Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-02-03

A Startling story OF InhumRnity-'
bound Boys aud Their Unhappy


appear to be the unhappy lot of many of
the unfortunate little boys and girls who
are, by the managers of agents of orphans
ssslums and various public institutions
and societies Of Philadelphia, annually IT.
dentured 10 Delaware farmers In Sussex
and other Peninsular counties Persons
thoroughly familiar with Sussex county
say thaf within radius of 80 miles around
GeorPetosp there are nearly 900 orphaned
aud sriHrdess children. aud that number
is largely increased during tho spring and
summer mouths when labor is in demand
m the truck ana small fruit farms 80 com
mon 10 the section of country referred to,
as many Ut thu farmers think boy from Is
TO Is years oil can do the work OF msu
Youngsters OF that age are much sought
after, ard, although no doubt great
number fad good homes, there is no doubt
that scores of them endure seryitude the
horrors of which ara almost too terrible to
realize The frequency of these cases of
inhumanily has ~ last reused the respect
ablr people of the Peninsula to an appre ca-
,ion Of the enormity OF the crime If i'll
treating children, and ut the present time
1t ia the oil absorbing topic of conversation
in etd around Georgetown. For months
past the evs'iog loungers in the hotels
aud stores of the village named discussed
reported cases OF cruelty to bound boys 10
various parts of the county, hut al the
guilty farmers were well known and, rs
rule, bad characters, no one cared to
incur their enmity by bringing the charges
to the attention oil the courts.
From the statements of several promi-
uent citizens it appears that the children
are brought to Delawsve in patches of
eight and ten and placed with any one
who will take them. Applications made
by reputable people for children have
often been refused, while persons OF noto-
riously bad character have two and come
| times thrae bound bows Many of these
| farmers srs rough task-masters and II a
| boy ia lis to perform the work of an adult
| he IL almost certain to be cruelty treated,
| half starved and in the coolest weather
| wreichedly clad II he does the work his
| life is not likely to be m ch happier, for
| as rule be will receive more kicks than
candies. The result in either case is
almost certain to be wrecked con-
situations, dwarfed bodies, rounded
shoulders and limbs crippled or rem
dered useless by frost or rheumatism.
Their principal article OF diet is :" corn
pone," but they are occasionally treated to
a little bacon and numbers of cases are
cited where the boys had no beds. but
slept in front of kitchen fires. In many
instances the boys heaviest clothing is
composed of common blue overall drilling,
which retails at q shilling yard, aud
III 1rds but little more protection than q
toga of mosquito bar stuff would. In every
case of cruelty reported to the courts oil
Sussex county the victims were attired In
breeches of the light and airy materie
Just referred to. cotton shirts, patched
shoes and, in all but one case, jacket Of
either cotton or wooden stuff.
RARE LUXURY.
Undertaking iR unknown to the cuticl,
of the average bound boy and stocking
are a luxury he rarely enjoys, except OIL
state occasions, when he is sometime
kindly permitted to wear toeless or heel
less pair that his master and guardian ha
discarded. The case of l3-year-o
colored boy, who is known In the neigh
horhood he lived in ss "TsS lor's Ton, = i
the most shocking y.' discovered aud tn
reputable people II the PrDirsula Ar
greatly excited over 1t.
; R-uhen rsvior, :. u,iiil. class tctmer
lives aboat six miles from G@orp. town, il
a comfortable frame house. few day
ago Constable W H. johnson went to Sc
Taylor, and on entering the sitting room
his attention was attracted by the moan
Of its only occupant little colored hoy
who was lying on the hearth In front o
! the large FIREPLACE The boys head wa
covered with ashes from the fire, but b
didn't pay the slightest attention TO tn
visitor until Johnson asked what mad
him cry.
Then the little fellow sat up, and draw
ing an old rag Of his feet said Loci
there " The sight that met johnson
eyes was horrible beyond description. a
he poor boys'4 feet were 80 terrib
ftoz N that tine a ash had dropped off N
roes until the boncs protruded rhr fl 81
Il on the bottoms sides aud tops of his fee
vas swollen until the skin cracked il
many places AID the il Il ,med fl Ssh wa
doug ing of in great LIKES Toe fr al
, bitten fl ssh extended to his knees, tn
lints of which were terribly Ii fl aimed
. and the right one had already began SUP
p Uurating. The eff ser returned to George
town ut once aud related The cas-
to Judge Wootten, who ordere
Justice John l. Tnonpson to issu
a 4 warrant for TaS lor's arrest aud author
lA'i opuuHOu ~ lb.US tut DuS 10 court Y
:. once. When the constable returned /
Fay loT's house he refused to take the TO
=, away until Taylor gave him some clothin
!. in gGditian to the pair of blue ovt rails az
:, thin cotton shirt the lad wore raylC
!, demurred at FIRST, but fusly went u
l. stairs Rrumhlug, aud after rumagit
/. around some time cane down with au oil
:. suG,ner vest of his own, winch he tire
| n hp l. nl e.
!, for him Owing to the condition of h
q feet the boy couldn't wear the wretche
AZ articles be called his shoes, b,
the ohi1er bundled him up
a buffalo robe, which protected hi
- thoroughly from the cold Before drivil
!. away Johnson notified the farmer that
/, must follow him to Georgetown ut on
~ with Mary Kitchens. u l5-year-old viii
~ bound girl, who lived in raylors bous
is Chia was embarrassing, as Mary said 81
ct had no clothing but thin frock Of Il
NJ popular blue DRILLING, which was wol
VI, without uGGerclothing Tho officer, DO,
N ever, insisted on her going, and aft
10 xsrcising his persuasive eloquenee f
\ some minutes he succeeded IN induci,
NJ Mrs. Taylor to lend the cir! euuul
al clotti ing to protect her from the Eeveri
OF the weather. -. -.-
THREATS oF LYNCuINa
Tben the cavslca6e set out for Georp
town, where it was received by crowd
Id indignant snd excited people, who, VIII
Toms feet were exhibited, talked free
be of lynching T4yler Tom ia not
h particularly bright boy. but be has 90
Of ace and told this story of bis sutfeliug,
an such = simple, urpreienlious way that
ts carried coLy.c liYn 10 every one that hea
IL H. He has neither father nor mother, b
q no name but Tom nor does be krt
M where he came from, except that
m believes It vEs az asylum. This DC
III little black bay, covered with nothing /
a cotton shirt, drilling pauts, pair
Die nearly woru-0ut bIogans and II batter
10. sid hat, vas, on the morning of Decent
tn 20, tine e9!deHt day ~ the season, VII
Nd The mercury was liz 6eioH Z-ro. in !
in face of driving Snow storm, went hal
ed mile from home to protect his maste
ed ~ husked corn from the dqprtdat0us
&c mara aiding COWS and crows He ,emain
standing around in thu snow until o'cla,
when ha drove the COWS home, receive
81. piece Of Geld corn pone and was aent [
re- in the snow again to chlr stovs w
until d9rs.
,r- SLEEPING IN HIT AsHg4
be- Having no bed h. slept that niaht
lay front % the FIREPLACE, With his froz n 4
yss 5urled in warm asbes The following a
10 he was hardly sbi= to Wink aud from Il
the time forward he sun. red inter sely. Fay
,Hy pGli 10 attention 10 the lit le fellows i
Tor about three weeks, but then the /.