The Detroit times., 1914-10-09
NEEDLE
HER OWN PIN,
GIRL SAYS NOW
l5-Year-Old Mary Batter Owns
Up 1t Was Two Auto
Rides
TOLD WEIRD TALE OF
ATTACK BY STRANGE MAN
Police Will Arrest Man Who
Enticed Girl Into Auto
With Roses

Fifteen-year-old Mary Balfer's melo-
dramatic story OF having been made
the victim Of q man who pierced her
wrist with poison needle" was q
myth--told IN the hope Of keeping
secret two Joy rides which she took
"Wednesday afternoon when she
In the commercial department o. tho
Holy Rosary school.
After being sharply questioned by
Detectives Grcssman and Plies, Mary
burst into sobs and admitted that this
was the truth. The girl gave more
details OF her afternoons outing, and
as the result Of her story tIe arrest
Of young man 10 expected momen-
tarily. The name Of the daughter OF
q prominent North wcodward.ave.
family has been brought into the
case and Is being withheld by the
police.
The story which Mary Balfer sobbed
out TO the detectives, Thursday
morning, Is not a new one. Mary's
mother died several years ago. and
Mary was sent from her home In Ko-
komo. Ind, TO convent In Lafay-
cite, Ind, by her father, who still
lives In Kokomo. From the convent
she came to Detroit, to make her
home with Mr.. and Mrs. Howard G.
Stults, at No. 313 Marston-st.
The girl became student at the
Holy Rosary school Recently, she
met the daughter Of q wealthy De-
troiter. The girl IL q student at the
Central high school The high school
girl told her OF date she had, with
Suits, at No. 313 Marston-ct.
Wednesday afternoon, instead Of
returning to school, Mary met the
girl from the high school. They
came down town. and met the man
with the automobile. They toured
around Belle Isle, and afterwards far
out Woodward-ave. The man bought
roses for them before letting them
out at Woodward-ave. and the boule-
ward, at about $3.50 o'clock, In the
evening.
Motor car rides along boulevards
and through parks, and lunches OF
roses-to Mary, such joys lent more
to life than instruction In bookkeep-
ing. So the girl met another man
In an automobile, after her friend
from the high school had gone home
She did not leave this man until
after 3 o'clock In the evening. Then
she went to the Suits home and told
OF having been attacked by man
who stuck needle into her left wrist
four times. The marks on her wrists
which she showed Mr.. and Mrs.
Suits, she made with pin, she ad-
United.
She happened to think OF the story
about the strange man. she said. be-
cause she had read In the Detroit
newspapers recently, that another girl
in the North Woodward district also
had been taken from her home by a
stranger. To make the recital more
effective, said Mary, she added bits
OF the story Of the New York poison
needle cases. She had also read
about them In the papers.
Detectives Grossman and Plies
brought to police headquarters John
Rice. 80 years old, q chauffeur whose
stand Is In front Of the Metropole
hotel He told of taking the Balfer
girl and her companion for long
ride Wednesday afternoon. The man
who went out with Mary Batter
alone, probably will be held on a
serious charge. The officers say he
will be arrested before nightfall.
After Mary had frankly told the
officers OF her effort to deceive the
family with whom she was living, the
oficers asked her why she had done
It.
The girls sobs only became louder,
and then she suffered:
al want to 20 back home 10 Kokomo
with my pa"