The Cass Case.

Evening Star, Issue 7301, 27 August 1887, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Cass Case.

The 'Pall Mall Gazette' interviewed Miss Cass, and found her to be of middle height, about twenty-three years of age. The reporter proposed, in order to see whether she had ever been at the places mentioned by the police-constable, to go over the ground with her, traversing the exact route which she had took on Coronation night, timing themselves as they walked. Speaking from the experience of that round, the reporter says it would be impossible for any girl to have done any aunoying solicitation and covered the ground in the time. " I was not afraid to go out alone,,* said Miss Cass to to the reporter, " heause I can take care of myself ah right. Only 1 never thought that a policeman would do me any harm. My only idea about them was that they were the safest people to ask your way of if ever you got lost. When this policeman laid hold of me I was utterly confounded. *I want you,' he said. I was speaking to no one at the time, and no one was speaking to me. It is absolutely fatee to say that I was speaking to a gentleman, who complained in my hearing that he had been accosted three times since leaving church. After recovering from my consternation, 1 said ' There must hi some mistake.' He leplied as he took me clown a side street: 'Oh, no, I have been watching you for some time.' I again repeated there was some mistake, as I was a stranger in London, having only left the country six weeks since. ' I have been watching you six weeks,' he replied. ' But you could not,' I said, ' I bave only been here three weeks.' You said six weeks just now,' he said. ' Yes,' I said, ' but the other three weeks I was not here, but in another part of London.' ' Never you mind,' he said, ' a gentleman has complained to me that you have been annoying him.' ' But I never spoke to a gentleman,' I persisted. ' Yes you did,' he replied; ' and there was another girl with you, who has given me the slip. 1 wish I j could have caught her also, for she is worse than you.' He kept hold of my arm, refusing to let it go. I told him I had just been down to the place with steps round it; I had no companion with me. Nor did I know the names of the streets. All the time I walked alone, nor had I any idea where I was beyond that I wenttowards Jay's, and found it shut up. He walked mo through several dark streets, saying that it would not be far, and at last brought me to the policestation. They put me inside a place with a bar in front of it, and said that I must wait for the inspector. He said something to a man who was writing, but I did not hear the charge. They asked my name and address. When standing inside the bar I suppose I must have fainted, for I became unconscious, and when I came round they were giving me water and resting me against a chair. An officer spoke kindly to me, and told me not to mind ; it would soon be all right. They put down the bar, and let me sit until the inspector came. Then they put me behind the bar. I gave them Mdme. Bowman's address. 'Do you want her to bail you out?' 'To bail me? I repeated, not understanding what he meant. ' Oh, she'll come,' he said, and off he went. I was taken into a little square room, with brown painted bricks, and a form running round it. I was locked up in this room alone. When the lock was turned and I was alone, I burst out crying for tho first time. What would Mdme. Bowman think of me ? what would Mrs Tompkins think ? what was to become of me ? It seemed like a horrible dream. How long was I to stop there? All night, perhaps. They had spoken about 'the morning.' What would happen 'in the morning' I did not know. I suppose I was an hour in the cell. It seemed as if it would never end. I thought of my mother, and dreaded the shock it would be to her. At last Mdme. Bowman came, and we each had to give bail in L2, I think, and I was sent home.'

"And at the Police Court?"-" I only I knew I had to answer whatever the magistrate asked me. He took all the policeman said as true. I nev or heard anything about my having accosted at four places until I heard it in Court. lam ready to swear that I never spoke a word to any man, either at Mortimer street, or at Great Castle street, or between Great Castle street and Oxford street, or at Peter Robinson's. I can swear positively that no gentleman complained of me in the hearing of the policeman, and it is clear he mistook me for someone else. He spoke of my companion. I had no companion; I walked alone the whole Way." " Do you feel much worse now ?" —"Not now. Only I feel as if something dark was hanging over me; that is all."