The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-11
ACTS OF A BRUTAL father
Beat His Little Crippled Son with a
Crutch.
COMPELS HIS CHILDREN TO BEG
They Have no Mother and the Father
Pilots Them Around the Country
and Requires Them 10 Furnish
Money for Ills support.

Patrolman Joseph Block, on lower
Lackawanna avenue, was informed
of very brutal performance that
was being enacted near the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western station.
Persons in that vicinity were highly
shocked at the manner in which dir
ty-looking middle-aged man was beat
ing a one-legged 12-year-old boy that
was evidently his son. with the wooden
crutch that assists the unfortunate
child to amble along. There was also
another boy present, two years older,
and he kept quiet, afraid that the
father might turn on him. The little
cripple's cries were phteuus and heart
rending.
Mr.. Block took charge of the trio and
brought them to police headquarters.
The fiendish father scowled at the po-
liceman when his brutal work of chas-
tisement had been interrupted. but the
officer was rewarded with a CRATE
full smile from the little chap.
Name Is Peter Fcclcy.
The mans name is Peter Feeley and
he is 3S years of age. His home Is in
Mahanoy Plane, Schuylkill county
where the two boys, his sons, were born
His wife died eleven years ago. The
cripple's name is Patrick, and he Is 12
years old, and the other ones name is
James, IA years old.
Since the death of their mother the
boys have been piloted through almost
every town in this state, New York
and New Jersey by the father. Until
a tn
pedestrians, he left them in charge of
an uncle at Addison, N. Y, but when
they arrived at that age where he could
put them on the streets begging, he
took them away from their uncle and
started off on the road. They have
been roughing it for the past six years,
and their mode of travel has been on
foot, on coal trains, and stealing their
passage on passenger trains. Two
years ago the younger one was caught
under the wheels of a coal train that
he attempted ito board and his right leg
was crushed; amputation had to be
performed at the knee joint.
Have Many Pet Names.
They are apt children, but they pos
sess knowledge gained from their pre-
carious travel which would have been
far better unlearned. They refer to
each other as ''Tha Kid" The Blokey."
His Nobs,'' ETC., etc. The clothes they
wear are dusty and ragged and they
expressed a strong desire to be taken
from their unnatural parent.
The disabled one said yesterday that
their street earnings average good
mor,th's Fay and they could live like
kings. but for the Unsuitable appetite
of their father for the stuff that un-
crowned John L. Sullivan. They
sometimes receive only a few pennies
and on such days as yesterday the
"guv'nor" or "the old man." as they
term their father, treats them very
cruelty. From the treatment he re-
ceived yesterday the cripple bore black
and blue marks on his body.
Mrs. w. B. Duggan will see that they
are taken away from Feeley and Chief
of Police Simpson will tend to his case
The chief kindly provided eatables
for them. as they complained of hunger
Walked from Carbondalc.
Their story is that they rode into
Carbondale on Weight train from
Binghamton yesterday morning, and
walked from Carbondale yesterday
taking the entire day to do it. The
father carried the cripple part of the
distance. They slept in box car last
night.