The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-22
RICHARD CHARGED WITH ASSAULT ON
 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
Promoter of Dempsey-Car- pentier Fight Denies Accu- cuSation of Chlldren's
 Soclety--Trial Set
By Associated Press

New York, January 21--Tex Rick ard, internationally known promoter of sporting events, was charged in magistrates court today with crimi- nal assault on 15-year-old girl, public school pupil, and daughter of an East Side widow.
 Through counsel. Rickard. who surrendered on learning q bench war rant had been issued, denied the charges. which were made by the Children's society on complaint of the girl Two of the girls com panions, Elvira Rsnsie, 12. and Anna Hess. II. were held as witnessen, the society quoting the girls As saying Rfckard mot them last fail at his public swimming pool in Madison Square Garden, gave them money, took them to his office and on Dscem- ber IS. last, assaulted tne girl In an apartment in West Forty seventh street. few doors from Fifth ave- nue.
 The promoter was under s1.oos bond tonight for examination nsxt Wednesday. His attorney, Max D. Steuer. said in . statement that Mir, Rickard was the most surprised man in the world" that he knew nothing about the case. Tho statement, de- claring tho situation nystifyinE. as- serted Rickard undoubtedly had a number of bitter enemies as he now was engaged in considerable ntiza- ton.
 The threo girls appeared in court clad in cheap dresses, plain coats and cotton stockings. Their parents also were present
 Parents Surprised Seen later in their simple quar- ters in the dim-lit East Side tene- ments. the parents all professsd to have known nothing of tho story un- til called to court. Complaining that their daughters were being held by the chiidren's society. they said tho girls went to public school and i habftually were home early at night.
 It was said they had never heard Of Mir. Rickard.
 The Hess girls mother said she was summoned to police station last Saturday night. whore she was l told her daughter and tho girl who made the charge had been given to the Childrens society after they had gone to Bellevue hospital and falsely reported having taken codeine. Since then the society had detained all three children.
 l Vincent Pisarro, superintendent of the society, who filed the charges l against the promoter of the Demp- ', sey- Carpenter bout. said that after the children's court held the girls on blanket charge of ncorrigibility last week. the society physician ex- amined them and found that one girl alone showed indications of assault
 Girls Told Story
 Subsequently. he alleged, the girls told this story:
 "Rickard had talked to them last fall while they were in their swim ring. suits at Madison Square Garden and then gave each of them a dollar. A few days later, they again went to tho pool and he gave them each an- other dollar. The third time they were there he asked if they would have drink of wine, but they de- | clined
 well, then come up to see my office" he was alleged to have said.
 According to MT. Pisarro's account tho girls went to the office in the tower of Madison Square Garden, tho same tower in which was located the Stanford White studio that figured in the Thaw case. where they asserted Rickard improperly conducted him self
 On tho night of December IS he was accused of having taken two girls to the Forty-seventh street apartment, said to have been leased by another man, where, 1t was charged, he assaulted the girl who made tho charge and impaired the morals of her chum.