The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-03-02
Horrible Cruelty to a Child.

The Philadelphia Bulletin. of the 18th,
gives the particulars of case of habeas
corpus in relation to the custody of a child,
which recently came up before Judge
Thompson in that city, which in brutality
and cruelty upon the part of the parents is
unequaled in the annals of human de-
Ipravity. r ,.s -..... -.r-
From the testimony before the Court, it
appeared that G. B. Hammer and wife
were the parents of sprightly little boy
about six years of age, named Charles
John Hammer. He was born out of wed
lock, and at the age of few months was
abandoned by his parents and placedin the
almshousc. From this institution he was
taken by family in Berks county, total
strangers to the child, and kept until last
Christmas. The parents of the little boy
married a short time after his birth, but
made no attempt to re claim their offspring
until few weeks ago, when they obtain
ed him from the family who had thus far
nurtured and supported him.
AS soon as the parents obtained his
custody, a systematic course of torture
was commenced, which makes every feel
ing of humanity shudder within our ma
ture. He was starved to such degree,
although his parents were in easy circum-
stances, that he ''picked up the crumbs OF
bread and the seeds from pies that fell up
) on the floor while the girls who worked for
Mrs. Hammer were eating their dinners.
He would eat the hard crusts found in the
, yard, and when spoken too about it, would
, reply that he was SO hungry that he could
eat anything. He was whipped SO un-
) mercifully that black stripes as thick as a
| woman's fore finger were all over his
body"
For an accident that will sometimes
happen to children, he was taken into a
shed, stripped naked in the coolest wealth
er of the season, and soused with cold wa
ter from hydrant, until he was almost
, perishing, and then whipped severely and
: put behind the stove, wrapped up in a
3 sheet for hours. His mother struck him
over the head with a board with such
/ force as to raise lump as large as a wal
. nut. His father took him out Of bed
e while asleep, and hogged him severely
with a shoe, as the mother told one of the
witnesses, for five minutes. The child's
cries were heard by the witnesses, and his
b artless appeals, ''Oh father don't whip
= me any more and will be good boy -
+ were totally disregarded.
s His mother would take him by the head
: spin him around like top, until he be-
: came giddy, then permit him to fall will
n his head against the wall, and strike hin
d first on the one side of the face and ther
IS on the other for crying. The same moth
: er has put him out of doors in the seve
:, rest weather, but thinly clad, and com
e PEELED him to stay in the yard for an houl
d and half at time, until he became sc
$. cold as to be unable to walk. She woule
i threaten to beat him to death for calling
Re her mother, and would frequently knocl
n him down. 4.-. ..
. But the greatest torture, and thatwhicl
&c aroused the indignant feelings of the youns
lo1 IL, 6, IA
u the resort of that mother to hot irons
with which she scared and burnt the aesl
of her child. According to the testimo
= ny, Mrs. Hammer picked up hot fatiron
to and said "come here, Johny, til I irol
II you OUT" The child replied ooh no
le mother, it will burn me- She thel
placed the iron first against one cheek ant
l. then the other, put it against his hand
n ran it up and down his legs, and conclu
S, ded by opening his pantaloons, and hold
le ing it against his naked flesh until it burn
:. the skin off. In this condition he wa
d found when taken out of their possessio,
N by good Samaritan named Mary Anl
d Lewis, woman of middle age, who ha
heard of the parents cruelty, and tool
u measures to relieve the child from thei
e barbarity.
Mrs. Lewis stated to the Court that af
r ter she heard of the child's tortures sh,
ID could not sleep at night, and felt it to b.
d her duty to rescue him. She and anothe
h lady hunted up the young ladies VIII
E. worked for Mrs. Hammer They did no
i wish to testify against Mr.. and Mrs. Ham
n mer, as they would lose their places a
l. tailoresses, and one of them said sh
a would be out of work. Mrs. Lewis re
d piled "Never fear, God is merciful God
Ill and he will provide for your wants" TIL
IN young ladies at length agreed to testify
le and they did SO with tears in their eyes.
N Do that if You Can.
,at After an action between the Englisl
and Dutch fleet, news arrived that peac
had been made between the two countries
: Whereupon the sailors Of the fleets bega
;. to show off feats of agility and strength
+lo of A Drtnh 1o