Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-08-20
A PRIEST ON TRIAL.
Father f. NJ. HUM and His Nineteen
Slaves in Court.

Slaves in Court.
Father F. M. HUM, manager Of
the Colored Orphan Asylum and In.
dustrial School, at Independence.
was on trial in the county court
Wednesday on the charge of i'll
treatment to the orphan children in
his charge.
The statement published some
time since in the BANNER was sworn
to by State witnesses, and a good
portion of the charges were admit
ted by Father HUM on cross exam
ination.
Among the developments was the
fact drawn out by the State from
Father HUM that this Home was
his individual property, though pur-
chased principally with contribu-
lions. The deed is in his name, and
no record shows that it would re-
vert to the Catholic church or the
Priest of this diocese, though Fa-
Their HUM says it was his intention
to fix it so that it would, in case of
his death, go to Bishop Gallagher,
OF Galveston, and through him re-
vert to the church.
There are now 10 inmates of the
Home, and the rules of the Home
are that the children should work
five hours and study five hours per
day, though it was shown that for
some time there had been few
school books there, and that the
children picked all the way from 40
to 100 pounds of cotton per day.
1t was also developed that none
of the children in the Home were
Texas negroes, but came from other
states.
DIR. Bartlett, who had visited the
Home testified that none of them
seemed to be suffering last Sunday
from any i'll treatment.
The testimony showed that one
of the larger boys, who was dressed
better than the others and some
times fed from the Priests table
was a general manager, foreman or
rather overseer, whose duty it was
to see that the others did their
duty.
But our limited space precludes
even summary of all the evidence,
which, while it did not show any
very recent cruelty, showed the chill
dren had not perhaps been treated
as well as they should haye been
but the fact with which the evidence
impressed Us most, was the com
plete system of slavery to which he
was subjecting them, and for his
own personal gain-according to
the evidence. The testimony
showed that he had recei7-
ed large contributions for the
maintenance of the Home and all
the evidence tended to show from
the way he was working them that
it would be more than self-sustain-
ing. Nineteen boys to work on
farm, under even poor management,
ought to make board and clothes
better than the testimony showed
that they were getting. However
this information is irrelevant to the
case, and if the outside world are
willing to pour their gold into his
lap to help enrich him and improve
his private possessions there, while
he works his 10 slaves after the
mode and fashion of anti-bellum
days, we suppose its all right, and
no one must say him nay, but it
looks bad, and deserves to be pub
lished to the world.
After the testimony in the case
the children were called up one by
one and several gentlemen examined
their backs, which had some marks
of violence on them, and looked
rough and slightly SCARED, but none
of recent infection.
Judge Kirk turned the children
over to Father HUM to keep until
further orders, and reserved his de-
cision in the case for futher investi-
CATION of the law and to weigh the
testimony.
The court room was crowded
during the trial and a slight sensa-
ton caused after the adjournment
of court, by some hot words between
two prominent gentlemen, but the
interference of friends averted a
difficulty and probable bloodshed.