CENTREVILLE NEGRO HELD
Item
- Title
- CENTREVILLE NEGRO HELD
- Source
- Evening Journal (DE)
- Date
- 6/23/20
- page
- 10
- Identifier
- https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85042354/1920-06-23/ed-1/?sp=10&q=assault&r=-0.11,0.092,0.447,0.206,0
- Crime
- Assault
- Subject
- criminal assault, child
- Race of alleged offender
- Black
- Gender of alleged offender
- male alleged offender
- Race of alleged victim
- White
- Gender of alleged victim
- female alleged victim
- Stage of the Legal System
- held in jail, charged
- Location
- Out of state, Centreville MD
- Length of story
- 300
- Description
-
CENTREVILLE NEGRO HELD
John Truxon Arrested Upon Statements of 14-year-old White Girl
CITIZENS OF TOWN ARE AROUSED
CENTREVILLE. Md„— June 23. —
Charged wits statutory assault upon Ruby Johnson, the 14-year-old daughter of Mrs. Harry Johnson near Ingleside, this county, but believed by local officers to be guilty of forcible
assault upon her. John Truxon. a 23-year-old Negro, Is in Centreville jail. He was placed in the death cell, after rumors reached here that a group of angry citizens were liable to make some attempt to take him out and administer summary Justice.
Admitting to officers that Truxon had upon three occasions been familiar with her, the little Ingleside girl told the circumstances of her Intimacy with the Negro. While she states he did not force his attentions upon her, county officials are of the opinion that she is telling this story through fear of the Negro. They believe that he assaulted her and then continued to compel' her to permit his attentions, probably under the threat of death.
The three crimes are alleged to have been committed last October. Soon afterward Truxton had a disagreement with Harry Johnson, the girl’s stepfather. A fight followed, in which Johnson was badly beaten. Truxon was arrested and sent to jail. He completed Ills term and was inherited only 21 days ago. He went back to the same neighborhood and several weeks ago was seen with the girl along a lonely wood road. For several weeks rumors have been current in the Ingleside neighborhood that the Negro either had been or was familiar with the girl, and finally the story reached the ears of the mother.
Truxon denies all the allegations. He avers that the charges were trumped up by the girl's stepfather because of the trouncing he received last year at Truxon's hands.
