The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-23
MAKES CONFESSION
Of HORRIBLE GUILT
AGED BASKET-MAKER COMMITS
ASSAULT ON ELEyEN-YEAR-
OLD GIRL.
duplicates ANOTHE r
ALLEGES J. III. CARVER, FAINTER,
WAS GUILTY OF SIMILAR Of
TENSE, but CARVER DE-
MES CHARGE.


basket-maker. confessed last night. AT
the First Police Station. to the charge
of committing a criminal assault upon
Ethel Avis, the eleven year old dauSh-
ter of a neighbor. yesterday afternoon
in his shop at Twentieth and Broad
Streets, and in a flendish manner de
scribed his revolving action as sport
/ The confession was made to reporter
for The Virginian. LOGON also con-
fessed to having attempted the same
crime upon Vera Hawley. ten years old,
daughter of another neighbor.
! Lozon implicated j. II. Carver,
painter. with wife residing at 10
North Nineteenth Street, and Carver
is under arrest on the charge of COM
hitting assault upon Ethel Avis.
Carver denies the story.
LOGON was arrested yesterday after
noon by Patrolmen Duffy. Kidd and
Matt, who surrounded his shop, and
had to break in TO gain an entrance.
Lozon had locked the door and refused
them admission They broke through
window and found Ethel Avis inside
with Lozon
Acted Suspiciousiy.
| The action of the police came be-
cause of telephone message from a
friend OF the Avis family who saw the
young girl enter His suspicious had
door after the Avis girl had entered
j the shop and he called the police. The
three officers reached the scene in
few minutes and knocked on the door
When admission was refused them Pa
trolman Kidd used his stick upon the
window. smashing IL to pieces. lie
climbed in and put Lozon under ar
rest.
He found the young girl crouched
: IN tsh me or
badly frightened. Child like she
watched the actions of the officers in
dazed fashion. She came from be-
hind the counter when called, but
backed into a corner,
The patrol wagon was called and
Lozon and the young girl were taken
to the police station. From there the
family of the girl were notified of the
sad story. Her mother. who was i'll
at home. is expected to die. and was
not told the story. A brother rushed
to the police station. to comfort his
young sister. Later the victim was
taken to the Virginia Hospital and
then taken home in an ambulance. Sew
ieral brothers and sisters are frantic
over the trouble.
Mother in Dying Condition.
Mrs. w. l.. Avis, her mother, is in a
dying condition and has not been told
children fear that If news of the -af-
fair were to reach her that it would
4: cause her death. Last night Mrs Avis
grew worse and asked to her
youngest child. but she was told that
her daughter too was sick in bed.
Vera Hawley, ten years old, COM
panion of the Avis girl, lives with her
parents at 20l1 East Broad Street
Physicians attending her state that her
condition is not SO serious as is the
condition of little Ethel Avis. Both
of the girls. it seems, had frequently
visited Lozons shop together.
Girls Tell of Crime.
The two girls told the police Of
the crime committed upon them. 1t
was through their statements that the
ARREST OF j. III. Carver came about
Carver is charged with having com
mitted criminal assault upon Ethel
Avis. Other charges may follow.
/ Carvcr refused TO talk when ques-
toned in tho cell las night. He Is
Eabout fifty years old and weighs about
200 pounds. He is married and has
iseveral children.
In his confession last night, Lozon
said that he had known the Avis
girl for about a year. He stated that
be bought candy for her and would
often give her five cents to spend.
LOGON did not appear at ali concern
ed, and talked very freely. He de-
scribed his relations with the child as
being sport" and that it had been
going on since last August He said
that since last August the girl had
often come into his place for few
minutes at time. He laughed and
said that he gave her candy and
money. and that he Flowed her" and
that but for the disparity In their
ages that he would have married her
Il No. 4
had admitted the truth that there was
no use for hun to deny It He said
that the Avis girl often brought her
young friends in with her, and tina.
, he knew both OF them we'll
Had No Idea of Trouble
brother of the Avis girl. when
!Seen last night, in broken SEN
fences told what he knew of the af-
fair. He said that he had no idea that
anything was wrong.
|, Some months ago Mr., Avis said
that his mother learned that her
daughter would often go into the shop
, run by LOGON, just half a block from
their home. The family did not sus-
rect that the supposedly friendly mer-
chant had any Interior motive in often
Treating his little sister to candy. He
said that he realized how very often
aged men had taken occasion to give
candy to little girls and nothing was
thought OF IT.
Finally he said, however, that his
mother told his young sister not to
visit the shop any more, and had she
been well today, this would not have
happened" he said.
Visited Merchant Frequently.
1t seems that although unknown to
the two families and their friends
that the young children had been visit
ing the merchant frequently. When
the parents Of the children were told.
first through the police and then by
their daughters. they were greatly
, shocked and Mortified.
Ethel Avis, after being taken TO the
First Police Station by the policemen
who raided the shop and who arrest
ed Lozon. was turned over to a ma
iron. She cried and In childish way
told the whole story. Later the
parents OF Vera HawIey questioned
! their daughter and learned from her
! the same story
! The case 70 one Of the most serious
ever recorded in the criminal annals
Of the city. People who learned of
the story last night were indignant
and threats of violence were heard.
One of tho most serions aspects of
the case ~ that the police now say
! that Other SIMILAR cases may be
brought to light Parents of other