Telegram-herald., 1891-09-26
CRUELTY 70 A CHILD
Parents Maltreat Their Twelve
Year-Oid Daughter.
KNOCKED DOgs By HER FATHER
Asa Assssd by Her step Mother Re-
maskAhis story OF Ilt-frs~tza~as asd
Abass-fhs Sass an fssbAts
Gesrt-Iakea 10 the Jail


James A. Robertson and his wife,
Carrie ;. Roberts n. of No. $50 Jetfer-
soi-ave.. were arrested Yesterday morn
Rg by Under sheriff Walsh Oh . war
rant sworn out OF the probate court by
Wellington c. Robertson. brother of the
defendants. charging them with ex-
tFeme cruelty toward their little -
year-old daughter Mabel. The charges
made IA the affidavit were that Mr..
koteEtsoa and his wife. who is step
mother 10 the child. made it practice
10 lock the little girl IN a room Tor
three and four days at . time, knock
ing her down aud driving ner from
home ADD generally illtreatlng her by
~afCs and hlOws much to the detrlment
OF Ter morals aud health. The parties
Mere brought INTO court and hearing
WIS had before Judge Perkins. Me-
George Bundy represented the conf
planans and A. o. Crozier appeared
Tor the parents Little Mabel was put
on the stand 10 tell her story OF the
manner in which her parents treated
her. Sho is bright. Intelligent little
girl. but a pale, sickly look overspresd
her wan features. Her eyes were
sunken and the lids swollen. me
tmidly stepped TO the stand when
called and as II afraid to move kept
her eyes toward the floor while she was
being questioned by the court.
mabel rsiis Tier story.
she said that she attended the Gen.
a. - A, - ~,
b. herself upstairs aud enough to eat.
Her father used a horse whip with
when To punish her and her step
mother used her hand and sometimes
stick, tut she thought the punish
ment 10y ber mother was not 80 hard as
that adm n.stered 10y her father. Her
stepmOtber often told her that she had
eaten enough while al the table and
would take her away and II she would
take bread and butter or cookies be-
tween meals her mother would belabor
her over the hack with her stick. Her
duties We're TO wash dishes after meals
ard when she broke dishes her mother
would q old her. She broke soup
dish aud 10 avoid punishment threw II
IN the sewer. Tins neccssltated tear
ing up OF the sewer and she ran away
To avoid punishment. Her father
found her and brought her back. He
packed little satchei and giving 1t TO
hsr told her to leave and 10 never re-
turn. She started out and got as far
as South Diyision-st. when she was met
lp policeman. He inquired where
she was gong and upon hearing her
story he wanted to take her home but
site SAID she was afraid TO go. After
the officer had threatened to take her
to jail che consented to go home. She
was kindly received and was told that
she could remain II she would be good
grl.
Tiourished q Revolver.
One day she became hungry and
raided the cooky box. Fearing she
would oc punished she ran away and
vert 20 her Uncle Wellington Robert
sons and renamed three DAYS. When
her father came after her, he and her
father had u seance at which a revolver
was fiourished. She was taken home
and confined in the furnace room for
three days for spprOpriating some bread
and butter alter she had washed the
dishes. She was compelled to sleep IN the
furnace room alone upon blankets. At
this point IN the examination she be-
came so excited and broken up that she
gave vent To her grief in sobs and she
was excused. Wellington &. Robertson,
the girls uncle, was then called to the
stand aud related what he knew con-
cernlng the child's treatment. lie said
her mother dIed about seven years
ago and he. father married his
present wife four years later.
Shortly afterware Mabel came
10 his house and her appearance indI-
Gated negligence ON tlie part of those
who had her IN charge. Her clothing
was scant aud untidy. She begged to
stay all night and said she was afraid to
return h)me. The next morning ne
went TO his brothers. house, but he was
not at nome. lie went away IN search
of him. Not finding nun ne returned
70 his brothers house. but in the mean
time his brother had taken Mattel home.
When be entered the house the step
mother called her and requested that
she make a statement to him-
Psif.d aer Hair ssv.xeiy.
The httle girl refused TO say anything
and she became euTaged and fioufished
her fist around the child's head. pour
ing forth torrent of abuse at Yelling
ton. she came 20 his house again. two
weeks after, and said that ner step
mother bad caught her eating some
cookies that she hSd taken from the
rautry and bad pulled her hair so hard
That she didn't want TO return.
Her father came after her again.
lie vas greatly enrags d and began
us.nx pr fame language. tie threatened
hlns with great violence. and when
~. hfxs. k<.... 4.
ne caught her by the nair and knoc < Ell
her dawu. He wa- about to strike her
n second time when Wellington told
him be must deslst. At tfls he turned
mon MS brother in fnry. his fists
sienchsd ready for eomtat. He was
ogieteti nv a revolver thrust under hrs
nase and ne left the house. The de-
fense was made upon the ground that
ths cha-xe of cruelty was made a. the
result ~ personal malice. Questions
were propornded on cross examination
with 4 vlew 60 drawing eut a confession
on the part OF complainant IN anss yer
a. question by Ssr. Jrozler Il he had
ever attempted 20 borrow money from
h,s brothers wife, Wellington sad be
never bad. The answer sronsed the ire
of Mrs. Robertson aud she turned
rpon the witness WITH clenehrd Esf-.
Her eyes gisfed VIII rage and trey
red illuminated her enuntenance az she
corrected hIm in NO mistaken tones
with. "You dad" she vas shont 60
r~yeesd when her husssnd. the az
safnes and the eourtehecxet her. Nrs
H0tsrtsou. one OF the compEsnsnts.
vas nest csiied - the witness stand
snd testsEied Substantially as Der nus-
had. She stated tiist theg had no III.
st s.s,-x.v~f Aafatss n.sssxs = ..r,sx.s.sss a.,