Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1901 — Arrest of a Degenerate. [ARTICLE]

Arrest of a Degenerate.

Monday a rough and tough looking man acoosted a 10 year old girl on the streets, telling her that he was arranging a “school picnic,” and giving prizes of $25 in money and a bicycle to those who could work certain puzzles. He thus induoed her to walk with him out to the vioinity of the ball park, where he showed her some easy picture puzzle, which she solved, and he then promised her the prizes, when the picnic came off, on Aug, 24. He then pledged her to secreoy about the prizes and came baok, without having offered her any offensive < eaionstratfibhs; and she went to her home. He then met another little girl and by telling her the same story got her to go with him a short distance out on the college road. Here they stopped in'the shade of a hay-stack to work the same puzzle. When this was done he seized the little girl in suoh a way as to plainly show his intentions, but she screamed and broke away from him; and they then returned to town also.

Ia the meantime the first girl had told her mother of the fine prizes she was to get, and the mother came down town, to put an officer on the fellow’s traok. He slipped out of town, however, but Constable Vick got on his track and found him out about a half mile from Valma, lying under a tree reading a cheap novel. He admitted fully the truth of the little girls’ stories, and in the evening plead guilty to the charge of assault and battery, before Squire Burnham. The latter considered the case too serious for a simple fine and held the man to the oironit court, in the sum of S3OO, and he is now in jail. He gave his name as Albert Wilson and says he is from Boone county, and that he has been working ia Benton county. Also that he formerly worked in the Gifford district. The book he was reading and other literature in his grip show that his literary tastes are as depraved as his attempted act, shows his morals to be. He is 38 years old.