Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-09-20
ROBBERS MADE BRUTAL
ASSAULT ON WOMAN
Two Negroes and White Man
Attack Mrs. Charles Miller
of WatsOntOwn
ONE STRUCK HER ON
HEAD WITH REVOLVER
While Another Hit Her Ter
rible Blow With Fist
Caught at Danvil1e

Caught at Danville
Watsontown, Sept. 14.--While
Mrs. Charles Miller, who lives
about mile out of town near the
plant of the Watsontown Brick and
Clay Products company, was work
ing in her kitchen Friday afternoon
of last week she was interrupted by
the entrance of squat, broad
shouldered man of about forty, who
premptorily demanded a drink of
water. She filed tincup for him,
continuing her work. The fat man
drank the water, looked curiously
about the room and strolled toward
the open door with the lineup in
his hand. Mrs. Miller is not sure,
but she thinks he raised the empty
cup to his mouth as if drinking n
toast to someone on the railroad
tracks below the house. He then
walked back to the table and put
the lineup on it. AS he started
toward the door a shadow length
ened out over the threshold and a
negro of magnificent proportions
strutted into the kitchen. Mrs.
Miller is a self-reliant woman, a
characteristic which has been rather
developed by her residence along
the lonely road which winds its
way south, out of Watsontown, but
the appearance and actions of the
men alarmed her.
The fat tramp smiled at the big
negro and again walked to the door,
lineup in hand drinking another
imaginary toast. The black in the
kitchen demanded a piece of bread
and butter. Mrs. Miller got it for
him, wondering the while how she
might escape from the room. The
flat headed negro took the bread in
his hand and as step sounded on
the porch dashed it at Mrs. Miller's
feet. ~ don't want your grub"
he Missed, Mrs. Miller braced her
self and leaned against the wall.
Approaching her was a second
negro, larger than the ordinary
man. A few hundred yards away
was her husband at work in the
brick yards But between them
was a peaked hill, an effectual bar
rier to sound, and immediate res
cue. AS she reached for straight
backed chair for support, q shining
revolver was pressed against her
temple by the black just entering
the room. ''We don't want any
thing to eat, we want your money!"
he said. She sobbed that she was
poor and that her husband had
none. Her two-year old baby,
asleep in the next room, woke up
and started to cry. Before the lit
tie fellows first wall for his mother
died away, the black, who had re-
fused the bread struck her over the
head with his fist, while his con-
federate, carrying the revolver,
struck her over the heart with the
butt end of the weapon. Both
swore at her as she fell in the corn
er, stunned by the blows.
The white man, who seemed to
be the leader of the gang, stood
over the prostrate woman as a rude
gag was forced into her mouth and
her hands and feet tied with heavy
twine. Following motion from
the chief, Mrs. Miller's body was
dragged into the next room, near
her baby's cradle, and a heavy set
tee dumped over on her. When
the sofa struck her she lost cons
ciOusness.
1t was about $3.50 when the squat
tramp entered the Miller home.
1t was 4:3O when the mother, at
tracted once more by the sobs OF
her babe, strained at the bonds
which held her, but strained in
vain.
A few minutes later her son,
Charles, home from school, threw
himself into the room. In one
moment he saw his mother pinned
to the floor by the settee, in another
he had loosened her bonds and was
on his way to the brick yards tc
get his father. When father and
son arrived she was able to give a