The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-14

THE Norwich (CoNN.) STARVATION CASE
The telegraph mentioned on Saturday morning,
the case of man named Charles Williams,
in Norwich, Conn, who was alleged to have
starved his child, a girl of thirteen years of
age, and also gave a brief account of some
disturbance which had arisen in the neighbor-
hood in consequence of the affair. A long ar
tcle in the Norwich Bulletin gives the follow
ing additional particulars:
The child. who is a girl near thirteen years,
named Eunice, called eagerly for water, anu
when it was given her drank with such aVidlty
to astonish the beholders she stated 10
them that she had been without looo OF ufihk
for forty-eight hours. she M.tS t1Aeh iiUo her
fathers house, when Mr.. Wililams appeared
and ordered the gentlemen VINO carried her to
Ieaya fine premises, The child's statements
howeyer and her pitiable condition, led them
To send for Selectman Case to investigate the
mater The facts divulged showed treatment
So inbuman that Mr.. Case ordered the child to
be taken to a neighbours where she might be
kindly treated. MIR. Williams objected. hut
an intimation that criminal process in his
case might be procured, led him to withdraw
his objections. 3D..
From the child's story and her fathers own
admission, 1t seems that for three weeks she
has been confined to room, part of the time
10 o closet some eight feet long by two WIDE
with no food but one bowl OF Cruel per day,
and that for forty-eight hours she had been
without food or drink of any kind whatever
ana forbidden to speak to her father. Almost
starved, the poor child made an attempt to es-
cape which resulted in her delverance. Her
story is borne out by her physical appearance,
she having been reduced from blooming,
healthy child to a mere skeleton, while on her
feet are chilolains that the doctor pronounced
the worst that he had ever seen. She had on
nothing but thin night clothes when she es-
capped
ar Williams justification of himself was
that he was determined to break the chlld's
spirit. as she was stubborn and would not
work with aIacrity his theory being that the
proper way to manage a child is to subdue it
when Young. His housekeeper also complain
ed that the child did not work steadily A
Mr. Williams however, admitted that the
child has committed no serious fault and it is
supposed in the neighborhOod that the treat
ment may have been the result of the child
having expressed opinions as to other family
matters. Mr. Williams is an ardent Spiritual
list, and entertains peculiar notions to on many
subjects which are not acceptable to his neigh
bors.
On Thursday evening the excitement be-
came SO intense that crowd of some 200 per-
sons, evidently bent on violence, assembled in
front of Williams house and broke down the
door. Williams appeared in the entry, armed
with an axe for the purpose of self-detence.-
The crowd commenced an assault upon him,
when he rushed out of the house-having re-
celyed a severe blow under the eye from club
and took refuge in the store of Sherman q
Dennison. 49, -.5 1lAll
The crowd pursued, and affairs were looking
squaly for Williams who was attempting to
defend himself with the ak, when Selectman
Case and others interfered, and after some ex-
postulation induced the crowd to retire. Sub
sequently Williams and the housekeeper were
brought down town on complaint for break
ing the peace and put in charge of the police.
A legal investigation of the whole affair will
be commenced at once