Mashers on the streets of Chariton, beware!

Engaged in due diligence, I set out this morning to find the origin of the term "masher" as used now and then in American English as the 19th century wound down and the 20th launched  --- and failed. The best I could do was theorizing that the usage involved lecherous males (also known sometimes as lounge lizards) who pressed unwanted attention upon women.

Here's an example of its usage as late as 1912 when the editor of The Chariton Patriot in his Sept. 5 edition though it an appropriate way to describe young men who had been fined heavily for harassing young women on the streets of Chariton:

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Men and boys who have been accustomed to forcing their attentions upon young girls should understand that their actions meet with the hearty disapproval of the city authorities. Just to remind such undesirable characters that their presence and their actions are contrary to the desires of the officers, two of the offenders were hauled into the mayor's court Monday, charged with annoying two young ladies on the street the evening previous.

The young men in question first made efforts to accompany the girls and when given to understand their attentions were unwelcome used abusive language when they met the girls a little later. The women were quite young and easily frightened and appealed to the police for protection, but the young men had disappeared in the meantime. There were three of them in the party and they had made a practice of accosting young women whenever the opportunity presented and they could escape detection and punishment.

Two of them were arrested Monday morning and taken before Mayor Larimer, who assessed a fine of $10 and costs against one, while the other drew a flat $100 as his portion because it was his second offense. Both young men paid their fines and the third member of the party is keeping under cover, though it is probable he will be dealt with later.

City authorities are determined to make the streets of Chariton safe for women at any and all hours of the day or night and this may as well be understood now as later. Fines of $100 will become frequent if evil minded men do not cease their attentions to women who are attending to their own affairs, and while it is to be regretted that the city must take such action it may save the payment of many such sums if it is fully understood right now that they will be imposed upon arrest and proof of guilt. The position taken by Mayor Larimer will have the hearty endorsement of every good citizen and the support of the other sort is not sought. Patriot 5 September 1912