The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-12-01
ATTEMPT MADE
TO DFBAUCH A
TENDER CHILD
Degenerate White Man Aged
81 Charged With the
He nous Offense.
BOUND TO GRAND JURY
Following Preliminary Hear
ing Saturday Man En-
ters Denial.

'ohh oiHiSdSoH, WHlte HAL dbeu
81, was arrested Saturday morning
about $3.50 by Deputy Sheriff James
Rutledge upon gross charge pre-
ferred by John Cunningham, who al
ieges that Simsason committed an
outrage upon the person of his eight
year-old daughter, Tessie, with an
attempt at rape.
Simeason was arraigned before
Judge Ross at $3.50 in the afternoon
upon this charge and after hearing
the evidence In the preliminary ex-
animation was held to the February
term Of the Alexander county grand
Jury in the sum of $500. III de-
fault Of bail Simsason was remanded
to the county jail.
The evidence introduced at the
preliminary hearing was to the effect
that the little girl, who lives in a
shanty boat with her parents, the
father being employed as a saw filer
at the Mississippi Box Co. plant, had
been In the habit of frequenting the
ope-room shanty boat of Sfmsason,
located about three hundred yards
below where the Cunningham boat
was moored. contrary to her mothers
commands.
Friday about 11.00 r. M. when
her neither had left their home with
the monday luncheon for the father
at the plant. 1t is alleged that Simsa-
son pulled up to the Cunningham
home and calling little Tessie and
her brother, Raymond, aged II years.
invited them to come on down to his
boat and he would give them some
nuts.
Upon arrival at the boat Stmsason
got rid of Raymond, sending him
ashore and up the bank on an errand.
1t was during the lads absence that
the crime was committed upon the
person Of the little girl.
The child testified very reluctantly
to the circumstances connected with
the horrible affair, 1t requiring con-
siderable questioning by States At
torney Wilson and urging upon the
part of the father in an endeavor to
get the frightened child to give the
nauseating details, She told how she
had been often given candy and nuts
and upon this one occasion was given
a dime.
The mother testified how she dis
covered the outrage, the child COM
planning of being Ill Saturday morn
ing so that she could not arise from
bed; how she finally persuaded
Tesse to tell what caused her intense
suffering and the summoning of Dr..
Henry Davis in the case to verify the
statement of the child. To the
physiological facts in connection
with the condition of the child DR..
Davis corroborated the mothers tes-
timoly.
There was other testimony intro
duced relative to seeing the children
on the way to the Simsason shanty-
boat several times, particularly Fri
day morning when the alleged Of
fense was committed.
Smsason in his own behalf only
made an emphatic denial of the
charge, not denying, however, that
1.-THE children had been on his boat and
THAT he had given the little girl pres
Tents of nuts and candies and the dime
referred to.
Simsason, IT is stated. has been In
trouble before of q similar character.
He is a married man with one daugh-
ter, but they are not living with him.
He came here from Vincennes about
two weeks ago and has followed no
Occupation since his arrival.
He has a forbidden mien, low
bcetling brow, over which his shaggy
hair is permitted to fall recklessly.
His beard had been allowed to grow,
no evident attempt having been
made to shave for couple of weeks.
Altogether the man has the appear
lance of degenerate, his plight un-
douhtedly having much to do with
his manner.
/ An assault with intent to rape is
punishable by confinement in the
penitentiary for term OF one to
fourteen years.