The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-02-04
Stories of the Children.
OF THEIR TERRIBLE LIFE
IN THE SHEPHERDS FOLD.

IN THE SHEPHERDS FOLD.
One Child who was Pounded by the
Rev. MIR. Cowley for Not Ironing
his Shirts Properly =. Pickin: uI
Apple Cores and Pieces Of Bread
III the Street .. Beaten with q
Peker--Locked up III Dark Closet.
-.Hungcr.
l.NcW York Sun, January30.l
The Supreme Court room, one Of the largcs
in the Courthouse, was crowded yesterday
forenoon when Justice loliahuc took his sea-
10 continue the inquiry into the conduct d
the Shepherd s Fold. In the audience were
many ladies and elderly gentlemen. Super
vcnticno Of Cruelty to Children, brought in sis
little girls representing lambs from the Fold
The shepherd, the Rev. Edward Cowley, diJ
not appear. There WAS 4 great deal OF curl
oSity about his appearance. He has only
been In court Once-un Saturday last. Hin
personal appearance Is not engaging. A deer
furrow that starts back Of his noStrils runs
downward behind his mouth. This throws
out the lower part Of his face in bold relief
II is dark, the upper lip Is long and straight
and the mouth Is square cut. His eyes arc
deep set, orcrhung by heavy brows. His fore
head is low aud he is bald.
After the days hearing, two pictures, con.
trusting Louis Victor MS he entered the Fold
II stout, handsome boy. and as he was carried
from IL to st. Lukc'S Hospital, crnaciitcd to 4
skeleton, witliercd and old with misery and
starvation, were passed about from hand IL
hand. and viewed with The deepest Interest
by all in the courtroom. They awoke hot
Indignation among the ladies especially. The
question was frequently asked: VIII tho
child, Louis Victor, live? 2" YES" Mr.. Jen.
kinS replied. ut is now hoped that he will
He Is slowly recovering"
EXJUEGE FULLERTON wITHDEAwS.
Ex-Judgc Fullerton, MS soon us court was
opened, made an effort to check further pro.
cccdlngs in the way Of testimony Oy announc'
ing that the counsel tor the Fold were entire.
~ willing that an order should be issued con.
signing the care and custody of the children
to whoIpsoercr the court might approve,
They had no desire 10 continue the proceed
ings, and hoped the prosecution would be
content with achieving the avowcd purpose
OF removing tile children without taking any
more testimony. If the investigation wcntor
for n week or ten days more It's result, so 1ul
ut least rs this court was concerned, would
bc simply what the defence now proposed tc
accede TO. and he thought this inquiry haG
gone far enough. If it continued, 1t would
call in question the names OF persons that had
better be ontittctl, and only serve to bring
out things which shoul1 not be made public
MIR. DeIaficld retortcd that when the Rev
Mr.. Cowl"y was proceeded against he threat
cned To prosecute tor perjury the preSiden,
OF the Society for the Prevention or Cruelty
TO Children, and TO sue for libel the ncwspu'
perS that exposed the hideous condition d
affairs In his institution. When his counsel
came into court he declared that he courted
the fullest INVESTIGATION. wen now the con
ceS>lon offered was In no spirit of pcnitencc
but merely Il proposition that the order sng'
gcstcd should be issued By consent, which he
opposed, believing that tho cnormitics OF the
Shepherds Fold should be fully exposed.
EHoJuuge Fullerton replied that IL was moi
| nrnnnGpI In trt. ~. lttnt rU,tt 1... ~,Nxl sInA IL
was not intended that the order should issue
by consent, but upon the testimony already
taken. which ne was willing to admit Was
conclusive. what more" he asked. doe.
Inc gentleman want me to say than that he
has made out his case and is entitled To his
order? ! certainly wish to avoid any further
investigation, and think the public good and
the pubic mor0ls will be benefited by stop
ping it,
Justice Donohuc decided to leave to the dis
crction or The prosecution when TO apply fol
the order. and permit them to nuke GU
Whatever ctsethcy might deem proper. Judge
associate counsel. The investigation wen,
on.
A TwELvE.IEAR-OLD CuILD'S DRY
The first witness called was Lizzie Hunter, &
bright little girl, who wns promp IN her re-
pies. her evidence was as follows:
~ am Twelve years old; have been with Mr.,
to~ley since j.! was little. l only remember
49, 'tNehSA NSu 1 WIS lllllc. i CUuluH l. TEL
hcr II 1 saw her now, but l could when | wa,
niue. don't know where she Is now. ] was
with Mrs. Skinner when the shepherds FolC
was broken up in Sixticth street, and Mr.
SowieE was In Il house In Sixty-ffth street
When I was with Mrs. Skinner / attended the
Fiity-scrcnth street school. One day l wus
going home to my dinner from the school nnd
~ The school gate Mrs. Cowley caught hold
o. me ana said: Mrs; Skinner says YOU are
going TO n picnic. and l want to make you n
new dress to wear TO the picnic, and she says
.or you to come along with lnc.' She held
inc ny The wrist so that | couldn't get away
cried, and Il crowd gathered around, butts IN,
ned on TO me and put ME on the cars at tho
corner OF Fifty-screnth street. and took INT
down to Foriy-nlnth street to house there
where Mr.. Cowley came afterward, and they
had their Fold there. In the car Mrs. Cowlcy
said TO me: I'm going to bring you TO Il nice
place, and III take you on II picnic She said
Mrs. Skinner said ! must 20 with her. ! said
! wanted 10 30 back to school. They never
let me so back 10 the school agnin. l WA
sent TO tic FiIty-f1rst street school, but wa
sent away from there because ! had a sore
faee-a ringwOrm. | liked 1t at first at Mr..
Cowlcy's. blu; nftcrwardl didn't like it. ran
away three times. and each time | was taken
back. Mr.. Cowley has thrown me down on
the marble floor OF the hall, and held me be-
tween his legs and whipped me with Il switch,
/ had TO clean the cellar and the closet down
there, and the lille children, and wash the
very dirty clothes from the nursery every
morning, and I had to slit the ashes OF the
, house and put them out. l have seen Mr.
Cowlcy treat other girls badly. ] have seer
him kick Emma Bowman and slap her over
the face. And l have seen him take q sky
rocket stick that was shot OF and break Ii
over Lilly llaweS. And l have seen him kick
Charley Fox with his boots. lie has locked
up Emma Cowlcy and Fanny McCurdy.'
Testimony that followed as to the conduct o!
the boy inmates cannot be printcd.)
THE SM1KE OF THIS D~oTuEDoY's HALL.
Fanny McCurdy was the next witness. She
is a tall, thin, plain-looking girl, with n
weary, dull expression OF face. Her hands are
crumpcd, bent II knObby from the hard
work to which she has been forced. She was
like the "Slnikc' Of Dickens Dotheboy's
Hail. She testified II am fifteen years old
l first went TO the Fold ten years ago, when II
was in FQrty-cighth street. Iwcnt from there
TO SiStieth street, then from there to Sixty,
fifth street, then to Forty-ninth street, and
then back 10 SiXtieth street, always with Mr.
Cowlcy, and was in the Fold on Sixtietl
street up to the time | was brought into court
There were no servants In the Fold. l did th(
cooking and washing and ironing. and keep
the lower hall and kitchen clean, and attend.
Ell to the furnace. l did the cooking for the
whole household, including the children. Mr.,
and Mrs. C0wlcy and Mrs. Ferris. / WASHED
Mondays. Wednesdays, Fridays and Satur.
days, and irOned Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays, The washing included all of Mr.
and Mrs. Conveys clothing. l slept In the
nursery with the little children. There was
no furniture there but bcds-iron beds. Eacl
bed had a straw mattress. two sheets and two
thin blankets-no pillows. There WAS nc
light in the nursery ut night: No night cloth
es we've furnished to the children. When any
of the little children were sick Bessie and
sat up with them. Mrs. Cowley never snt uE
with sick children that ] know OF. When
they coughed Mrs. C0wlcy would come up
sometimes and give them Il spoonful of syrup
Of ipccac and then go down again."
q. (By Justice DonohueeWas there nc
light In the nursery when the children were
sick? A.-No, sir.
"rhe bill of fare was always bread and milk
for breakfast. One quart OF condensed milk
was taken every day. of which halt was fol
milk for breakfast was diluted with eight
parts OF Y water to one OF milk. For dinner tho
children had, on Monday corn meal mush; OH
Tuesday, peas; Wednesday, beans; Friday
When ] speak OF heans and peas, I mean only
soup. Two quarts OF either beans, or peas, OF
hoInlny, or meal, were what was allowed for q
meal for all the children. The bread used was
ming and three in the evening, and two when
they had pea or bean soup. There was never
any meat except in Christmas week. Then
we had some poultry that Mr.: Conner gave
and some meat from Mrs. Morris. They wore
donations. The children never had any but
ter. eggs or vegetables, or fruit OF any kind,
The furnace had to be cleaned out once a
week. / used To get up at half-past hVe O'CLOCK
In the morning and go to bed at nine O'Clock.
The only time l had to myself was from eight
10 nine o'clock in the evening.
"Thc breakfasts for Mr.. and Mrs. Crowley
and Mrs. Ferris consisted Of griddle axe
sometimes, and ham and eggs and chops or
hash, and tea and coffee. For dinner they
would have meat, potatoes, and some kind OF
vegetables, c~abbage-or turnips or tomatoes
TIE CIR BEATEN WITH A PoKER.
~ was locked up for four days last spring In
the little room on tho third floor, and had only
bread and water there to eat. ! slept on a
straw mattress III the floor. There was
nothing else In the rOOm-nO other article Ol