WARD STREET ASSAULT.

Waikato Times, Volume 98, Issue 15310, 10 August 1923, Page 4

WARD STREET ASSAULT.

MORE SINISTER ASPECT.

CHEMICALLY PREPARED GLOVE.

It now appears that the molesta; tion of the girl in Ward Street last Monday night was more sinister than at first supposed. The assault occurred shortly after 9 o'clook and not 11 o'clock as formerly stated. The girl, who was about 21 years of age and of slight build, was malting her ' way along Ward Street, and when opposite the site of the old saleyards •' her assailant suddenly rushed on her from behind. Pressing his hand, which bore a thick woollen glove, over her mouth, he then carried her bodily I aiong a right-of-way to an empty shed 1 at the rear of the Hamilton Furnishing ' Company's premises. The glove is said j ti have been prepared with some ' chemical, and the girl was prevented from screaming by this being pressed over her nostrils, while the' determined coward forced portion of what is supposed to have been a woollen muffler into her mouth. Fortunataly, while she was still struggling with her assailant, a motor lorry appeared in -the alley-way, and its lights reflecting into the shed, caused the man to bolt over the fence at the rear, and make across the railway line. It is obvious that identification under such oircumstances was exceedingly difficult and the police will have no light task in tracing the miscreant on such slender evidence of identity as is available. It was gathered, however, from the girl's description of the man as gathered under such trying circumstances, and from What the lorry driver saw of him under the lights of his vehicle, that he was a man of about middle height, of slim build and apparently about 30 years of age. He was wearing a grey suit, cap, shoes, and a muffler or some other woollen garment. He had a protruding upperlip and rather large mouth. The case is probably the first of its kind that has occurred in Hamilton, and as the assailant was apparently of , a desperate nature, it was exceedingly fortunate for the girl that the lorry came along when it did. The driver of the lorry was unaware for ' some minutes of what had happened, by which time the desperado had made, good his escape.