The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-18
o..
WOMEN ARE AFRAID
TO TRAVEL ALONE
Crime Aboard Trains Is Getting
More and More Frequent
in France
ONE JUMPS FROM WINDOW
Well-Known Parisicnnc Is Vic
tim Of Unpleasant
Experience.
ONE JUMPS FROM WINDOW
ny WILLIAM PHILIP stMMs.

e-iSb 1pA ttsit i.-NA4l 1OV1 q
trains going at sixty miles AN hour
rs getting more and more fr2qucnt in
France; something like a panic exists
among the feminine portion OF tho
travelling public. and no woman under
takes a trip alone unless absolutely
compelled to do so. and then 1t is with
missiviugs.
Madame valiant, wife of Captain
valiant. sta,ioner at Bornny, in the
Eure. has suffered TIC latest adven-
ture. Sho became so alarmed by the
conduct of three strange men in the
compartment with her that she CON
sidcred her chances Of surviving a
leap from the flying express better
than II she remained In the train. She
leaped Though badly bruised and
shaken UP. she mraculously escaped
death.
Nine. Valiant explains that ever
since Mime. Gouin. her personal friend.
widow. of former governor of the
Bank of France, was murdered between
Fontainebleau and Paris and hor body
thrown from the fast-runninE train.
she has been afraid 10 travel first
class. So when she started to Paris
she came third class, thinking she
would not be moles,cd. since third
class passengers nre usually not very
wealthy.
For time she was alone in her
compartment, specially reserved for
ladies TRAVELLING alone Shortly af-
forwards, however. while the train
was liking fast time, three indjvid-
uais from another compa rtmcnt came
IN and Joined her One of them low
Grad the III rltt io,,
conSartment: another drcw the shades.
shutting on the View from tho corri-
dor, whiio the third. who had been
staring at her In the most friEhtenl,,r
manner, took his stand by the alarm
signal as IL 10 prcvont ner using IL.
TO shout would nc useless: the noise
OF the train would drown her loudcst
cry
with the murder OF the aged Nine.
Iouin and many other similar crimes
or attempts in mind. the omcer's WIZ,
couId near her heart beat.
nat are you doing that FORE. she
managed to gasp addressing the tough
'ookinS man busy at the lamp
you'll know quick enough" no said
roughly, using the thee" and "thou =,
which Is very insulting In Frennb
save as used between members OF ONES
FAMILY or very Intimate friende
Thought myself utterly lost" ~.
nerve wrecked young woman Iarsr
' .pio mo police. so5bing hystericaIly
bet"c cen the two dangers, l chose mo
one which ! believed offered me IN.
oetter chance; 80 with a lean huor
open the door of tine comner,ra,.
opening on the outside, and ,um,et
oon't Know what happened for somn
.,hie AFTER that, but must have lain
nero Tor quite q while When cane
~ hyselt J was lying In a heap Of
~. a beside the line. got TO my
o,a WIN o'ficnity and staggered
out followed the tracks. Aftar :.
ions time saw a light 1t was ~"
me very kindly" yea
The officials of the state Linz 1rr
erh Railway ana the local a,,tbor,tIa.
a' sreVai to watch Nine. Valiant IVA a
al freight car attached to tbc
tiain passing the post where she
''usH t TcfuSc are Investigating rbn
ouhE woman believes she got OFF liph,
ana inc police arc disposed to share
her pinion. That Nine. Valiant wa
heediessiy alarmed is not for mo
moment i1 believed since none of tho
men made any attempt to stop
~, .ne ram oy the alarm signal after
lne accident, or tell the conductor NJ
what had happened. as tho. cor,,,,,..
would have done had they not bnnn
guilty of all tnc woman charged then,
instead they quickly left the oompa1t
ileh'' not stopping to close tho door
h1ter the intended Victim, leaving n
10 ne Wronchcd off Its hinges in a
tunnel farther on
here is similar adventure A Paris
woman whose name the police keep
secret as Is customary here when
PI omiheht people are involved in I'M
peasant episodes, was the Victim.
me woman, weil-known Paris
iohne' had been to the matinee. Deck
co IN nor costly furs and wearing
many valuable trInkcts composed OF
gold and precious stones, she nailed
taxi and startcd home.
From the first, shc claims, she did
not like the looks OF to chauffeur.
However as the taxi strike had taken
most OF the vehicles off tho streets,
she was only too glad to find taxi
at alb Tor II was after dark and home
was many squares away. Suddenly
the auto stopped. The chauffeur got
down. opened the door and asked: Did
understand YOU wanted such and
such number"
The women said yes. The chauffeur
seemed to be deaf, and asked over
Two or three times; but finally he
climbed back 70 his scat and drove
away That was pretty nearly as far
as the woman could get with this
part of her story. She does dcmemhcr
smelling, however, sharp. but
agreeable odor, but the next thing she
knew she was very cold. woods. were
all about her; she had no furs. icwelry
or anything, save a thin matinee dress
about her. She caught sight of hvo
men making off, ono Of thcm having
her boa over his arm. Sno cried out
after them, but. jumping into the taxi,
they oil made off down highway.
which she followed as best she could,
half frozen.
1t turned out that size was in tho
Aoart Of tho Bots de Boulogne. The
police arc working on the mystery.
There hove been a number OF similar
crimes of late. tho perpetrators sor
which succeeding IN remaining 'un-
caught Tho police believe the same
band IL possibly. back Of them all.