July 29, 1987

As she was typing her weekly column for the Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock (Pulaski County) native actress Lucy Babcock looked out her garage-apartment window and saw a man dragging a screaming young woman by the hair. Wearing a back brace and using a cane, she somehow reached the attacker and beat him. Her shouts alerted workmen, who captured him. The next morning, the Gazette’s front page carried a color photo of Babcock brandishing her cane. The story was picked up by the national media. Babcock was subsequently honored by the Little Rock Rape Crisis Center, and Governor Bill Clinton presented her with a commendation for her bravery. The Smithsonian Institution requested and was promised her cane, but it was stolen from her grocery cart.

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