Criminal Assault on a Sister of Mercy

In an article that was released on March 12, 1870 and March 19,1870, 5 days apart, The Illustrated Police news reported the case of Sister Francis Colls who was traveling on a train and was assaulted by a man who was under the influence. In the report, she states where she was going and why she was going there, as well as the event that lead up to the attack. She
was sitting in the train alone when the man approached her and asked if he could sit near her. As a member of the church she was welcoming, and when he began to move closer to her, she moved farther away. Eventually he asked to hold her hand, and when she profusely refused, he did so anyway. She told him that she was a Sister of Mercy, which he responded with “Can iI kiss the right hand of a Sister”. When she started to say no, he ignored her protests and started kissing her and eventually assaulted her. Screaming the whole time, he covered her mouth and said “Don't make a noise, because it would make it so bad for a Sister of Mercy”. Regardless she continued to scream until a guard finally heard her, saved her, and moved her to a seat in first place. Of course the man was not detained, and while getting off the train she heard the hotel that he would be staying at. With that information, she reported that to the authorities who detained him and placed him on trial .

Even thought the article was released twice, there were little changes between the two. They both recanted the same exact story, with no new details in the latter one. However, in both of the articles, the title places the emphasis on the victim rather than the rapist, the person that others should be wary if seen on the streets. Along with that, throughout the article, the Sisters name is repeated multiple times, as well as which church she works with and where she was trvalleing to and from. However, the rapists is not said once, and is instead described as a prisoner who was under the influence. With all of her information in the article, i can sense a feeling of humiliation and shame from her end, yet the only detail that is given on the man is the hotel that he was residing at.  Along with that, similar to the article i studied last week, the first few lines of the articles talk about how she is a single woman in her forties, how she is affiliated with the church, essentially to make it clear that the woman was pure, and not a sexual woman. In both of the articles, the reputation of the woman is how she is introduced in the article, proving how crucial the writer and readers view that information. In both of the articles that talk about the case, they both end with stating that the man was obtained and placed on trial, however nothing is said on the outcome of the trial. Even in the latter one, the readers only know that he is given a trial, but it is possible that he was not punished for his misdeeds, and the Sister never received the justice that she deserved.