Bly - May - attempted murder - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

May Bly was arrested last evening on information field in the circuit court by her sister, Mrs. Clarence Bayless, charging her with attempted murder. No one has gone on the girl’s bond and she is still in limbo, probably the best place for her. The assault complained of occurred on September 18 and was upon the person of the prosecuting witness. May drove her husband, Clarence Bayless, out of the house and then hammered her up in good style with the poker. She was arrested at the time for the assault and served a jail sentence for it. May’s mother, Mrs. Ensminger, is anxious to have her placed in the woman’s reformatory, so Mrs. Bayless averred when she swore out the information.  The case is quite a sad one. Several months ago May Bly was seemingly a perfectly straight girl. She carried herself all right and was a very hard worker. She was the main dependence of her invalid mother and sisters. After the marriage of one of these sisters to Clarence Bayless, however, there was a grand family row and May was soon a common street walker. She has been one now for about three months. She is better off in jail than out of it in the company she has lately kept.  Many of her neighbors are very outspoken in their sympathy for her and do not place the blame of her errors with herself, but with her sister and the rest of the family. May claims that she was expected to be a slave to all and would not stand it. The affair has been a scandal in the East Main Street neighborhood and has caused no end of gossip and talk. It is at best very unfortunate.