Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-04
TIED TO A TREE.
A Naugatuck Boy Horribly Mall
 treated bSTwo Unknown Men.


 treated bysTwo Unknown Men.
 Saturday afternoon the good people of Naugatuck were again thrown into eX- citement, when it became noised about that young Bertie Chapman, who lives with his mother about two miles below the center had been horribly maltreat- ed by two tramps. Bertie. who is twelve years old and of rather delicate build, is we'll known to the school children of Naugatuck. Last Friday morning about 10 o'clock his mother sent him to the woods to chop some small kindling wood. The boy did not return. Miss Chapman gave the matter little thought ,supposing that he was visiting with some relatives in the town. Saturday morning, it was found that the boy did not go to Nauga- tuck and his mother becoming alarmed, went to Naugatuck and notified the of ficials.
 About two o'clock Saturday afternoon Bertie returned home completely eX- hausted and suffering from shock. Dr | Futile was called and found the lad suf- fering from nervous prostration. Dur ing the greater part of the afternoon he l was unable to speak, but towards even ing chatted pleasantly with DEMOCRAT representative His story is as follows: ''On Friday morning my mother sent me to chop wood. 1 went to an out of the way spot and was chopping away when two rough looking men came along and without warning caught me | by the back Of the coat and dragged me | to the river. yelled, but it was no use, and begged in vain to be let loose and | when 1 commenced to call for assistance they stopped me by placing something 1 over my head. I could not see and with much difficulty they dragged me through | hn hrI1S cfn nd ,Nlo ing rope around my neck hung me to a tree, leaving my feet just touching the ground. They also tied my hands and then left me. I could hear them laugh as they departed and remained pris- oner during Friday night. I never put in such night; it was horrible. I could hear the freight trains pass on the Nau- gatuck road and could not get free. About 8 o'clock Saturday morning managed to clear my hands and remove the covering from my head. Then 1 came to me. 1 thought I should die when 1 found a railroad spike which had placed in my pocket and with the aid of it removed the rope. 1 thought several times that I should faint before reaching home. When 1 did get home my folks thought l had made the story up." The boy showed his neck and the rope with which he was tied up. His neck was marked. The rope, which is very fine one, was covered with tar. The reporter went to the place where the boy spent the night and saw foot prints in the ground around the tree. A piece of the rope was hanging to the limb of the tree. Dr Futile thinks that the boy was foully dealt with by some persons who did not know what they were doing Perhaps they intended 1t as a joke but il was a frightfully practical joke and that the little fellow managed to live is al m ost miracle.
 Brakemen on the Naugatuck road say they heard cries Saturday morning a, the time the boy says he had gotten the wrapping off his head, but the men sup posed the noise came from some one al
 Cotton Hollow house, which lies 1T the same direction.