Nebraska advertiser., 1880-12-23
WILLIE, THE WAIF.
The Short and Sad Story Of One Of the
Many Orphans Shipped from the
Slunls Of the Great Cities.

Dss Moines Register, Dec. 2.
A death occurred few days ago at
Cottage Hospital which requires more
than a passing notice, it being the end
of young life that had evidently known
little else but bitterness from the time
his eyes opened on the wickedness of
this world till they closed in death at
the excellent home of mercy named. In
order TO have the sympathetic reader
fully posted as TO the ''shOrt and simple
annals" filled with wretchedness rs
they were, of the little boy whose his
tory is here chronicled, it will be neccS-
sary to 90 back To the month of August,
1879. About that period. as chronicled
in the Register at the time, reports had
been prevalent in the neighhorhood of
Bloomfield township, across in the edge
of Warren county, of repeated beatings
and other cruelty administered To an
orphan boy shipped west some time pre-
viouS from the New York Home for the
Friendless, by farmer who had the lad
in charge. These whippings had be-
come so severe that the boy had conclu-
ded to run away. and August IA he was
discovered hiding in the barn of MIR. L.
W. Parker, living three miles south of
this citv. That open-hearted gentleman,
although having quite family of his
own, and some of them young and
helpless, too, determined, after putting
thelbov's story to the rumOrs he had
heretofore heard, to take charge of the
lad and see what kind treatment would
do for the fatherleSs and mOtherlesS ur-
chin. Accordingly, Mr.. Parker brought
the boy to the city for the purpose OF
getting him some decent clothing, and
indeed the child needed them, for his
little garments were complete mass
of rags and dirt The pants were those
of a grown man, with the legs cut short
and covered with patches, and his feet
were shoeless. MIR. Parker, while pass
ing the REGISTER office that evening, on
his way to get the clothing, dropped in
with the boy, who seemed very intelli-
gent looking, and while he said he was
II wears of age, he looked to be nOmOre
than eight, so stunted in growth. He
said he came from New York some six
years previous, with Miss Albright,
who took him out of the home for the
friendleSs. He said his name was Will
lie Seaman, that he remembered living
in Williamsburg east Brooklyn with
a Mrs. Riqua, and remembered seeing
his mother once, when she left him in a
poor house. He claimed that after COM
inc west he lived with a family beyond
the poor farm but was treated cruelty,
and ran away about four years ago, 60
inc to Warren county. During his res
idence at the latter place he said he had
received numerous beatings, frequently
with a buggy whip, and sometimes with
pieces of harness. He had whippings
so often that he had no idea of the num-
Der, and was terribly treated for run
ming away several times. The day pre-
viOus the farmer with whom he was
stopping was in pursuit of him, and
threatened to send him to the reforI61
school, although he was known among
the neighbors as an average good bog.
The lad had been employed doing chores,
washing dishes, Scrubbing, etc.
Subsequently the farmer who had the
young lad in charge appeared in the
Register in communication, explain
ing his treatment of the boy, which
many accepted as true. A spicy CORE
spOndence passed at the time between
Mr. Parker and the man who was
charged with cruelty to the boy, which
our readers may remember, Mr.. Parker
citing various instances of cruelty,
which the farmer endeavOred to explain
away. After stopping with Mr.. Parker,
the lad came to Des Moines; subsequent
ly, during the winter, went to Chicago.
Isl h. af
living on the little money he had, he
with another boy slept in a vacant Gel
lar, and there it was he caught the cold
that finally resulted in death. At last
he and another worked their way back
TO DeS Moines, riding in a corn car, half
suffocated; food gave out, but some
whisky which they obtained kept them
up. Subsequently he answered an adj
vertisement of MIR. Perkins, of the
Eclipse coal company, and lived IN his
house, doing chores and proving him
self a splendid and willing boy, only
Directing to 90 to school. At one time
he got too sick to do this kind of work
and took a position under Supcrintend-
ent Smith, of the Western Union office.
as telegraph boy. Next be went to
COpperStone, the fancy notion dealer,
on Walnut street. All this latter time
he boarded with Mrs. Gale, corner of
Fifth and Locust streets. He was a
great favurite in the house, and would
drag himself to work when hardly able
todreSS himself. Mrs. Gale wanted to take
care Of him when he fell sick, but he
thought best to 90 TO the hospital. He
was a great faVorite there, too, and very
patient in mis- illness Everybody loved
him, and the ladies of Cottage Hospital
attended to his wants even more cale-
fully and conscientiously, if possible,
than usual. But the disease, pneumo-
MIA and heart disease, overmaStered all
efforts to save him, and his troubled lit
tie soul took its flight to meet the moth
er he had never known on earth. The
funeral occurred several days ago, Rev.
Mr.. Jencks, of the Episcopal church,
performing the sad and lonely services.
Knowing neither father nor mother in
life, and getting but kicks and cuffs
through existence up to the last few
months previous to his death, it can in
deed be said that Gods hand reached
out in this extremity to rescue the or
phan from probably further misery and
may be crimes, toward which such life
as he was leading pointed with unfail-
ing finger.
How the Supreme Court is Opened.
Washington Star.
To begin with, there is a decree of