The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-17
FATE OF LITTLE
VERONA MOVES
POLICE CRUSADE
Patf0lmen Ordered to Stop All
Snowballing on the
Streets.
With Jagged Hole in Her Skull
Child May Die of Wound In
flicted by Bottle Thrown by
TOrmented LabOrer

IlCteQ Dy DOttlc lnIOWn ny
TOrmented LabOrer
Following the perhaps fatal injury
Of eight-year-old Veronica Walider OF
405 Spruce street. by being struck by
a bottle hurled by the enraged victim
Of a crowd Of boys pelting snowballs
at an inoffensive laborer wheeling a
barrow filled with wood. the police to-
day began a determined crusade for
the suppression of the snowballins
nuisance. and also instituted Wig
orous investigation of the c1rcum-
stances of the girls accident. planning
to arrest the boys who participated In
the snowballing.
Paul Meik a laborer aged 40. was
committed to the county jail in de-
fault Of bail Of $1,000. in the city court
today. where he was arraigned charg-
ed with assaulting the child. Yer
onica is at ST. Vincent's hospital. in
critical condition. a jagged hole torn
through her skull by the bottle hurled
by Meik. It will be several days be-
fore the physicians can tell her grief
stricken parents whether she will live
or die.
Complaints poured into police head
quarters all day yesterday and again
this forenoon of the gathering on
street corners Of boys and In some
cases Of young men who took delight
In pelting all passersby. Peddlers are
their particular prey. One peddler,
almost wild with rage, stormed into
police headquarters last night and de-
clared if the police did not stop the
practice he was going to get a gun
and shoot the first one who flung q
SNOWFALL at him.
Today Supt. Birmingham commune
Gated with the various precincts and
isued instructions to all policemen at
headquarters to maintain especial Wig
ilance against the snowballers. and to
arrest any they caught in the act.
It is held at police headquarters that
Meik. the prisoner in the Valdez
girls case. was keyed to a high pitch
Of fury by the intolerable persecution
of the boys Of his neighborhood. and
when he fired the missile he had no
thought Of the consequences. Almost
as deeply affected. apparently. as the
parents Of his little unintended victim:
he said today that he did not RECALL essa
door through which he had fed for
safety. 'I threw the first thing I
could lay my hands on he said. II
suppose it was the bottle If they say
so''
Meik is not a peddler. as was at
first reported at police headquarters.
He is laborer. but just now out of
work. He lives with his family at
405 Spruce street. A big strong fell
low. 40 years old. he waxed uneasy In
wheelbarrow and set out to collect
firewood along the water front.
He gathered good load. under
which he was trudging through Spruce
street when he reached the corner of
Bassick avenue. about 4:S0. Here
stood crowd of youngsters. waiting
for just such as he as targets for
their snowballs. One older than The
rest rushed up in lull of the fusil-
lade Of snow. gave his barrow shove.
and upset it's contents in the street.
Shouting with glee. the gang pelted
him incessantly as he picked up, his
load.
Before he got to his home. another
upset his load a second time. The
snowballs continued to fall on the Ia
borer. and then. he says. other mis-
siles found their way into the shower.
He dropped his load in fear and fed
with the gang. yelling with delight,
trooping after him. In desperation,
he fed into his cellar at 405 Spruce
street. the same house that is occu-
pied by Mr.. and Mrs. Andrew Wal1der.
Little Veronica, all unconscious Of the
danger. stood watching the boys fun,
on a porch at the rear of her home.
In a few seconds. Meik. screaming
with rage. rushed out and flung beer
bottle towards the crowd with all his
might.
The bottle went wild, and bore down
upon the little girl. With a scream
of pain she collapsed.
"He's killed the girl" yelled one of
the crowd. Several bystanders. older
than the boys who were throwing the
snowbal1s. rushed into the basement,
laid violent hands upon Meik and
rushed him to No. fire engine house
in Bostwtck avenue, menacing mob
gathering at the heels of the captive
and his captors. Firemen closed the
door. summoned Special Policeman
Michael Larney who was near at
hand. and sent the man to police
headquarters in the auto patrol wag-
on.
It was two hours before word reach
ed Sergeant Sanger at police head
quarters that the girl was dangerously
hurt. The charge of simple assault
had been entered against the prisoner
when DIR. w. w. Gray reported that
the girl was critically hurt. DR.. Gray
was called by the girls parents. He
found an extensive fracture of the
skull just above the right temple. The
bottle had crushed the bones for a
spoce more than an inch square.
DR.. Gray transferred the child to
st. Vincent's hospital with DIR. Krause
in the auto ambulance from the emer-
gency hospital. and last night per-
formed the delicate operation of tre-
panning the skull to relieve pressure
upon the brain. He found the brain
intact, but the girl was suffering from
shock and loss of blood. extensive lac
erations having been caused by the
bottle
DR.. Gray appeared before Judge Fos-
ter of the city court today in answer
to subpoena. He said it was i'm
possible to venture an opinion on the
result Of the injury for several days.
At the recommendation of Prosecutor
Delaney the man was held until We'd
nesday. by which time it is believed
that the girl. if she is to recover. will
be out of danger.
Meik appears deeply grieved at the
knowledge that the girl is dangerously
injured. He says he didn't know he
had struck anyone with the bottle.
didn't realize the girl was standing
within range. and even if he had
known it, was so enraged that he
might have thrown the missile with
out realizing the probable conse-
Quences.
GERMAN EMPEROR WILL