Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-02-05

A New Orleans Msalatfo Strips His Child
II ~, and Whips Her TO Death. ,
New Orleans Picayune. +

Fi4aa-to New Orleans Pcayune.
The brutal instincts of the ignorant
negro illustrated themselves last even
ing at o'clock, when a father perform
/ ing, as he says, his parental duty, lash
ed his child, a girl II years old, with a
leather belt which be wears around
his waist, and chastised her until she
expired. - "at H ''f e." -.ar
I This brutal parent is mulatto, nam
ed Riley johnson, residing at No. 81 Re
liglous street, and a float driver in the
emDloy Of J. *. Burdeaux. .. a.r.
yesterday morning his daughter Ma
ria, who IS, as stated above, ONLY y
years Of age. stole So from her mother.
Maria JOhson, and ran off. In the eve
ming her mother found D er in the vicin-
lty of the Dryades market. She took
her to her home and tied her to a cot in
her room. ah.. g.. s,..,t.,.. ...f d. br,
When Riley, the father, returned
home from his daily work he found the
girl tied as her mother had left her.
he inquired the cause, and was inform
ed by bis wife OF their daughters theft.
lie said nothing. but after. his wife had
left thereon and gone across the street.
where she is employed, his paternal in
dignity aroused ITSELF, and he ordered
the girl to strip herself. Taking from
his waist his leather belt, he began to
chastise her, and according to his own
statement, must have whipped her for
fifteen Or twenty minutes. 8;Har
AS. soonras'he JceaseG he discovered
that under the cruel lash the child had
tainted. He placed her ona chair and
called IN q neighbor named Mrs. Rus
sell. AS the woman entered he told her
that the girl had tainted, but the wo-
man Russell, replied, 'No, she is dead !"
and went over to notify the childs
mother. "2HF #9r'aT3!@ a, .....
In the meantime Riley dressed his
daughter, who had just expired under
his brutal punishment, and placed, the
lfeless corpse in +, the same cot to
which she was tied when he chastised
her. ,-.
The mother, upon entering the room
and discovering her dead child, gave ex-
preston to her griefby cries of lamen-
tatlons, attracting the neighbors and the
police, and Riley was Immediately ar
rested and lncarcerated ID the Second
precinct station. ...... -.t,1.. aa. .s..
The body of>the murdered girl pre-
scented a most frightful appearance when
seen by a reporter Of the Picayune who
called at the place upon hearing of the
disgraoeful affair. s1a 4ogsL
1t is lacerated from head to foot and
though none of the terrible blows inAct-
ed by the strong arm Of the father, who
q StD nd ri y
blood to flow, the body was all bruised
and swollen, showing the terrible chas-
tisement which the girl was subjected
TO and which caused her death.
The bruises were not at first seen, but
upon the arrival Of the police the clothes
with which the father had clad his child
after her death were removed by Cor
poral Murphy, revealing the terrible
condition of the unfortunate girls BODY.
iRlley's wife, Maria, declares that
when she. entered the room Riley In
his passiQnsaid, with an oath: Yes, |
have killed her" But he denies that,
and says that when he called in the
nelghbor, the woman Russell, and told
her that the girl had tainted, she replied.
"No; she is dead, and at that time, as
his vile was entering the room, answer
ing the woman Russell, he said: "Yes,
[ believe have killed her"
Riley does not deny whipping the
child. He SAYS that after chastising her
she ''sort of tainted away" and when
''she commenced looking curious" he
called Mrs. RUSSELL. He placed her in
the bed and '"she went off, ,..5r
The girl, he says, had run away from
home several times, and no later than
Tuesday last stayed away twenty-four
hours. He whipped her the last time
about eight months since, and from the
neighbors it was learned that on that
occasion, on the Goth Of June, he kicked
her over the eye and inflicted a wound
the scar of which is still visible. He
denies. having kicked her, but said he
might have struck her there. .sg
The affair has created quite an uproar
among the colored people who reside in
that neighborhood, and as soon as the
news of the child's fate WAS spread the
house was filled with friends and stran-
gers attracted by the curiosity so COM
mon with negroes on the occasion Of a
violeat death Of any of their race