ASSAULTED

WILLIBI

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 4/30/2006 at 16:32:30

The Chariton Patriot
Chariton, Iowa
Thursday, May 12, 1875

ASSAULTED. -- For the first time in our life we were on last Thursday the
victim of an assault and battery, and as strange as it may sound it was by a
woman, and a disgraceful, uncalled-for attack in the bargain. The
perpetrator of the outrage was a female of low rank and bad character, by
the name of SARAH J. WILLIBI, and the circumstances connected with the
transaction are as follows:

In our issue of the 21st of April last we felt it our duty as a journalist
to refer in rather severe terms to a rumor that was quite current in town,
that certain persons of the male persuasion were coming into contact, in a
clandestine manner, with some of the inmates of the Depot House, at a time
when the small-pox was prevailing in that building and when it had been
ordered closed by the City Council, and were in this way endangering the
safety of the public by the possible spreading of this terrible disease.

In that article we incidentally referred to "a couple of prostitutes" that
were said to be stopping at that house, and who were, as we had been led to
believe, two strange women, who had been shut up in the house by the order
of the City Council closing the same, and who not being allowed to leave the
premises, were plying their trade by temporarily going from the house in the
night time in obedience to signals given by customers from without. We did
not mention any names, and in fact did not know at the time the article was
written, the name of a single female inmate of the house nor anything in
regard to the number of persons of either sex there.

Shortly after this number of our paper came out, we learned that there were
no "strange" women in the house, and that some of those who were there were
feeling aggrieved at what they conceived to be a reflection upon them by the
article, and also learned that there was, at that time, a lewd woman
occupying a building near the Depot House, and that there was a possibility
that the rumors referred to had originated from this fact, and took occasion
in the issue of the 28th ultimo to make a statement to this effect, and
expressly disclaimed any intention of reflecting on the character of any
respectable person about the building.

But notwithstanding the fact that no one was named in the former article,
and the explanation the following week, the person above named, who it now
seems was an inmate of the house, having rooms there and an interest in the
furniture, took it upon herself to punish us for, as she expressed it,
printing a piece in the paper about HER." Accordingly on last Thursday she
armed herself with a ten cent raw-hide, and lay in wait for us at the
grocery store on the North-west corner of the square, and while we were on
our way to dinner, and wholly unconscious of her belligerent intention, she
came suddenly up behind us and inflicted a half dozen or more blows on our
unfortunate head and shoulders, and then passed on swinging her weapon and
ejaculating as she passed some by-standers on the street, "how is that for
high." Of course we made no resistance as we did not care to engage in a
street fight with any pugilist and especially a female of her character.

Of course this very novel occurrence accasioned some excitement and was the
absorbing topic for the rest of the day, and on the whole made a first class
sensation for our usually very orderly little city. We presume that the
woman was actuated by a desire to gain a little cheap notoriety, and with
the possible belief that we would consider it a grave insult and feel very
badly over the matter, but we wish to notify her, and any one (if such there
be) who were base enough to have given her encouragement or sympathy
concerning the shameful deed, that we did not so regard it, by any means,
for we confess to have been more sorry for the person than incensed towards
her, believing that it was the result of a corrupt disposition for which we
always feel, a certain degree of commiseration, however shameful may be the
fruits that flow therefrom.

These are the facts in connection with our first experience in being
cowhided," and this the light in which we felt constrained to view our
assailant, but we confess that, as necessary a part of an editors education
as it may be, we are not prepared to state that we are particularly found of
the training or that we should receive a second lesson with the same
charitable feelings that we did in this case.

We will state that our assailant was promptly taken into custody by the city
Marshal and escorted before the Mayor, where she paid $20 and costs, in lieu
of standing "committed at hard labor" (which was the other alternative) for
a violation of the city ordinances, and in turn was required by Justice
Branner to contribute $80.00 to the State School fund, for an assault and
battery.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
October 20, 2005
iggy29@rnetinc.net

*Oh, the power of WORDS!! smile..