Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-21
WOMAN VICTIM
OF ATTACK BY
NEGRO IN HOUSE
Mrs. Cherrett in Serious Con-
dition Following Struggle
With Fiend Who En-
tered Her Home.

The unidentified assailant Of Mrs.
J. w. Cherret. &C. 1901 South Eff
teenth street, is still at large. Po-
lice have him Swallowed and expect
to arrest him some time today.
Mrs. Cherret was the victim of a
desperate struggle with the colored
assistant early Thursday morning in
her home, shortly after her husband
had kissed her before going to work
as driver for the Gate City Trans
fer company.
Mrs. John Svejda, mother of Mrs.
Cherrett, who lives at 1880 South
Fifteenth street, next door to her
daughter, heard the woman's
screams.
1t is believed the object of the
negro's visit was criminal assault.
Knocked at the Door.
Mrs. Cherrett was attending to
her household duties, when few
minutes after her husband left,
there was a knock at the kitchen
door. The woman did not open the
door, but called to know who was
knocking. Its George" came the re-
spouse, and thinking it a delivery
boy with the groceries, she turned
the key intthe lock. The next instant
the huge negro bounded into the
room and grabbed Mrs. Cherrett in
his arms. The woman struggled with
her assailant from the kitchen into
The front room where her two chill
dren, John, 7, and Henry, 8, occupied
the bed. Exhausted by efforts to
beat off the burly negro, Mrs. Cher.
rett uld no longer screai., fora.
sistance. She fell across the led, the
man still holding her in vice-like
embrace.
The little boys became frightened
and leaped te the floor. Terrified by
the sight of their mother struggling
i'll the arms of her assailant they
began to scream. and TIE negro
turned his attention to the children.
Threatens to Kill Children.
eff you do not stop tina. i.oise, /
will kill you all, he threatened. Mrs.
Cherrett made final effort TO &c
herself f.on tie mans grasp. The
slipped from his embrace to the
floor, rolled under the bed and
bounded through the front door.
The woman fell exhausted across the
threshold of her mothers house next
door. Mrs. Svejda telephoned the po-
lice and half dozen detectives re-
sponded in the patrol wagon. When
they arrived on the scene the ne
gro had escaped. 1t is thou hit he
fled through the kitchen door into
the alley
A cap believed to have been worn
by the man was found in the alley
short distance from the Cherrett
home. Several persons in the neigh
borhood told the police they saw
negro running up the alley about 8
a. m. The man wore no hat, they
said.
Expect Arrest Soon.
The detectives were furnished a
detailed description of the fugitive,
and they believe they know the man.
Anarrest is expected to follow soon.
Mrs Cherrett declares declares posi-
lively she can identify her assail-
ant.
Il was just getting ready to start
IN with my morning work" she said.
"As soon>as | heard the knock on
the door | felt like something terri
BILE was going to happen. I was
afraid and did not pen the door at
first. | don't know why | should
have been frightened, and when
thought of the grocery boy COM
ing, | lost patience with mys- If To-
being such coward. | opened the
door and was terrified when the
huge black figure bounded iutO the
room like savage brute. He grabbed
me iii his arms, and all l reme1.. bel
IS that / struggled for my very life.
1t seemed an age the ordeal lasted
Offered Him Her Rings.
while I was struggling with him
/ offered him my rings. I don't
want your rings, the negro said,
/ want YOU
Il think lost consciousness. have
an indistinct recollection of rolling
to the floor and l remember the cold
air striking me in the face when l
reached the sidewalk. The next thing
| knew | was in my mothers arms"
Il believe the man was hiding
back of the house, and as soon as
my husband left he decided to carry
out his fiendish intentions"