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A DASTARDLY ASSAULTDrunken Devil on Horseback Lassoes Miss Grace Shepherd and Drags Her Ruthlessly Along the StreetsCorona was thrown into a furor Thursday flight as the news was quickly spread that Miss Grace Shepherd, while returning home from the business portion of the city, had been overtaken by a drunken beast in the guise of a human being, lassoed and dragged mercilessly for many yards over the roadway at the heels of a galloping horse. Excited men with rifles, shotguns and revolvers were soon hastening in all directions, and groups gathered here and there to discuss the outrage and the fate of the fugitive, should he be caught. It is safe to say had the fiend been caught any time within three hours after his act became known, he would have been given the proverbial ‘‘short shrift and - a long rope” by scores of eager hands.The wretch who perpetrated this devilish deed is an Indian sheep-shearer from the reservation near San Jacinto. A number of his ilk had arrived in town Thursday morning to receive their pay from Pete Provensal, for whom they have been shearing in this vicinity,and had'spent the day in drinking and carousing, but no one suspected that they would make any trouble as such happenings are of frequent occurrence during the shearing season. A short time before assaulting Miss Shepherd he was riding about the city and making himself generally conspicuous, and just a few minutes before, on Seventh street, a block nearer town, made J,wo attempts to lasso Mrs. T. P. Drink-water, who was also on her way home. Upon realizing his purpose Mrs. Drink-water started to run, and he was unable to throw the noose over her head. He succeeded only in striking her on the head, disarranging her hair and giving her a bad scare.Miss Shepherd had come down town early in the evening, and was returning to her home on East Seventh street about 7:30 o’clock. She was on Seventh near the corner of Victoria, when she heard the clatter of hoofs behind her, and looking around, saw a man approaching on horseback. The animal seemed to be coming directly toward her, and it appearing that it was going to pass closer than there was any good reason for, considering the width of $he road, she stepped further, to the side, almost at the entrance to J. J. Schliesman’s back yard. The fellow proceeded a few feet beyond this point when he suddenly checked the animal and turned about, and almost before Miss Shepherd could realize what was happening the loop of a lariat fell over her head and tightened about her body, and in another instant she had been jerked off her feet and was being dragged over the ground at a lively rate, feet foremost. About this time she screamed. Frank Horrigan, who was dressing in his room at the Sehliesman house, heard the cry, which, he says, sounded from the rear of the bouse,and a couple of seconds later another pit-ious appeal, which seemed to come from the front. By this time he was positive that something was wrong,and pulling his clothes together, rushed out into the street just in time to see Miss Shepherd scrambling to her feet about a quarter of a block up Victoria street, and the horse and rider going at top speed beyond. He hastened at once to the young lady’s assistance and found her still enveloped in the noose of the lariet, from which she was struggling to free herself, and the long rawhide rope trailing in the dust. It appears that the lariat either slipped off the saddle horn, or else the brute who held it became frightened at something and let go intentionally, in order to escape. Whatever the cause, it was indeed timely, as but a few seconds more, with the increasing speed of the horse and the fast failing strength of the poor girl, who was holding her head from the ground by pullihg on the lariat with one hand, would certainly have brought her to terrible injury if not to an awful death. As it was, after being dragged an eighth of a block on Seventh street around the corner and a full 25 yards up Victoria, Miss Shepherd escaped with but few bruises and after recovering from the severe nervous shock, was but little the worse for her awful experience.As soon as Mr. Horrigan had conducted the excited and trembling girl to a nearby house, he ran down town and informed Marshal Pine and in a very few minutes a score of armed men were in pursuit of the fleeing Indian. The marshal and several others started at once for Rincon, where several of the gang were known to have gone and succeeded in overhauling them at that point, but having no means of identifying the culprit if he had succeeded in joining his pals, they returned to this city about 11:00o’clock without making any arrests.Marshal Pine afterward secured the lariat from Mr. Horrigan, and during the night secured enough informationto warrant him in starting out about 4 o’clock in the morning in company with Sam Clapp, who had seen the only fellow who was known to have a lasso, and thought he could identify the horse. They eventually found the animal tethered near a barn at Rincon and upon going in found the Iddian lying on the floor sleeping off his jag. He was brought to this city by Marshal Pine and Mr. Clapp, and landed in the calaboose before most people were out of bed. The culprit when shown the lariat, admitted that it belonged to him, and Marshal Pine is p09ivive he has got the right man. The Marshal deserves great credit for getting hold of this prisoner under exceeding difficult circumstances.The prisoner was taken before Recorder Phillips B’riday and bound over to the superior court in the sum of $5,000, charged with attempted murder. He was turned over to Sheriff Coburn late in the afternoon, and taken to the county jail.TOO MUCH MUDSay Citizens Who Are Paying Out Their Good Money For Domestic MoistureThe average local domestic water consumer is a peaceable citizen. He obeys the law and the tax collector, loves his neighbor as much as possible, pays his honest debts, and usually takes the buffetings of a cruel world without a murmer; but when he is forced to yield up monthly (at the rate of $1.50 for general purposes and various additional amounts for sundries) to a corporation with a “cinch”, for the privilege of using water, and then, often for several days at a time, gets for his money a doubtful mixture that is unfit for either drinking or cooking purposes and which, in the wash tub, would contaminate a dirty sock; when this happens to him, he is prone to rise up in his humble capacity as a “consumer” and kick—a long, loud and resonant kick, that finds its echo in many mouths.And this is just why he is doing the kick act today. For some time past the Corona City Water Co. has been supplying its patrons with a substance that is neither water nor mud, but just an unhappy medium that causes the dutiful housewife to make unpleasant remarks every time she comes in contact with it/ This, as a matter of course, has resulted in excited “hub-bys” making their appearance at the CouRlERoftiee and “cussing” the editor for not calling the water company names, which same the editor would probably be glad to do, under the circumstances, except that his early training forbids it. It is in order to state, however, that as the residents of Corona pay a pretty good price for water, they may be excused for expecting that water to be clean enough for cooking and washing, if not fit to drink. It is believed that the frequent filthy condition of the* water is wholly due to negligence on the part of the water company officials. It is at least up to them for remedy.Temperance EntertainmentThe W. C. T. U. held a public meeting at the Congregational church last Tuesday evening, which was well attended. The church was prettily decorated in white and green, and the W. C. T. U. motto, “For God and, Home and Native Land” was displayed on the wall back of the pulpit. Mrs. Ct M. Gibbs presided and, t he retiring president of the local Union, Mrs. Ritchie, also occupying a seat on the platform. At the opening Mrs. Ritchie led the devotional exercises, giving a thoughtful exposition of Isaiah 01:1, and leading in prayer. Then followed an interesting program, interspersed with a number of songs and recitations by several girls and boys. The singing by the little girls was all pleasingly rendered, under the lead of Mrs. John Peach, and the young orators declaimed their pieces with scarce a trip. Mrs. G. H. Birdsall read a paper on “Why I Am a White Ribboner.” Mrs. G. A. Sheppard also read a well-prepared and forceful paper, and an article on a.temperance topic was read by Mrs Wail. At the close brief addresses were made by Rev. N. Burr and Rev. M. D. Reid, and Mrs. Ritchie gave a recitation. The benediction wa9 pronounced by Rev. N. J. Burton.Notice to Water ConsumersCorona, Cal., Mar. 29, 1901. To patrons of the Company:Saomestic water, may use water for sprinking lawns and flowers as follows:Ail north of 9th street, from 6 a. m. to 8 a. m., only.All south of 9th street, from 5 p. m. to 7 p. m., only.All 1All parties wiihing water for irriga-city lots must call on J. R. Bryanting *at Glass Son’s store. No water mustbe turned on by anyone for irrigating lots until permission has been given byJ. R. Bryan. 8. W. Lockktt, Sec.tctIIIthIhaIbuiiclniiaitlftai
Newspaper Details
Corona Courier
Corona, California, US
Sat, Mar 30, 1901
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA, USA 28 Jun 2019
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