Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-01-18
RETRACTS CHARGE OF
ASSAULT SUNDAY
NIGHT
STATE OPENS QUIZ
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED BY
STATES ATTORNEY KELLY
WILL REACH OUT TO INCLUDE
EVERYBODY ASSOCIATED WITH
UNFORTUNATE MISS DOWN.
FALL.

Promising disclosures as sens =
tional as the notorious Flora Belle
Todd trial, which threw La Sale
county into "A furora of excitement q
dozen years back. when confessions
that incriminated score Of La Sail"
and Peru men resulted in some OF
them being convicted and sentenced
to the penitentiary for contributing
No the girls delinquency the Bertha
Gordan rape case, now before the
city and county authorities, is a par
allel in many ways.
Bertha on Sunday night accused
three youths of Turing her to the III
nois and Michigan canal and there
assaulted her Today she tells n diff
ferent story States Attorney Harry
Kelly, assisted by Sheriff Ayers, As
sistant States Attorney Ernest Poor
and Miss Launia Aussem, wrung from
the girl an account of rapid downfall
such as is seldom recorded in annals
of town this size.
Admits Revolving Details,
The charge OF assault was retractcd
and. in its place Bertha substituted
the revolving details OF a career oi
immortality which began last summer
apd extended down to the night she
, made her sensational accusations re-
sulting in the arrest of Harold Quinn,
II, and a cloud Of suspicion being
, cast over two other youths. Quinn
later convinced the police Of his innc-
cence, but today after long session
with the states attorney. was ordered
held in the county jail pending out
come of delinquency proceedings pre-
fered against the Gordan girl in the
County Court, The hearing is sched
uled to come up before Judge ReCk
Friday morning.
Named First Acsaiant.
In her confessions to the authorities
this morning Bertha named who was
first to start her on the road to ruin
Then came a succession of admissions
duplicating four more boys and a com
plete confession covering Sunday
nights episode, She said three
youths We're in the party who accom-
panied her to the rendezvous back Of
the collectors Office on Columbus
street Whatever happened there, she
owned, was by her own consent
Up to last summer, when she met
the lad responsible for her ruin she
said she had been a good girl, but
from that time on she slid easily into
the ways Of an ordinary drab, until her
downward tumble became 50 rapid
she feared detection and finally. to
avoid further trouble for herself. told
her sister, after being accused Of
wrongdoing. Of faxed attack by a
gang of boys to clear herself Of
blame.
The names of the youths are in pos
session of the county officials and
close watch will be kept to see that
none of them avoid being present at
the delinquency trial Friday morning.
States Attorney Kelly and his col
leagues are determined to punish
everybody connected with the Gordan
case and have given assurances tina;
no stone will be left unturned to bring
about punishment of the whole crowd
mixed up with Bertha in her lapse
into immortality
Subnormal Physique.
Bertha is a victim of two things
Environment and subnormal physique
She is without home her father and
Hlotlel ptliS otpdidte anu hdS DeeH
forced to work out to earn her own
sustenance. She went as far as the
sixth grade in the public schools. She
was II years old last October, and be
cause she was at the age of consent
when she claims to have first fallen
into inquitous ways, the state cannot
indict her assailants for statutory
rape and send them over the road.
During the examination this morn
ing she impressed her examiners as
being of average intelligence, though
she manifested reticence in telling OF
her past life. She is being detained
at the South Side Detention Homo
until Judge Reck has had a chance
to determine what shall be done with
her.