Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1907 — A MAN HUNT. [ARTICLE]

A MAN HUNT.

Drunken flan Attempts Criminal Assault. FINALLY ARRESTED AND JAILED. Wm. McCoy, a Farm Hand, Attempts to Assault a Rensselaer WomanHad Been Drunk for Two Weeks. Considerable excitement was occasioned in the little settlement just outside the city limits, on the north gravel road, Tuesday afternoon, by an alleged attempt to criminally assault Miss Martha Ellen Goble, aged 39, who lives with her father F. M. Goble, an old soldier, and keeps house for him. The story of the attempted assault as told at the preliminary bearing of the accused before Squire Irwin Wednesday afternoon, is practically as follows: About 2 o’clock Tuesday afternoon a big, rough-looking man appeared at the back door of the Goble home and asked a few unimportant questions of Miss Goble, who was alone at the time. He followed her into the house and “acted queerly;” finally threw himself down on a bed in one of the rooms, then got up and walked about; finally caught hold of the woman —who seems partially paralyzed and nearly blind—and dragged her struggling to the bed where he fell back on the bed, aids© pulling the woman with him. She threatened' to scream if he did not loose her, she swore, when he put his band over her mouth and she could make no outcry. The man bad been seen to go to Goble’s by Mrs. John Potts and Mrs. Harry Swartzel, near neighbors, and bis suspicious appearance caused them to watch his actions, most of which as detailed above they saw. When be dragged the woman to the bed they rushed out and screamed and be released the woman and ran out the back door and disappeared in a cornfield, leaving a small bundle of clothing behind. .

The officers were notified and a search was made for the fellow, but although the telephone was used.in all directions and the country scoured, no trace of him could be found. The description given by the women and a memorandum in the pockets of the clothing left behind in bis hurried flight, satisfied the officers that he was a farm hand named William McCoy, who bad been working of late for -Wesley Faylor in Union tp., and who had been about town off and on for the past two weeks in a semi-in-toxicated condition, and the only thing to do to get the right man was to find McCoy.

Wednesday morning Jesse Nichols, the poor farm superintendent, was in town and heard the sheriff say something about the matter, and asked about it. He then told the sheriff that he had seen McCoy while coming to town a short time before; that he was going west and walking quite briskly. The sheriff at once jumped into Jesse’s buggy and the two started after the fugitive, overhauling him near Surrey, walking along the railroad, Sheriff O’Connor impressed the section bands, who were working near by, into service and captured the man, who offered no resistance; said he only went to the house to get a drink of water and did nothing to the woman. He was brought back to town and fully identified by all the women who had' seen him, and lodged in jail. - When arraigned before Squire Irwin the fellow stated thpt he had been drunk for about two weeks; that he had been to Lafayette drunk for some days, etc., and was just about in the spakeseeing stage; said be was at the Goble house but did not know what he had done there, and was in no condition to go ahead with the hearing. He had no attorney, and after the court had told him that he could call one if he desired and Marshal Parks had had a few whispered. words with deputy prosecutor Leopold and then with McCoy, Parks went out and shortly returned with Abe Halleck, Mr. Leopold’s law partner, who acted as attorney for the accused. The

women who witnessed most of the affair were examined briefly, but were not cross-questioned by the defense, and on. this testimony MoCoy was bound over to the .September term of court under SSOO bonds, in default of which he was sent to jail, where he is likely to remain until tried. The affidavit made by Miss Goble charges assault and battery with intent to commit rape, and. the penalty on conviction of such a charge is 2 to 14 years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding $2,000. The woman suffered po injury except to her nervous system. McCoy is a big, two-fistad fellow, about 40 years of age apparently, smooth-faced, and will probably weigh 180 to 200 pounds.