The record-union., 1893-08-04
PHIL0 EAMEY FATHER.
He Who Wants His Child Sent to
Whittier.
The Boys Maternal Relative Tells of
Eames' Treatment of His Wife
and Children.

1t may be that little Philo Eames, the
old-fashloned newsboy, whose father is
trying to have him sent to the Whittier
Reform School, is not as honest as lie
might be. 1t may be that, as his father
alleges, the lad has been guilty of petty
thefts. but it is quite evident that it is
Eames' duty TO look after his boy, treat
him properly, see that he is supplied with
the necessaries of life and not obliged TO
shift for himself and made to take up his
abode among bad characters.
WANTED TO LOOK NEAT.
The immediate cause of Eames' charge
against the lad was that the little fellow
went to his fathers room the other after
noon, during the latter's absence, and So
cured a shirt and pair of pants that he
needed and which his father kept locked
up in his own room. Eames also claimed
that his son at the same time removed
some valuable papers," but if their
value was no greater than The batch he
pulled from his own pocket at the
time he made the statement, it would
take about d carload of such material to
lay the foundation for case of petit
larceny.
The father gave the boy a very bad
reputation, saying that he had committed
numerous thetts of late, but he admitted,
in reply to questions asked, that he did
not allow the boy to live with him, say
ing that he had provided him with room
elseW here for himself He also admitted
that he required the little fellow to turn
over to him all the money he earned eX-
cept what was necessary to support him
self"
II the latter has hinged upon the elder
Eames' idea of what this necessary
amount should be, it is not difficult to
understand that young Philo might occa-
sionally find himself III that condition
that he would either be forced to steal or
go hungry. His own version of the re-
lations between his father and himself is
about to that effect.
THE Boys UNCLE TALKS.
Thomas Verhoeven of San Francisco, a
brother-in-laW of the boys mother, related
10 an Examiner reporter on "Wednesday
the following story of the troubles of the
Eames family, and of how the alleged
brutal treatment of Mrs. Eames by her
husband first drove her to insanity and
then to death:
According to Verhoeven, Eames is just
the kind of man who would try to send
his son to reform school. Eames mar
rled Mr. Nerhoeven's sister-in-law i'll the
East, and eight years ago brought his
family to San Francisco.
He COLLECTED THE MONEY.
81 let him stay at my place." said Yer
hoeven yesterday, until he could ind
work. He stayed three weeks and then
went to Oakland, taking his family with
him. He said he could get work there,
bat as far as l could find out he never
even tried to get work After time a
letter came to my wife from Mrs. Eames.
She said she was starving, and begged her
sister TO help her.
Il went over there and found them liv-
ing in room almost without furniture.
There were few potatoes i'll the room
and some eggs and milk. l asked Mrs.
Games why she did not give the children
something TO eat, and she told me that
Eames would not allow them to touch
anything but the potatoes. he said he
would beat them if they did.
The wife had been taking in washing.
and that was how they came to hay the
provisions. Eames always delivered the
laundried clothes and collected the
money. The only work he did was for
the Adventist paper. He earned Is cents
day by this. Mrs. Eames would not
leave him then because of the children,
but his cruelty to mis- family became so
notorious that the Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Children stepped
in and took the older girl away. Later,
the Aid Society took charge of the
younger daughter.
INSANE AND IN RAGS.
For about year l heard no more of
the family. One morning Mrs. Eames
came to my door. She was in rags and
showed the marks of her husbands i'll
treatment. She said she could no longer
stand the abuse. For month she made
her nome in my house, but she did not
want to be dependent and finally Eames
coaxed her back to Stockton. He kept
her washing from morning to night to
support him and ill-treated her besides,
His cruelty drove her insane finally. We
cared for her and she recovered her rea-
son, but Eames did not change, and after
year or more | learned that she had
died.
That was the last news heard of the
family until he came to the police to send
the boy to reform school. l know the
little fellow is bright and honest, and he
is welcome to home with me if they
will let me have him. Certainly he has
done nothing to deserve being put in
such an institution and his father is not
fit to have charge of himU