The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-19
A CRUEL MONSTER.
Mrs. Porter Cody Discusses
Her Hldeous Treatment
Of Georgia Doughty.


MOUNT HOLLY. August 10, 1890. There
is considerable excitement here over the
discovery of the cruel treatment to which
little George bought has been subjected
at the hands of Mrs. William Porter, to
whom she was indentured. The child's
treatment has not been a subject of gos-
sip, even among the neighbors, and no
one in Mount Holly knew that such
cruelties were being practiced.
A newspaper reporter visited Mrs. Por-
ter this morning and was pleasantly re-
ceived. She was very willing to tell her
own side of the story and insisted that
what she said was the truth She is
very muscular woman and she readily
admitted that from the whippings
the child had received she
must have borne marks of her chastise-
ment. Constable Vansciver, of Beverly,
was present and served a warrant upon
Mrs. Porter, and she was taken to Bever-
ly this evening, where she gave bail for
her appearance at court before Justice In
man.
"Georgie is a little thief,n said Mrs.
Porter; "she has been stealing my money.
She took 25 cents and l whipped her
pretty hard with a carriage whip, and
guess / bruised her up pretty well. /
tried to make her promise that she
wouldn't do so any more, but couldn't
get her to do SOD Mrs. Porter seemed
thought the child did not get half what
she deserved. 81 didn't use piece of
cordwood or anything of the kind, :" she
continued; II always used the whip.
George is a willful disobedient girl, and
it was necessary to be whipping her most
of the time in order to make her mind. y
"This occurred last Monday. She re-
manned at home until Tuesday. when she
ran away, hiding in the cornfields until
night, when she went to the house of
William Shemely and remained all night,
leaving there in the morning without any
breakfast.
TROUBLESOME CHILD.
II took Georgiana Doughty to live
with me when she was mere child, only
three years old, and she was ten last
May. / have had trouble with her ever
since she entered my house-more trouble
than all the rest of my family made.
The papers stated that l made the girl
sleep with my two biggest sons, and that
is not so. She dia sleep with my two
youngest boys, who are five and seven
years old. And then her appearance at
Beverly-barefooted and poorly dressed.
Why, no child ever had better clothes, J"
and Mrs. Porter exhibited some eight or
nine daesses and a large quantity of un-
derclothing.
Eyes, was arrested out of spite about
three years ago at Beverly for whipping
the girl" Mrs. Porter went on. "She de-
served it then. too, and the authorities
didn't do anything with me for It after
making an examination of her condition.
l don't see how she can be SO badly hurt,
because she walked all the way TO Bev-
erly after / whipped her, and it must be
ten miles. She may show some pretty
good bruises and welts on her legs, arms,
and back, for tried to make her promise
me that she wouldn't steal any more
money
Mrs. Porter said it must be -the child's
bad disposition" which caused her to
carry on as she does. She declared that
she has always been kind to the girl and
treated her as one of her children.
Really she began again, ''if had
applied the whip TO her every little
offence should have been whipping her
ali the time. She had the very devil in
her. No. / don't often swear, except
when Pm mad, and then only to grown
persons. did no more to that girl than
| would to any of my children, and if one
of them should do what she did would
knock him down and beat the life out of
him, and any man who interfered would
| get dose of the same medicine"
Georgie's mother is dead, and her
| father, George w. Doughty, who issued
| the warrant for Mrs. Porter's arrest, is
| employed as day Waterman at the cor
| to see his daughter for adong time
| SERVING THE WARRANT.
| Officer Vanscriver read his warrant and
| the husband suggested they go at once TO
| Beverly. but Mrs Porter broke in:--
| 81 don't want to go to Beverly. The
| time l was arrested before, the crowd
hooted, the justice swore at me and said l
was making circus of myself" and then
she branched off on the girl again.
| Il see the doctors say that Georgie's
body is black and blue and covered from
head to foot with bruises; that her hips
are like SO much jelly; that there are in
dentations on her back from previous
whipping; her arms black and blue from
the wrists up and that she Is cut about
| the head and face. Maybe that is all so,
but want to say that some of those old
scars came from injuries she received a
| long while ago when she fell out of a
| wagon"
Mrs. Porter expresses very little con-
cern over the charges against her, and it
| is not at all likely that she realizes her
present situation. The case will come up
at the September term of court.
| The articles Of indenture have been re-
| turned to Squire Inman, and the Porter
family express Willingness to release the
| child.