Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1922-02-17

indignation since learning early Fri
day morning Of an outrage perpetrat-
ed on Mrs. Oscar 0swalt and two
children Thursday night.
About midnight Mrs. oswalt was
awakened by a fiashlight thrown in
her face as she lay sleeping with
the two children. Immediately she
was seized and as she struggled to
free herself she was choked until
her nose bled, the blood running
down and staining her night dress.
She was overpowered, a rug thrown
over her head and she was then tied
with a rope to the bed. The children
were treated similarly. A blanket
was thrown over. their heads to
smother their cries and they were
secured to the bed.
In the darkness Of the room Mrs.
Oswalt was not able to see the as
sailants, but says she is morally
sure there were at least two and
they were negroes.
While Mrs. Oswalt and the child
were hopelessly bound, the men
searched every room in the house
and turned things topsy-turyey. The
marauders got into Mr.. oswalt's box
where he keeps his deeds, insurance
papers, etc, and left these scattered
about the room. There was missed
this morning $4,000, a lady's gold
watch, $3.50 gold pieces and s1.oO
gold piece.
The severe shock given Mrs. Os-
walt and the fright of the experience
caused her to lapse into uncon-
ssciousness. When she came to she
finally managed to get the rug Oft
her face and get loose so that she
could get up. She then made her
way to the kitchen and procured a
butcher knife with which she cut
the rope from her hands and then
she went to the telephone to call for
aid, but the phone was dead. It
was found later that the wire had
been cut on the outside about 10
feet from the house.
Mr.. Oswalt, who is an engineer,
got home off his run about o'clock
When he learned what had happened
naturally his wrath knew no bounds,
and had he had the guilty ones be-
fore him he would have made short
shift of their time on earth. After
administering to his wife and the
children, who had cried themselves
sick over the terrible fright of the
experience, he went out to a neigh
boris and called for the blood
hounds.
The dogs were out on another
trail, but got back in time to get on
the Oswalt trail about 8 o'clock a.
m. The scent had been kept intact
and Geneyieve went out on pret-
ty direct trail on this man hunt.
The Oswalt home is at 513 Fulton
avenue in northeast Moberly. She
went from the house west to Morley
street, thence south to Rollins, then
turned to the right until she reached
Ault, when she again went south to
McKinsey street and from there
down short distance and on to the
negro rooming house on South Viii
Iiams, near the brick plant. After
entering the house she went to a
room in which were two beds, each
occupied by two negro men. She
went to one of the beds and wanted
to get up on it. She smelled the
shoes and clothing of these men and
trailed down stairs to shed where
lindling was kept and back again
to the room.
The two negroes are John Lee and
Henry Randolph The woman who
runs the house gave an aIibi for the
negroes, saying that they were in
the house at the time the negroes are
said to have been at oswalt's. The
men, however, were put under arrest
and were placed in the city jail, t.
await further developments,
Mr.. Oswalt said this morning that
he thought the men had entered the
house through the dining room. He
found on the floor of the dining
room two % cartridges. He said the
men had opened every door on the
place, including closet doors, and
had transacted everything and lefi
doors wide open and everything in .
jumble.
It is known that there were al
least two men on the job and it i
thought that there was . third man
who stood on the ouside to act as :
lookout.
After trailing to the negro hotel
on South Williams street. the dogs
were taken back to the Oswalt home
a -