The sun., 1890-05-11
ll''lAlt. thEf l.l. I.
FOUNDER OF THE NEW YORK TRlBUN
April. Ia
a FiendIsh Stepmother's Barbarous Cruz
city to her Husbands Two Daughters.

a FiendIsh Stepmother's Barbarous Cruz
city to her Husbands Two Daughters.
BANGOR, May lO.-A shocking case OF child
torture is reported from Oldtown. a dozen
miles up tho river from Bangor. Fred Sawyer
and his wife. with his two little daughters
aged anu 10 years respectively live in little
frame house on the outskirts Of Oldtown viii
lage Sawyer himself is not regarded as u
particularly vicious man, but his wife is a ver-
table iIend. 1t had long been known to the
neighbors that the two little girls were not
well treated. but last week 1t was learned that
they were subjected almost daily TO shocking
abuse the eldest. Myrtle, being especially NAL
treated. Several persons declared :hat they
had seen the stepmother Mrs. Sawyer, take
Myrtle by the hair. pull it from her head in
hundfuls and then throw her violently to tho
ground, while Others had seen the unnatural
woman strike the child across the face with
club with such force as to make her uncon-
scious
1t did not require much OF this kind OF talk
to excite the wrath OF the townsl eoulc, and on
Saturday night n mob surrounded Sawyers
house with the expectation OF capturing him
and his wife. They wcre too late however for
it WAS so n learned that the couple. having got
wind of what was going on, had skipped for
Bangor. leaving he children behind.
1t was Just as well that SAWYER and his wife
u,
to know the eNteit to which the woman had
carried her barbnrOuS practices, unhindereQ
by her husband the pair would not have Ueen
safe minute in the hands of the mob The
eldest child presented pititul appearance, her
lrail little body being covered with cuts sores,
and bruises from head TO foot. Her loft wrist
WIS broken and the arm fractured, while tho
bridge OF her nose was smashed in a. though
by blow from n club. 1t was found that the
wrist and arm had been broken six weeks BE-,
fOro 10y the stepmOther throwing the child
heavily to the ground and then kicking her.
No attention was paid 70 the chlids suNcrings.
the savage etepmothcr threatening her with
instant death if she did not stop crying and.
moreover. the hoipless victim was told that She
would certainly be Killed II she complained TO
any one Of her treatment
About week ago the girl, hardly able 10
walk. and suffering intensely from hcr broken
arm and o'her hurts was taken to visit an
aunt. and was told at tho outset that, If she
did not run along briskly and appear cheerful
she would be whipned 10 death. This, OF course.
was impossible. The child could not appear
well and happy when sho was miserable and
terrified. and SO the ilondish stepmother
dragged her back home where she was
whipped and beGton into n state OF insensi-
bility. Not content with this. the tiGrress actu-
ally sank her teeth repeatedly into the arms
and BODY OF, her victim. ghe girls clothing
became glued to her flesh with clotS OF blood;
and the physician who was called was Obliged
toIuse warm water to remove the garments
The child and her sister are now IN better
hands, and officers are following up tho iatler
and stepmother.