Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-10-17

avenue. Her actions and exclama-
tions attracted an audience of small
boys, who followed. Finally she be-
came quieter and was induced to re-
turn to where she is stopping.
Although he made no such claim to
the reporter, Mr.. Rhea, when he re-
fused to allow the girl to leave his
house Friday night, told Mrs. Dillon
that he had a legal right to the girls
services, as he was her guardian. This
claim is ~manifestly absurd, as she is
over 10.
Further investigation brought to
light an astonishing condition of at
fairs. 1t seems that the Rheas' treat
ment of the girl is the talk OF the
neighborhood. A few weeks ago
several gentlemen discussed the pro-
priety of calling the attention of the
Humane Society to the case, but de-
sisted when they ascertained that the
girl is of age.
About a month ago the Rheas left
town for a week and locked up the.
entire house except the kitchen, to
which Lydia had access. She was left
with nothing to eat, but secured en-
ployment with John Jack at $500
Easton avenue.
"When the family left about month
ago. said Mrs. Jack, "Belle came to
me and begged me to give her work,
as she had no clothes or money and
there was nothing to eat in the house.
| told her that she would leave meas
soon as the Rheas came back, but she
said she would rather die than return
to them. So l took her in. The day
after the Rheas got back Stella Rhea
came over here and. wanted her to go
back, but she refused.
Then Mr.. Rhea came. She saw him
coming and begged me to not let him
see her alone. She seemed in mortal
terror of them. He could not induce
her to go back and the next day his
wife came. Belle seemed to fear her
most of all. Mrs. Rhea came iifto the
store and ordered Belle to come
home, as she called it. The girl gave
me such a ~despairing look that ! told
Mrs. Rhea the girl shouldn't go unless
she wanted to, if I had to get a law
yer. She replied that Belle belonged
to them and if she did not come home
that night, she would send a police
man after her. This didn't scare me,
but 1t nearly frightened the girl to
death. 'Tl come, Mrs. Rhea, I'll
come she said, with her face like
chalk. And she went, although Mr..
Jack promised to protect her if she
wanted to stay with us. But the mere
mention of the Rheas seemed to fill
her with horror and to benumb all her
faculties. The girl had no clothes and
l gave her a pair of shoes and some
money.
"After she went back to them she
used to slip over and e me occa-
sionally. Every time she came she
would tell me how they abused her.
She showed me welts where she said
Mrs. Rhea and Stella beat her with a
broomstick. She begged me to write
to her sister in Mexico to come and
take her away or she would kill her
self. So / did write to Mrs. Dillon to
come and take the girl away from
those people. She came and you
know the rest"
Mr.. Jack corroborated all his wife
said, as also did Hugo Long and others
who live near them.
MRS. DILLON RETURNS HOME.
Mrs. Callie Dillon, whose unsuc-
cessful attempt to obtain possession
of her 19-year-old sister, Lydia Spence,
was detailed in Sundays Post Dis
patch, has gone back to her home
near Mexico, No., to return later with
the sinews of war to carry on a legal
battle. 1t is probable that her hus-
band will accompany her on the next
trip. Mrs. Dillon's temporary aband-
onment of the field of battle is on the
advice of Attorney F. A. @. Mac
Manus, who suggested that it was
now better to invoke the aid of the
law in securing justice. Mrs. Dillon
came to st. Louis unprepared to carry
the matter into the courts; in fact,
she anticipated no objection on the
part of the Rheas. She came in re-
spouse to letters from her sister and
other parties, imploring her to take
her away. The denouement of Fri
day night was unexpected and left
Mrs. Dillon practically helpless. She
went home, after announcing her de-
termination to make another attempt
to get her sister away from her pres.
ent situation. 1t will be necessary
for her to show the letters she re-
ceived from her sister, in which the
, girl described the indignities to which
she was subjected. She has kept these
letters, she says, but failed to bring
them with her, and they are impor
tant. Altogether the cast is a mos
remarkable one. Attorney f. A. @
b McManus, Mrs. Dillon's lawyer, sale
J his client wanted to consult with he