A BUSH OGRE.

NZ Truth, Issue 80, 29 December 1906, Page 5

A BUSH OGRE.

FIERCE FIGHT WITH FOREIGN FIEND. - Girl's Terrible Struggle for Honor. Shocking Allegations Against an . Italian Swaggie. ! A terrible charge of indecently assaulting a young girl of about 16 years of age, was heard before Messrs Beckett and Graham, J.'sP., at Waimate. 0 n Friday week. The accused is an Italian named Angelo Leoni, and the charge against him was that he did, on Wednesday, the 12th inst., commit an indecent assault on the girl, on the Timaru road. Sub-inspec-tor Green prosecuted.

The girl, giving evidence, stated that she resided with her parents at , Maytown, a township two miles put of Waimate. She would be 16 m January next and was a scholar at Waima-te High School. On the day of the alleged assault she had ridden into Waimate before 9 o'clock m the morning, on her bicycle, and returned home, again at once. Passing Mr Sinclair's house overtook the prisoner, who was carrying a swag. Witness went home and again set out for Waimate. This time she saw accused sitting by the side of the road, about a mile nearer Maytown than when she passed .him- previously. This was about 9.30. She was cycling at a good pace, but when she came opposite to Leoni, he suddenly srtepped into . the road, caught hold of her, and knocked her off her machine. The man then dragged her on to the side of the road, where there was a water table arid a deep ditch. She ; struggled with him, endeavoring to •ret away but could not release his hold. Prisoner threw tter on her back and tried BY BRUTE FORCE to keep her down. She struggled fiercely to escape Iwt was overmatch- | cd. During the struggle prisoner c a ught hold of the undergarment (pro-

duoed) and either cut or tore it. Witness managed to get up on her feet, but -prisoner threw her down again. Three times she struggled up, and each time prisoner, who was fighting with all his strength, bore her to the' ground again. She was screaming out all this time for Mrs Reeves, _ and prisoner, apparently afraid that- her cries would bring assistance, eventually released her, and went away along the road. Witness got her bicycle, but the handles had been twisted and she could not use it. She made her way to Mrs Ferriter's -housej which was some 200 yards from the scene of the assault, and complained that she had been molested. She had never seen prisoner before that morning. Did not

SEE "A" KNIFE m accused's -hand, but he must have used 'one by the way her underclothine: was cut.

Medical evidence showed that the girl, when examined, was suffering from extreme nervous collapse. She had no marks of violence on the upper part of her body, but there were signs of pressure along the muscles on the small of the back. There were bruises on the lower part of the back; and a small recent abrasion on the -middle of the right calf.

Other witnesses bore testimosi.v -io the exhausted condition of the girl when she arrived at Mrs Ferriter's, dishevelled, dusty and with torn or cut underclothing.

Constable Ferguson said he received information regarding the assault and started out, along with Constable Moloney, after the man. He found prisoner some seven miles from Wainiate, 'spying him just as he was getting into a 'conveyance. Leoni denied all knowledge of the affair, but witness arrested him and at the station the girl nicked him out from 'among oi-'-ht- other men as her assu;.?ant.

Prispner, who stoutly denied his p-uilt. was committed for <teial at the Timaru Supreme Court.