The native American., 1838-04-21
From he Baltimore Sun.

court yesterday, MONDAY the 5Hl lnslahD lhc
investigation of which has developed facts of
such a revolving nature, 10 make humanity
shudder, and the Christian TO wonder, that al
summary Judgment of Heaven has not been visited
upon the demon who perpetrated il. We will
detail the facts as they were fully proven by the
evidence on both sides of the question, without
detailing the minutia of the nterrogatories of the
learned counsel on both sides, by which these
facts were elected
Some years since an infant female child was
found abandoned upon the highway, known by
the name of the York Road, about 22 miles from
the city. She was taken care of at the time BY
some OF the hospitable neighbors but recently she
had fallen into the hands of John B. Iyier and
his wife, Rebecca Jane Tyler. These persons,
so far from treating her with that kind and foster
ing care her forlorn situation demanded have pun
ished her, for trivial faults, in manner that
would disgrace the most heartess savage. The
girl is now about eight or nine years OF age, but
is singularly intelligent, and has, for her age, re-
markabe views of the sacred obligations of an
oath. On this point, she closely examined
by the court; and her statements can. therefore.
be relied upon as correct. She stated, in an art
less, but connected manner, that she had lived
with Mr.. and Mrs. Tyler . ever since the flow
ers were;' by which she, in her unconscious poe
try, designated the opening of the spring. When
she first went to live with them. her treatment,
she said, good; but afterwards Mrs. Tyler
got sick, and then she was treated cruelty. Mr..
Tyler, on one occasion, threw her IN the spring
in the coldest weather. and another tied her up,
with a thick rope by the wrist; and suspended
her thus, her toes barely touching the ground, |
from breakfast until dinner time merely because
she could not get her shoes on. This is the
amount of cruelty proved against him, and on
every other occasion he had treated her with
kindness; but the conduct of his wife has proved
her demon incarnate.
She, as was stated before, at first treated the
child with some degree of kindness, but after
wards being sick, she became irritable and gave
way to her demoniac spirit. For trivial offences
(for what offence could child Of that age commit
that was not trivia!) she would pull the hair out
of her head beat her with cane, sometimes
with rope, and at others with the tongs. Butt
the most flagitous act of cruelty that has ever
been revealed, remains yet to be told. The
child, among other household duties too severe
for her age, had made fire, and placed tea
kettle over it; $ Dutch oven,'' was also after
wards placed there by her Mistress who then
laid down in the bed which was in the same room
She became offended at the girl. (lor what il does
not appcar) and struck at her. the girl run out of
her reach, and she jumped from the bed, seized
the child, and threac her IN The fire; then she
dragged her out, and pulling up her clothes seated
her BARE up0n the heated Dutch oren No one
was present to witness this diaboIica act; her
husband was out at work; the neighbors seldom
visited her; the poor infant, with her flesh raw,
fostering and creating agony with every move
ment, was yet compelled to do work about the
house. This, nature could not long withstand:
she was soon laid upon her bed-bed! no, not
bed; pile of straw upon the floor matted with
o,d-,1 ,1rrn Jafh h,y, - f..
days, she was found by Mrs. Doxen, a lady of
the neighborheod, who had often before compass
sionately called to see Mrs Tyler, because she
was sick. When that lady entered, the almost
perishlng child called to her to come near and
give her something to eat She gave her cake
supposng 1t the mere cravings of a child in sick
ness; but it was devoured ravenously, for it was
all the food the little innocent had tasted for more
than a day. This excited that ladv's curiosity.
and she inquired what allied the child The an
swer was, by Mrs. Tyler, that she had been
scalded by the upsetting of tea-kete; and that
she, Mrs. f., chad almost killed herself bv wait
ing on her. Twas the falsehood of conscious
guilt, as will be shown by the sequel Mrs. Dox-
en- doubted the story; for she had been previously
apprised that there was something wrong going
on in the house, and appearances confirmed her
suspicious. The little girl earnestly soliciting to
be removed from the house, three or four of the
surrounding farmers came, at Mrs. i. IS request
and carried her to that lady's house. There, she
carefully examined, and her wounds proper
ly dressed; but what spectacle did she present
"a child scarcely nine years old, with her head
almost bald from the hair being plucked out bv
the roots her arm broken; ulcers, deep and breed
ing vermin, on the burned parts of her body;
and one of her heals burnt off! 1t is no wonder
that the learned and talented gentlemen who were
assigned by the Court for the defence, merely
would suggest probable defence of such hei-
nous atrocty; the evidence was too clear, too pal
pable, to admit doubt of the facts as stated bv
the wretched victim of this internal cruelty; and
though, as bounden in duty, they took advantage
of every loop whereon to hang doubt, they
could not raise an objection to the evidence great
er than that the person accused of the principal Of
fence was a woman and mother. The child is
not yet recovered from the effects of the treat
ment' and at every movement writhes with
agony.
The Court, considering that the child was in
the light OF an apprentice to Mr.. TYLER and that
he had right to inhct moderate punishment
upon her, looked upon his conduct as merely an
over-exercise of his authority and common as,
sault and battery: he was, therefore. fined < daJ
lars and costs. The conduct of Mrs ,r,lou -