OCR Text |
Show MYSTERIOUS ASSAULT CASE A very mysterious assault case wm heard In the police court this morning, neither the complainant nor the defendant de-fendant being able to testify lu what manner the assault was, made. The face of the complainant was sufficient evidence to cautM n conviction, how-eer, how-eer, and a fine of .40 was administered administ-ered to the absent-minded prisoner. The man alleged to have, committed the assault was William Chappie, residing re-siding on Twenty-third street, near Quincy avenue. lie was arrested on a complaint sworn to by J. W. Browning. Brown-ing. Drowning rents one of the room of tho Chappie residence n.nd Jho two men have been rast friends. On the witness stand. Drowning stated that he was in his room, Saturday, when Chappie entered and accused him of stealing ?G0 from the house. This was ubout all the complaining witness could tell. Forty minutes after af-ter Chappie entered the room. Drowning Drown-ing recalled lindlnc himself on tho floor in a pool of blood and knew he had an awful headache. Doth eyes were swollen &hut and there was a severe scalp wound, still bleeding. This was all that Drowning could remember re-member of the assault, but his fare looked as though he might have been struck by an eight-inch beam. Chappie knew no more of the aa-sault aa-sault than bis victim. He remembered remember-ed that he had discovered the theft of $C0 which he saved to pay taxes aud that he was greatly cxciird by the lnss. He thought that the money had been taken by Browning and went Into his tenent s room to ask him about it. Here his memory failed. Ho could not tell what bad happened lu the room and coula not sav whether he had struck Drowning with a feather feath-er duster or a gunny sack filled with pig Iron. He said that he had later lat-er learned that Drowning had nothing to do with the stealing of the money and that he had apologized to th man for the assault. Drowning stated he was certain Chappie had merely made a mistake, and gave evidence of a desire to withdraw his complaint. Had Drownings face not shown the deadly nature of the assault, it is likely that the ca9? would have been dismissed by the court, but when the judge took a long scrutinizing look at the battered countenance of the reluctant re-luctant complainant he determined not to let the assailant go unpunished. |