Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-07-11
Girl War Worker Is Negroes Victim


Threats of forgetting the law" if the man
is caught are numerous.
Miss Saunders was on her way to the
home of Capt. S. W. Cushing at 318 Dorset
avenue, Somerset, where she rooms, and
had just crossed footbridge shortly after
$3.50 O'Clock, when she was suddenly con-
fronted by colored man, eighteen or
nineteen years old, wearing a gray suit
and cap. With large stone in his hand,
he beat the woman into state of semi
consciousness, dragged her fifty feet into
/ the woods and assaulted her, according to
the police.
He left her for dead, it is thought, but
Miss Saunders recovered consciousness and
dragged herself three-quarters of a mile to
the home of Capt. Gushing, where first aid
treatment was administered Dr. Anthony
M. Ray. of Tenleytown. was summoned to
treat her and later Capt. Cushing, with
Mrs. Gushing and neghbor. took the in
jured woman to Georgetown University
Hospital in his automobile.
town hospital Saturday night. Miss Saun-
ders told the story of the assault to the
Washington headquarters detectives. IL
got off street car at Chevy Chase Circle
at 800 Saturday afternoon" she said,
land started through the woods towards
Somerset, Nd | passed footbridge over
small stream, being about a quarter of
mile in Maryland, when the colored man
jumped from clump of bushes He had
a large stone in his hand, with which he
beat me over the head. Then he choked
me. AT this stage | must have tainted
away, recovering some time later"
Maj. Pullman and Inspector Grant, of
Washington, have assured the Maryland
authorities that all possible assistance will
be rendered by the local force
Every policeman that could be spared
secured the vicinity in the manhunt A
force under Sheriff Aud beat the bushes in
the vicinity without result.
One of the most tangible clues police be-
lieve, is the imprint Of motorcycle track
upon the path. This gives rise to the
theory that the man had taken a motor
cycle to the scene, hid it, and escaped
upon it after the assault.
Detectives Embry and Wilson held one
colored motorcyclist for investigation in
connection with the affair, but later re-
leased him.
Miss Saunders has been in this country
from England only a few months. She
was employed in the intelligence service
of one of the departments as a clerk.
The path which she took is one used by
many young ladies' in the vicinity. Fol-
lowing the occurrence Saturday. however,
travel on this path will probably be aban-
doned by women, except in cases of abso-
lutte necessity
Police are certain that the three recent
assaults on women can be traced to the
man who attacked Miss Mary Saunders.
Descriptions given by the three former
victims tally. All of the assaults were COM
mitted in the radius Of mile and a-half.
That Of Mrs. Bessie Gleason of IA Mich
olson street. Takoma Park. was the most
serious case. The mother Of four children.
she was going to catch car at midday.
June 80. AS she passed through stretch
of woods near her home a colored man
shabbily clad in a gray suit and cap, step
ped out with a club and knocked her to the
ground. She threw away pocketbook with
a twenty dollar bill in it to the man, fran
ticaly calling to him to take the money
but leave her alone" After assaulting her,
however. he took the bill from the pocket
book and threw the purse by the road.
On that same night Miss Mabtl Stiles,
of 1905 Webster street northwest. was
attacked about two miles from the scene
Of the midday assault. She described the
man, however, as being hatless. His height
and bearing coincide with the description
given by Mrs. Gleason. Miss Stiles was at
the corner of 18th and Allison Streets