Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1884-08-27
PITY THE ORPHANS
Who Fell Under the Care Of q Obi.
cago Fs9atical "Home."
whipped Because They Could Not
"Overcome the Runaway Spirit''
-Babies' Corpses Waiting
for the Resurrection.

CHICAGO, Aug. 4.-Peop1e In the vicinity
of 800 Flournoy street, this city, COM
planned Friday of the peculiar doings Of the
occupants thereof, and a police officer visited
the place. He found twelve children in the
house in the most distressing condition-half
starved and with other evidences of outrage
Gus treatment on their bodies.
OF adults there were six-C. w. Radcliffe,
Henry Mailer, James McEwan, o. E. Pease,
Mrs. and Mr.. Fidelia Parker, who claimed to
be keeping home for Gods orphan children,
and that they put their trust in God en-
tirely for sustenance. They were arrested
and put in prison and the trial set for Satur-
day, at which the following testimony was
given:
The prisoners were accused Of abusing little
children. Lizzie Barrett, 10-year.old girl
living at 3S North Lowell street, testified that
she was taken to the home in November,
1882. She was with the defendants part of
the time in Brooklyn when they were there.
She said her grandfather, Mr.. Nc.
EVAN, one Of the prisoners, had placed
her there. When she went there sixteen
children were in the place. II was
always locked up in a room," said witness,
land was given stale bread and spoiled meat
to eat They shut me up in a room, nailed
down the windows, and set the bed against
the door. was sometimes locked up for
two weeks. When asked why they didn't
let me out they said it was not the Lords
way Grandpa was a good man. He
didn't know how the children
were treated. Cousin George was
locked in q closet for two weeks, Henry
Mailer used to come to me and ask me if !
had overcome the runaway spirit He used
to whip my brother and cousin on their bare
legs until they would bleed, and he also
whipped me because loved my Aunt Mary
too much" As the child was telling this
part of the story she began to cry, and it
was some time before she could speak again.
"TheY said a spirit was up in the
heavens that shot magnetism down on
your head" continued the witness
She also said the children had to 60 bare
footed in winter, and that her cousin was
tied up for two weeks without anything to
eat but bread and water. They brought rot
ten potatoes into the house, cooked them,
and the children were made to eat them
When the two babes died they were kept in
the house for three weeks waiting for the
resurrection power to come and bring them
to life One baby was kept in the place
until it turned black and its eyes sunk in its
head. The little girl gave her testimony in
a straightforward manner.
Other witnesses gave testimony cor
roborating the above.
James Peas testified that while he was
there he was not treated badly, but the others
were abused most brutally. Mr.. Williams,
who formerly stayed there, and Mrs. Haines
claimed to be spiritually married and lived
together as man and wife. All the inmates
said that a doctor was never called into the
house to attend sick babies and that two died
the same day. They said they did not need
q doctor, as the Lord would heal them by
faith.
Col. Baldwin, the gas inspector, said that
when he. was subpenaed by the coroner to at |
tend as juryman on an inquest on one of the |
infants, he saw great many men around |
the place who seemed to live without work, !
and this first attracted his attention. He |
asked the matron of the place if she ever |
kept a record of the children who were
brought there, and she answered no. She |
also kept no account of those that died. |
He asked them where they got the |
children, and they said the Lord sent |
hem there. The colonel was anxious |
% know what they subsisted on, and he made |
an examination of the place. He found q |
little green tea, three .fourths of barrel of |
'tale, hard, mouldy, bread, about pound /
of sugar, and on the stove was pound Of |
meat cooking. He srnelt of it. II got out
If that house quicker than went in, >" re-
marked the colonel. "The smell of that
meant would beat the Chicago river"
Officer Bruton, who visited the house with
he colonel, said he found barrel of rotten
neat and asked the colonel to smell of IL h,,t
le said he would rather be excused as it was
90 rich for his blood.
Henry Mailer, one of the prisoners-the
ne who is alleged to have done most of the
he had been in the house
ince February, 1888. He admitted whip
ling some of the children, but said he did it
or their good When asked why he did not
all in a doctor to attend the sick, he said:
We felt as. If the power of God would heal
hem. We allowed them to go down as
acriice, and God permitted them to be
lain.n
The other prisoners testified in the same
ambling manner. Spectators generally
,oked upon them as lunatics
Letters and papers were found at the house
howing that similar "asylums" were con-
ucted at Denver, New York, Little Rock,
nd other places. At Corsicana, Tex, they
OF into trouble and were taken into court.
Justice White, after reviewing the testi-
lony, discharged James McEwan, the old
ian, whom he believed to be dupe Of the
thers, and held Henry Mailer, o. W. Rat
lift, Mrs. o. E. Pearl, Mrs. Slater, and Mrs.
arker to the criminal court. The bail of
[ahler was fixed at $4,000, and each of the
thers was held in 81 OOO Thew will Droba- |