New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-15
IORTURED BY HkR PARENTS.
A LITTLE GIRL CHAINED TO 4 WALL

A LITTLE GIRL CHAINED TO \ WALL.
COMPELLED o CoNFLeS CRIMES DY rKAR OF Pu>
IslMrNT-SUPPO1E I'D TO BIZ INSANE AND PCI
UNDER REsTRuNT-THE wtCKrDNEss AHD DE-
CLIFTON OF A SERVANT
Charles ]. Craw ford, clerk. lives M the north
west corner OF Ome-hundTrd- and sixty fTS.st and
Murris.aSo His family consists OF his wife and
daughter, AunIc LOuist thirteen YEAS old. On
September |, INND, Mary DOOIcy, aye twenty was
employed rs a servant She had good references and
gave satisfaction. month or after her arrival
various articles of small value began 10 di appear
Ornaments and money next were missed. 4 search
was made, ana pockct-hoOk containing ~ 30
which had been stolen from the desk OF Mr.. CraW-
ford was found wrapped NJ IN some OF the dolle
clothes of his daughter She was accused OF haynu
taken II, but denied the THEFT. Other stolen arti-
clrs were discovered in Der dolls ttnnk. she was
severely punished by her parents, who Thought that
her denial al led uniTuth to the theft. They de-
sired her To- confess W hat size had done, and to this
end severely CaS'lSed her. IC avoid further pun
ishment sha acknowledged that sle had stolen all
that was missed. The property continued to dis
appear ana the child was again accused She again
denied, but through punishment confessed. In
reply to the question what she had done with the
things She had taken, she said that she had de-
strOycd them Her parents lrpan TO think that she
was OF unsound mind. physi ian was consulted.
who decided that she WAS insane tho subject Of
stealing. The girl was watched, but the property
still Continued to disappear
January /, tic bcd-clotning in the chamber of
Mr. Crawford was SGT on fire. and nearly hundred
dollars wOrth Of property WAS destroyed. Annie
A.
i'hlncnt she made n confession. After tins her
hands strapped to her side. Still the rOhbrries
continued. January Is Il fire broke out in the
laundry OF tho house, which came near destroying
the building After il Was cXtinguishcd il was l ~
covered that it had origin ted in the basket ron
tanning the laundrIcd clothes, part of which had
been saturated with Kerosene oil. This also WAS
attributed to the insanity OF the little girl Her
father feared that she would do injury to herself.
lie had belt made for her, and procuring u long
thin chan chained her To staple III the all of thS
dining-rOom during the day time, and at night 10
the post of her bed.
prevent her doing herself injury i'll the night
Early tins month il lady called to see Mrs Craw-
lord. She took OIL her fur-lIncd mantle, null and
bonnet. When she looked for them again thew
were gone. AT length they were found concealed
In the garrett. The little girl ON being threatened
with punishment, confessed that she had placed
them there. Shortly after this Mr.. Crawford do.
cided to watch the servant. Mrs. Crawford in
qured of a neigllLOr with whom Mary Dooley hal
lived, and was told that she had been DISHONEST
Last Wednesday Mrs. Crawford helped Mary ut tho
ironing and saw one Of the handkerchiets that vas
supposed to have been destroyed by Iire. Sunday
Mary went out, and while she was gone Mrs. Craw-
ford effected entrance into the closet where she
kept heI clothes. There in q pillow-case, was a
large quantity of the wearing apparel which was
thought to have been burned by tho fire in the
laundry Other stolen articles were also there
When Mary returned at night she was met by De-
tective wilkins and charged with The thefts and
with having set fire to the house two occasions
She was nonplussed by the evidence, and confessed.
valuable articles that she had stolen were ut her
home at EltOn.ave. and One-hundred- and fifty
eiRhth-st. There they were found by the detec-
tive. Yesterday Mary was arraigned in the Harlem
Police Court before Justice Power. where only o
charge OF incendiarlsm was preferred against her.
She acknowledged the offence, and was committed
In default OF $4,000 bail to await the action OF the
Grand Jury.