The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-12-21

Cincinnati upon an old lady by her children
of which VIC published something some
days since--has been made The subject oil
investigation BY Committee of Methodist
clergYmen; and 10 the disgrace OF humanity
we rcgre, 10 say that i, is found TO be true.
We find the folio. ing summary OF the facts
proved IN the Cincinnati Times. 1t is
scarcely possible 10 conceive ANYTHING more
barbarous or unnatural. |, is alleged 10 de-
fence, but not proved, that the old lady was
insane put even il this DC true. it rather
aggravacs than palliaies the horrible crime:
To be brief rs possible. and 10 give in II
condensed form, the facts addaccd 10 sus-
/ tain the allegations ngains, the accused, and
which were 70, successfully coniradicted or
satisfactorily disprovcd by Witnesses for The
dcience-iI appears that. abou, the 18th of
July last. II became known 10 certain per-
sons residing in the same ncighborhood in
this city, that women named Stibbs. who
was niaeiy: fve years old, was lying at the
utterly miserable a condition, that the scene
almost dciits description. According 10
! the evidence adduced, this wretchtd woman.
whose iolierins limbs ben, beneath the bur
den of nearly an hundred years. was confin.
ed by lock and key in disGIa room. from
which she was seldom allowed 10 escape.
amid the most loalhsomc and disgraccful oh
jccts that the mind of man can conceive. il
appears that she was brought and left ei.
ther in the alley b., or The piszzt TO, the
house. during heavy fall of rain; and when.
al different lines afterwards. she was visit
ed IN the room above mentioned. By neigh.
boring men and womer, her situation is de-
scribed by the witnesses as being horrible
10 the last degree. To Use the language
of tho witnesses themselves III describing it:
--Shc was stretched upon her back on n
black, ragged matirass, with no bed.ciohes
for covering but a ragged quil;--cr head
resting on dirty, black pilow--her feeble
bo'iy partially clad in iatrered garments
her matted hair completely filed with dis.
gushing vermin.
When Mrs. Coppin went TO see this
the house locked. and no ore badc her en-.
ter when she knocked. She heard heart
rending gruans, aid was determined 10 e.
feet an entrance INTO The room where Mrs.
S,ibbs lay suffering which she finally ac-
complishrd by going through an sentry
way" When the unhappy :uvalid saw her.
she stretched her trembling arms toward
heaven and blessed Cod for sending her
,ltlverer She seized and hell her hand
with dealh.liks grasp. ard implored her
acknowledged ihai she nigh, be sent
20 the roor-ilouse--,oid her sufferincs, and
prayed that they might be alcvialcd. 4
small gill entered the room. and Mrs. Coz
pin inquired Of her who took care Of the IN.
valid the lutte girl answered that .nobodv
took care Of her," An irish servant eiri
also came in, and expressed grea, delight
that Mrs. Cop. in had come 10 relieve Mrs.
SiIbbs who. she said. was abused most
dreadfully--bu, she was afraid 10 make i,
known abroad.
On subsequent occasion, when this wit.
ness visited tic place, the poor. furnishing
old lady asked her son for at apple. and was
told in reply that she did no, want any. She
also desired 10 90 10 The fire but tney re.
piled that she did not want TO GO to the fire
that she wru!d only tumble about if she
attempted 10 10 So.
The weather was then cold and uncom-
fortoble, Still he Old lady was clothed in
rnss. Her dress was zone from her knees
downward and the sleeves from below her
elbows. When her son-in.i,w, Rev. Rob
erI Richardson, was told tina, unless better
. care was taken oil his mother in.law, she
would die, he is represented 10 have said.
'Let her die then /; she is old, and has lived
long enough -
| The son'in'law, the son, and several Of
her daughters, were repeatedly d, sired to
Contribute 10 the relief Of their furnishing
mother. they refused and neglected 10 do so:
/ one answering that he had done enough Cor
her already another, that she could not Wis
II her, on account of n sore fooi--nor would
she PERM, her children 10 her assistance 4;
another, that, "somc people wero always
meddl,Dg with the business of others--ihat
they were fools and would get no thanks"
NC. Al one time, when the mother asked
for fool, the children denied il 10 her /;
whcrcupon she exclaimed several times. in
agony OF spirit, they disown me, they dis
own me :"
But though the distress of the mother was
unheeded and unalleviated by her sons and
daughters, the sympalhies of plying s,ran-
gers at length compelled the la,er 10 pro.
vide for Mrs. Siibbs more decent and
comfortable subsistence. she was finally
clothed and fed. and well cared for. The
hair was shaved from her head. and the yer
min destroyed with morcurial ointment.
| Mrs. Slibbs is now dead. and her troubles
and sufar:nzs. whatever they we're, nre all
forgotten. She lived IN grief--she died ip