Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-10-30
BEATEN BY BRUTES.
Terrible Cruelty of AImshouse
-,l.. Authorities.
Anew Jersey Boy Of Nine Years Alleged to
Have Been Clubbed to Death by
Hudson County Poor
House People. :
THE MATTER TO Be INVESTIGATED.

JERSEY CITY, October 29.-The following
particulars have been obtained relative TO
the alleged killing of little son of J. J.
Traphagen, in the Hudson county aims
house: Mr.. Traphagen belongs to family
of that name in Hudson and Essex coun-
ties, and had become reduced through
drink and other evil habits. Early in Au-
gust he went off to Central New York in
search OF work. In his absence his wife
placed her two sons, Gerard, aged nine
years, and Henry, aged seven years, in care
of her stepmother, and the latter, growing
tired of the care of them,
Committed the Two Boys 10 the Aims
house.
On his return home Traphagen was in
formed of this and was much distressed as
the shame thus brought on his name, and
under the influence OF liquor assaulted his
wife, who had him arrested, and he was
sent to the penitentiary for sixty days.
The institutions containing the father and
his children are close to each other, and
the little paupers were accustomed to visit
the penitentiary grounds. Trsphagen one
morning saw his two sons, who told him
they were often
Reaten by the Almshouse Keepers.
Traphagen was discharged at the end of 10
days, his fine having been paid by relatives
A few days after he found work and bought
suits of clothing for his boys, and proceed
ed on the 10Th to bring them home. At
the Snake Hill institution he was told that
his son Gerard was dead; that having been
some time i'll, he had died that morning.
He demanded TO see the body; he was told
that il was nailed up in box in
the dead.house and that he had bet.
ter not see it. He insisted and
Threatened TO Force the Box Open.
He was shown the body, which was hidden
in ice He was horrited to note a large
bruise on the mouth of the child, and ask
ed for all explanation. He was told that
Just before his death the boy had fallen
out of bed. After the removal of the body
to Jersey City hole or deep abrasi on was
found in the back Of the mead while the
legs, and especially the thighs, were a mass
of bruises. Little Henry said his brother
fell out OF bed one morning, and for 81
doing was beaten with club by big man.
He showed his father severe bruise
on his own right fore arm, and said the
man
Tried 10 Strike His Head.
but by raising his arm the boy received the
stroke there. Traphagen reported the sat-
ter to the police at whose instance
an investigation was made by County
Physician Converse, who reported Gerard
to have died fIom natural causes. On the
other hand a brother.in-law of Traphagen
was informed by the children at the aims
house that little Gerard was frequently
beaten without prOvocatiOn, and that the
keepers are in the habit Of abusing the
children at the institution. There are now
nyer four hundred nan ppr children at Snake
Hill. The matter will probably brought
before the grand jury, now in session, Jas.
Traphagen, of Newark, the dead boys
grandfather, said to day he would bring the
murderers OF his grandson t. justice il it
cost him fortune.