The girl may
recover
The crime occurred at the Turner
home on South Fifth Street.
One Of the wounds IL In the back
Of the head. two In length, two on the
lower right limb and one on the finger
of the right hand. None of them 10
serious. but are painful. The child
Is suffering from the shock, but Is
recovering.
The burglar, who was q white man.
made his escape. Dogs trailed him
to the river near Short Street and
there lost all trace OF him.
Just before 1 o'clock little Alma,
who was sleeping with her 10-year-
old sister in a room adjoining that Of
her father and wother, was partially
Weakened by what she thought was
cat on the bed and. raising her hand
to knock It OF. she placed 1t on the
hand of man. Looking up and By
the light from q lamp In the next room,
she saw a white man with waving black
hair and black mustache bending
over her. She gave q loud scream
and the man stabbed her In the back
of the head with the shears. She
threw her hand to her face and re-
cetved wound on q finger. The
murderous fend then jabbed the weap-
on In her body as ne passed to the
foot of the bed and Jumped out Of the
window.
At the first scream of his daughter.
Mr.. Turner was awakened and he called
to know what was wrong With the
second scream he ran to an open trunk,
seized his pistol and running into his
daughters room, saw that the window
shade was crushed outward as II a
large body had just gone through. He
fired once and went to the window,
but could see nothing.
This morning after daylight Mr..
Turner and the police found the mans
trail which led across two lots on the
north side OF Duncan alley. Fifty
yards away from the Turner home the
burglar dropped the scissors in some
high weeds. where they were picked
ND by Mr.. Turner himself.
The intruder erected an entrance
by opening q window. He propped
It up with q short plank and went in
by means Of q chair placed on the
ground.
The girl says that by the rays OF the
light altering through an open door
from her fathers room. she could
easily see that her assailant was q
white man that he had black. wGv-
ing hair and q black mustache. She
says that she would know him IL she
should see him again.
So far the police have been unable
to throw any light on the case and
have found no clue that might lead
to an arrest.
Several families report that an at
tempt to enter their homes was made
Saturday night.