Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-26
HORRORS TOLD
BY GIRL BEHIND
TALBOT ARREST
Imprisoned in Hospital and
Attacked Many Times,
Is Charge.
SAYS NURSE WAS JAILER


SOUTH BEND, Feb. 26.-With the ar
rest of John W. Talbot, supreme presi-
dent of the Order of Owls, national fra
ternal organization and one of the
wealthiest attorneys in South Bend,
stories which SAVIOR of the horrors of the
Spanish inquisitIOn became known, it is
said.
The arrest of Talbot and Mrs. Pearl
Spangler, head nurse Of the Owls ma
tional hospital here, was brought about
by Miss Pearl Bagley's charges OF cruel
treatment received at the hands OF TAI
bot and Mrs. Spangler, who face a Fed
eral indictment charging conspiracy and
white slavery.
Miss Bagley, who is young and pretty
charges that she was held a captive by
Talbot in the hospital from Oct to
Oct. q, last year, and submitted to at
tacks by the attorney and other men,
which she terms terrible practices" She
says the men were aided and abetted by
Mrs. Spangler
CALLS HOSPITAL
"HOUsE OF FEAR"
Miss Bagley calls the hospital the
"house of fear" She escaped while the
head nurse was asleep and went to the
police station to appeal for protection.
At her own request, she was kept locked
In a cell at the station for two weeks,
because of her fear of Talbot and other
members Of the organization, who she
feared might kill her to prevent expos
ure.
Officers then spirited her away to Indi-
/ annapolis. where she was permitted to tell
her story to the Federal grand jury,
which returned indictments two months
ago. Before they were served an inves-
I 1t hxT Of
Talbot, Mrs. Spangler and the Owl hos
pital.
Miss Bagley will remain in seclusion.
according to Federal officers, until the
accused are arraigned before Judge An
dersOn at Indianapolis March Z.
! Miss Bagley says she became acquaint-
ed with Talbot several years ago when
he went to Topeka, Kan. her home city,
to organize a lodge Of owls. Later she
visited South Bend as d guest OF Tai
bot at the national headquarters of the
order and returned home unframed
UNCONSCIOUS
UNDER ATTACK.
| Last October she again visited South
Bend in the interest of her fathers work
in the order at Topeka. 1t was at this
time, she charges, Talbot lured her 70
his Office and attacked her. She became
unconscious, she says, and when she
awoke she found herself in bed at the
/ hospital.
! When she arose and tried to dress Mrs
/ Spangler, she says, with two Of her as
sistants, forced her back into bed, where
/ she remained bound. Nurses sat beside
/ her and they smothered her Outcries with
pillows until Talbot came IN t. evening,
when she was forced to submit to ter
rifying abuses" by him.
On the following day another man,
whom she had never seen, appeared in
! her room and during succeeding days
Talbot and other men came. According
/ to her testimony, she became SO weak
/ the head nurse feared she was dying and
ordered that she be permitted to walk
in the grounds of the hospital 10 regain
/ her strength Passing the nurses win
/ dow, she observed that she was asleep
and 1t WAS at this time she made q
/ break for liberty.
| Talbot and Mrs. spangIer were re-
leased on $1,000 bond each. They de-
clined to make any reply to the girls
charges. Talbot has been in trouble be-
fore. He has been disbarred from law
practice in Indiana