Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-02-18
TIN = sa.FI.V.

anf, eff
bv the father and sister of the deceased girl
Flora T.. Stoddard, reported to have dieo OF
starvation at the hands of her hall-sls'er'
Me- George C. Has<ins of this place, some |
.ocopnt of which we gave in our issue OF
Ion % The following is the statement of
Mr.. stoddard in full;
NJ. sropDARD's STATEMENT.
Tho following is statement concerning |
INV daughters treatment while was WIN
hcSr Mt Mrs. Haskins': Flora was very |
Inn and wasted away so that did not
~ her when first saw her. had not |
hoard that she was sick until the day before, |
n little mast noon. | got line from Mrs
nanhna Dodge of Middlesex,. Mrs. Has
kins' own sister, SAYING tna' sne n.1 i. got
,hc doctor said she could not live more.
no., three or Our days, and Mrs. Haskins !
,,isbcd her 10 let me know how she was.
Mrs. Dodgc wanted me to come that way,
. -hc WAS going down there on Monday,
,,l wont with her. We arrived ut Mr.
iiosL ms about O'Clock p. NJ. | shook
I'D with Laura and kissed her, but she
iii NOT return the salutation. | felt at
ance that tue reception was unexpected and
unwelcomc Nevertheless, she treated me
veil while | stavcd-atter the first meal
sumner: beans, boiled without any meat,
sali or butter: graham bread wet with cold
water and shortened with damned potatoes,
and n howl OF raw apples). She made a
bowl of tea for Mrs. Dodge and me and set
on some sweet cakes and butter. The next.
morning got some pork and fried it, and
made some tea, biscuit, beans, potatoes,
apples. butter, etc She would get the
breakfast about o'clock A. NJ, and supper
nt2p.M ! went there Monday, the 9th of
Dee. Tuesday, It'll, Mrs. Haskins sent to
the market and got some fresh beef and
cooked it, and Thursday hight George
lIaskius brought home some sausage and
Friday morning she cooked it, and we all
partodl Of it but Clara, and she, poor child,
wanted some of 1t so bad that she would
have cried right out if she had dared 10.
Her mother told her She should not taste of
it, and said that Flora had got to 90 back on
her old diet as soon rs we were gone. She
said Flora came there sick, and had the
Canada Itch, and gave il TO her whole fam
iv. She said she did not know what she
had done that she must he afflicted with
such curse; il could never be cured. /
told her if had tie itch ! should go to
takinG sulphur and get some ointment and
cure it. While talking, l asked her what
doctor they had for Flora. She said II any
body wanted a doctor, they might get one
and pay him for it she should not. She
said when Flora first came there she was
very turbulent, but she had got her down
where she was quite passive. l saw she
was under the hammer, and l knew
ii would do no good to say word, for
it would only make it worse for Flora,
and | could not get anything from her,
only she had made up her mind to be pa
tient and not complain. She slept in a cold
room with slight covering. l went into
the room one morning to see her, and a
Iint tin cup sat on the window-sill, two
thirds full of ice; it was froze solid so it
was bulged in the cup. The door from the
kitchen to the bed room was opened lit
tie while in the morning and evening, but
it did not warm the room enough to make
any one comfortable if they We're up and
dressed, with an overcoat on. While
was there | did not see nor hear a wore
about any medicine of any kind for Flora
When rot there Mrs. Haskins told me sh
wrote to Mrs. Dodge and likewise 10 m,
daughter Emma at Mystic Bridge, Conn.
and she expected Emma there that evening
Also that she wrote to Inc at the same time
told her that no letter had come to Wor
cester for me, and l was satisfied by wha
she wrote to Mrs. Dodge and her appear
ance on my arrival that she was telling m
n ialsehood. When / came away Ii. ui'
morninr 10Th | told her j wished sll
would write often and let me KNOW no
Flora got along and she said she woult
but ! got no letter till the 3Oth Dec, an
that told me that Flora had been gradual
falling ever since 1 left, and that is the Las
from her; the next that / heard was fror
another, and | wrote line and sent Ellie
down with it, with directions what to d
and those are there now l suppose ] dl
not like Laura's treatment OF Flora, neithe
did Mrs Haskins offer me S25 and expens
es to take her away, but said she wisheC
she was off her hands. 1t is my firm be
lief that Flora died with slow starvation
consumpton-as our poor soldiers died il
Libby Prison, and Mrs. Haskins is a mos
notorious Tyre. The old hulk has got quit
number of sets of strings to it. If l hat
such an instrument l think l could pla.
the Devils Dream upon it. As for my tell
ing Laura Haskins that / was satisfied wit
her treatment, and telling her that Flor
would have better care taken of her Their
than she could have at home, is all down
right lie! | was short of money when
started from home. l had but IS of IN
own in the world, and asked Mr.. Haskin
if he would lend me $40 or S15. The nea
morning Laura handed me SO, and sal
George gave me that, and she gave me
to ride in the cars TO Montpelier, and then
miles in a wagon to Worcester. / Shout
have had her moved if had had the mean
but l was poor and a stranger,in the plac
not a person in town that knew; VIII
could do? Nothing. AS for Mr.. Ilaskii
| always took him to be a. kind-hearte
generous soul but his wife is atyrant, wea
the breeches and rules him with roo
iron. He Is too good a man TO spend h
i'i' WIZ" ' " j. NJ. SroDpARD.
Worcester, VT, Feb l, 1870.
STATEMENT OF ELLEN f. sToDDARD.
The statement of Ellen L. Stoddard
given in the Record and Farmer is mu,
more lengthy, and we are therefore not
BILE to publish it in full. We give the f
lowing extracts:
"In August Flora went to Laura's mi
10 .FN
vember l started for my home in Worct
ter, VT, and thought j would stop in Brs
tleboro a week or two to see Flora, as pc
haps ii would be my last chance to see h
very soon. Surprising all the while I'll
Laura and were on the best of terms
knew not, nor do not know to this da
what she was offended at me for"
Then follows an account of the mann
Of her reception by Mrs. Haskins and
the treatment she received while the
which, according TO her statement were
the most abusive character; also a desert
ton of the food supplied for the tab
which was of the plainest sort and unsc
soDed.
''She also said that she had very GO
cow that was the greatest tenn ptation to FL
IA she had, and she Immediately sold ht
Shortly after breakfast the morning aft
got tnefe, Laura commenced lecturl
me about things that happened about nj
wears ago, when was a child, accusing /
of living about her and everything me
that she could think OF. Wishing S
hadn't any relation, they had all lied abo
her and used her very hard. She talk
so much that sho excited Flora to tea
and | told her ! did not care how mu
she said ii she would only take me out
the hearing of Flora She replied angri
that she would not have me order her
her house. When | was II years {
/ went to live with Laura Haskins. sta
about four months, and during that tn
she kept horsewhip handy and wheI
did the least thing that did not suit her s
would horsewhip me so that ! would c;
nv the marks of the whip on my arm +
or three days at time. Besides this mo
of treatment she, for change, won
knock me, not very gently, on the side
the head, besides giving me occasionally
very ungraceful plunge TO the other side
the room. She told me many things tina
had done while there and how good S
was to me, and she said she never COZ
own me even as friend again"
This is followed by an account of j
o.. .,iait Ian 9Th of har aieftion fro