Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-09-03

resident OF Lynchbure for several months
before this most unnatural and inhuman cir
cumsianee was brought To Ii ,ht, aud that, al,
though he lived IN a public psii Of the town.
Ton MAN street, this unfortunate little girl
had been kept closely concealed from every
eve until mere accident discovered her to n
neighbor. The individual who discovered her.
On confinement being asionished at so sin
GUAR Case, aud feeling for the pmac,al ed
little object, Interested himseliin her behalf.
tie politely requested OF Barnes 10 produce
the chi d. Al his unexpected stroke Barnrs
discovered symptoms of dreadful consterna.
ton, excused hinseffrom bringing the child
forth. Twas not till warrant had been is.
sued. ani the mangied child had been brought
before a Magistrate. that the cilizens of our
town knew that suCh an object existed upon The
tace of III. earth. The universal burst oil in.
disnation that broke from the breasts oil all
who saw AMI examined the barbecued child,
sufficiently spoke the feelings Of our citizens :
aud il is believed that, had not Barnes been
committed to Jail, (where he remained until
the violence of public feeling had in some
measure subsided,) the enrased citizens would
have proceeded 10 ayenge the lttle sufferer.
But let ms hear the hortid story, as related
by the child herself. after she had been resc,,.
ed from the clutches oi her unieeling ,yrants
and we shall h'ar tale of more than savage
harbaIity. She informs us that Mr.. and Ms
Barnes told her that she was bound 20 ihpn for
life. and that they commanded her 10 call them
master and misirkss Que uight she was ordered
10 hlnck Barnes and his chIldrsns shoes the
fami,y retired above stairs 10 rest, aud LETT Their
below 10 complete The work but bring feeble
and almost eshaused Tor the want OF repose
she fell asleep Mrs. Barnes, some time ia the
| -. Il A A 4
plunged her into vessel of water and held
her there until she Thought her dead as the child
supposes. Alter taking her out OF the water
she tried 10 make The ohild and. which she
was unable TO do Ms b. left her lyiag ON he
hoor, aud eiulLed back TO h.r bed. In the
monnug, finding he child still alive, Mrs.
Barnes told her hat she thought she had drow-
| ned her, for II was her intention 80 10 do and
regretted that size had not completed the
work
Ga another ocrason-'twas 90 Sunday NOR
ning-Mrs. Il. confined he, under "A large box
IN stable loft The child WAS pat on n rim.
gle plank placed across the ioisls of the 5 a
bic, with the box turned over her. She SAYS
her situation wnk such thai if she had moved
herself, boxand all would have fallen, and she
been killed. In this horrld siuAtion she had
| Ia remain uDiil Monda, morning, with only a
| small pie of corub, cad 10 support nature
She h frequently been tied up loa bcd.iead
all night, when she saws she would grow SO
| 81 eak tGat she could not stand, aud would fall.
and hang ia the cursed cords that bound her
up.-hirs Barnes having left ben al work one
night while she Iclred 10 Iepose herself IN
peaceful slGmb.ers, as usual, IN The night came
heow stairs 10 see il The poor Iitte girl was
close al work, but chanted 10 fad her asleep
.l,.1 nj fra kar la fl,.
purpose Of gently waking her.-On more than
one occasion, after lacelatng her little back
with crnel stripes until the blood would nicklr
osn;asa gentle stypia sue would apply
shovels OF hot emhers IN staunch the flowing
am-Ihe little glrl. AT times, is extremely
communicative bun AT other iimes, NJ the hare
mention OF them, the lull tide OF all her suflef
iDgs seems TO rush upon her tender mind, aud
she gives herself up 10 floods of tears. The
Da mention OF Barnes name is sufficient 10
throw her into Tears, and when he had In"
redemption to ,si' Mrs. Allen, his presence
was horifyng 70 the little creature.
The aboye acts OF cruelty, the ltle girl in-
forms us were committed in this place. aud
make tut part of he sufferngs fiat she hhs
had 10 endure in Mr.. BHness iamily. Thi Is
but pant of the simple, but aiirciing, tale
told by I" the lost child 10 ladies and gentle
men, who have visited ber by hund,eds.-Ai
ter all this catalogue OF INDUSTRIOUS crueltles,
To cap the climax of his folly, Barnes has the
unblnshirg cflrontrry TO offer his services To
accompany Mrs. Allen (the supposed mother
Of " the lost child aud the child T. Buhaoe
Mrs. Allen would be placing herself IN state
n awful security tn enirusl herself aud child
10 The protection Of a man, who, II would
.reia, liza, suffered all means TO be used in his
family, 10 murder the child privately. Mr.
Barn, says something about the marks by
which Mis-. Allen recognises her F." lost child"
lie also saws that Mrs. Allen states : all her
features A, d lountenance have totally changed
since thn e'-meanng when II was Md
manned would ask Mr. b. aud an iDtelll-
gent community. If such treatment as desc'ib'
ed above would not change Inc features "nd
Of pny person especially OIL NJ
tie child As 10 the marks, they CORRESPOND 81
singnlarly with the DISC rIpton gwen by ms
Allen, that think no doubt ought TO be lefi
upou a reasonabI. mind as TO the identity of
the child. Barnes says, ltt had been 'hs
child, (Whom at one time h. 1 oils EIlLH Ann
ii ndershot, and nj another, Ann henuer
shot) " with so much inielligeucs as II l. sta
led TO possess, she certainly would nave 'o'u
her name. The child expressly ays that She
was not always called Eliza Ann, bGl mat she
used to be called Susan aud moreover, she
says that her mother was called Mrs aDen
and strange as il NAV appear, she knows nothing
of any family called Henderson, These
declarations she has made 10 many, on being
questioned concerning her parentage. l have
put down uought in malice against Mr.. d.
but have related the cir cumstance as il IS spo
ken OF by every body and as have heard il
from the child, Mrs. Allen, and others 10
whom the Ihte girl has related it. His pre-
suming 10 come before the public, through
the medium Of a newspaper, in so saLctimane.
Gus communication, disgu'ted me and, be-
leving that the circumstances Of the cruel pun
ish,nent inflicted ON the child ought TO he
known wherever the story OF "the lost child"
has been heard. thought il but justice to give
a short sketch. hoping that all Editors who
have noticed this affair, will COPY this into
their respective papers, FAIR PLAY.
N. B. In ord'r that might be CORRECT, be-
yond douh', in all The allegations which
have brought forward in this communication,
A lr.rn To, sha At Jtgltt