The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-05-27
THE IOURNAL.
..WELL mn SIZE Died"


at was a little girl swo-and-a-halfl
years old-a bright pretty little
thingn
So q frined informed US the other
dav rs I've paused to see a little /
coffin, carried down the steps Of a |
house on the opposite side OF the |
street and put in hearse, when |
with q few carriages, waited by the |
curbstODe.
he remarked.
We asked Why, and ifhe knew the
family2
Then he told us all about it.
aShe was sweet little thing, he
said. sand not bit bad, like some
children. In fact a child of that
age can't be bad knowingly. How
any one-especially the parents
could so much as speak harsh word
to the child, I can't conceive; but
the truth is, the poor little thing was
actually abused by the father and
mother. They are respectable peo-
pie, good neighbors, and all that, but
they had stern way Of dealing with
that child that looked like downright
cruelty Of heart. l have mildly re-
monstrated with them myself, but
they said they did not believe in be-
ing too easy with children. They are
strict church members Of the old or
thodox school and still cling to that
severe puritanic discipline calculat-
ed to make the lives Of children SO
dull and gloomy instead of bright
and gay. A little child of that one 5
age does not always understand
what is required of it, and cannot al
ways give satisfaction. 1t is not to
be wondered at that in the course Of
every day an exacting mother could
find some subject for complaint in
the ehild's conduct. The most tri-
fling Offense Of the little creature was
certain to secure for it, at the hands
ofits father who was regularly in
formed of its shortcomings, not a
mere scolding, but a beating. Some
times he varied the punishment by
shutting the frightened little girl up
in dark closet. have known the
mother. the moment the father en-
tered the house, in the evening, to
commence with some complaint
which she had already threatened,
90 the terror of the poor child-of
some trifing short-coming and urge
him to punish the child, which he
would always do, and nearly every
evening instead of a smile or a kiss
from papa, anger and bodily pun
ishment, were to be expected, in full
filment of threat of I'll tell your
father Oh youp from the mother.
Shocking as this may seem, and bit
terly as they may feel it now, it is
true, and any one familiar with the
family will tell you the same thing.
The other night that disease which
is considered such relentless enc
my of children, but which in this
case was an angel of mercy-the
croup-came suddenly and carried
her off. I am really glad the child
has passed beyond the reach Of
their cruelty and gone to rest,
The little coffin was placed care
fully in the hearse, which then NOV
cd on a little way to make room and
wait for the carriages. We saw the
mourners and anumber Of neighbors
getting into them to follow the dead
child to its last resting place; we
particularly noted the father and
mother-the former a large stern
looking but well dressed man, the
latter tall woman dressed in black,
and whose face dimly seen through
thick black veil, looked as though
she had been weeping bitterly
through the long night, probably
with recollection of the wrongs it
was too late to atone for-but our
eyes would continually wander for
ward to the sombre vehicle in which
we had seen them place the tiny
rosewood box, and SO long as the
procession was in sight, we could
not help gazing wistfully after it,
thinking of a tender and snesative
flower whose lot had been cast
among thorns-of a small, still white
face surrounded with silken curls-
of the little girl who had gone to rest.