The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-24
A FlENDISH WOMAN
INFLICTS EAMELESS TORTURES
UPON A CHILB,
And Teaches 1t TO Use the Vilest
Language Toward Her Husband
Shocking DepraViiy.

qutrer's Detroit correspondent tele-
graphs that Mrs. j. j. England. of that
city, has filed petition in the Probate
Court this morning for the appoint
ment OF @. M. Stocking, agent for the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Children and Animals, as guardian
for five year old adopted son of @. S.
Hudson, of No. lao Locust street.
Mrs. England is a neighbor of Hud-
sons. Her petition sets forth that
Mrs. Hudson is not fit person to have
the custody of the child. Mrs. Eng
lands action is taken at the wish and
by the advice of the society. The case
is one Of inhuman crdelty. The Hud-
sons move in coed society in Detroit.
Mr.. Hudson is a prominent attache in
the custom house and well known in
local politics.
The story of the child's i'll treat.
msnt, as related by Mr.. Stocking, is
narIaiv of fiendish brutality that
would be incredible if not proved by
the testimony of former domestic in
the Hudson family and other eye wit
nesses, including Mr., Hudson himself,
who seems to have been utterly un-
able to prevent it. This domestic says
that Mrs. Hudson was in the habit of
swearing at the child and calling it the
vilest names. 1t was not an unfre-
quent thing for her to say do this or
do that, you - little bastard" On
one occasion the little fellow was
asleep in bed and Mrs Hudson went
to his loom and told him tina. she was
the devil aud had come to kill him.
GAIL right" replied the boy. Mrs.
Hudson oflen made him stand up in
front OF her for hours at time when
she was at work. The lad made no
complaint. On one occasion, after he
had stood there for two or three hours,
she said. you hate me, don't your
mo, mamma" replied the boy.
"That's lie" screamed the woman,
"and l will whip you for it." Aud
then she gave him terrible beating
with a piece of barrel stave that she
kept for that purpose.
The boy made no cutlery. In fact
be never whimpered or cried when she
was inflioting the severest kind OF pun
ishment upon him. One OF her favor
tie modes OF punishment was to double
him up with his head between bis
legs, tie him in that position, place
him in the bath tub, and then turn the
water on him. II he kicked or squirm-
ed she would take him out and beat
him until his back was black and blue.
Another method OF punishment was to
tie his hands behind his head and
place him in the dark cellar, where
she would keep him for hours at
time.
The boy was on several different &C.
casions made to stand in the corner of
the room with his fscs pushed up
AGAINST the wall for hours at time.
Mrs. Hudson would sit where she
could see him and every once in a
while would call out: "Push harder;
l can tell when you are not pressing
hard" and the suffering child would
push so hard that his nose would be
almost hattened out. Another method
of torture was to make the boy bite
his own tongue, and Mrs. Hudson
would compel him to do this until his
tongue would swell up double it's natu-
raj size.
1t seems, the domestic says, az if the
woman was continually 1acking her
brain to find some new and fieDdish
mode of punishment. The domestic
on one occasion asked Hudson why
he didn't take the boys part. He re-
piled that he had received very severe
treatment already for presuming to in
terfere, and could show the marks to
prove it. At one lime Mrs. Hudtol
bit the boys nose until it swelled up
twice its natural sza. One day at the
table she drew knife across his iiu-
gers, cutting two OF them, and after
ward slid che wished she had cut
them all off. She would slap his
mouth until his lips swelled up, and
then she would call him "nigger
mouth, and pinch them until they
bled. She kept him in bed several
days as a punishment, and told some
OF the neighbors that she feared he
had scarlet fever. Then she repeated
this to the child, and said she wished
it was true, because he would die and
she would have ride to his funeral.
"0ne day." said Mr.. Hudson, 81
got the child to confess that he had
been punished. Mrs. Hudson found
it out next morning and whipped the
child again. Then she made him stand |
in the door when l came home at |
evening and say as soon as came
within speaking distance: None Of
your - business What, Clarence
said l, and the child repeated it three |
times. On the 9th OF July or the day |
after the child was cruelty treated |
beyond description, and Mrs. Hudson
talked like one obseSsed She said:
Now, here you get it, my boy; you're
a bastard, you Cd little = OF
b.; you never had father or any |
mother Then she put him in the
tub, held his face under the faucet and |
in ned the water on"
Mr.. Hudson at different times has
actually been forced by Mrs. Hudson
to whip the child himself, just after
che had done 30. 10 fact, the woman |
seems to be fiend incarnate.
"How do you account for Mrs, Hud-
sons cruelty ?" was asked of Mr.. Hud-
son.
much of it was caused by pure
he replied. 81 have
tried very hard to be charitable, and |
lay it to insanity, but between you
and me, don't think she is insane,
there is no doubt that in
sanity runs in the family"
Mrs. Hudson is at present in Chica-
90, and has taken the child with her.
No further steps can be taken in the
Probate Court until her return.