Jack the Ripper terrorized London's East End during 1888 and soon thereafter benign copycats generally styled "Jack the Hugger" began to appear and attract media attention. The Hugger surfaced in Chariton during December of 1900 and was reported upon in The Herald of Friday, Jan. 4, 1901, as follows:
+++
There seems to be a "Jack the Hugger" operating in Chariton. His work has been noticed for the past four weeks at different intervals and different parts of town.
About four weeks ago, Miss Polly Dismore, who is employed in Palmer's department store, was going home from work in the evening and noticed someone following her. She thought nothing of it until he passed near Arnold's corner and kept looking back at her. Finally she overtook him again, and he asked her where Mr. Smith lived. She replied and started to go on home when he suddenly threw his arms around her and pressed her tightly to himself. She screamed so loudly that he let loose of her and ran. She ran into Mrs. Stanley's house where she secured an escort to take her on home.
The same week, Miss Eva Graves had a similar experience though he did not get to catch her.
On the same evening of the Eva Graves trouble and only a few minutes later, Miss Jessie Lienen was chased by a man as she was on her way home.
His favorite people seem to be the young girls of the city, but on one occasion he came near making a mistake, and stepped out of an alley in front of a married lady who was carrying an umbrella and had gotten right under the umbrella before he had found his mistake and made a hasty retreat.
The latest report of his wanderings and pranks comes down as late as the night of Christmas eve, when Miss Clara Martz and Jessie Andrews were going home and he confronted them near the depot. Miss Clara avoided him, but Miss Jessie was caught in his grasp and escaped only by the vigorous use of her fists.
The description of the man exactly tallies in each instance, being rather short, well built, with smooth face and wearing a soft hat and carrying a cane or club. What can be his object or what he wants is a mystery as he offers no violence aside from the tight squeeze he gives them on first catching, and after the salutation to stop them as he sometimes employs, being usually to inquire for some person's house, he never speaks a word.
+++
The following brief follow-up was published in The Herald of Jan. 24:
"The night watch of Chariton is authority for the statement that since the report of "Jack the Hugger" being around town, he has frequently met girls alone and at late hours promenading the streets evidently looking for Jack."
There apparently were no arrests and The Hugger moved on to other pursuits, hopefully less threatening. Jack the Hugger remains a Chariton cold case.
+++
One of the interesting things about these reports concerning various Jacks the Hugger, and there were many published at the time, is that they treat the subject lightly. When it really isn't. Assault was then and remains assault.
Please note that I've come across no similarly light-hearted reports of males being subjected to unsolicited hugs.
No comments:
Post a Comment