The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-02
ESCAPED NAKED.
John Clifford, Found Moan.
ing With Cold, Tells of
Brutal Treatment at
Miss Grants
Home of the
Blind"
HIS CLOTHES TAKEN AWAY
He Claims to Be Heir to a
Small Fortune, But Law
yer Hardy Says
This Is Not So.
MISS GRANTS CAREER
sishop Wigger Once Warned the
Catholics of This Diocese
Against Her.
MISS GRANTS CAREER

A telephone message was received at
the Fourth precinct station house a few
minutes before midnight last night, stat
ing that MIR. Thomas Z. SEnith, of No.
Ia Clerk street. had discovered a naked
boy nearly frozen to death on his front
stoop. Patrolman Downs was at once
sent to the house and found a naked
boy, who gave his name as John Clifford,
and said that he was seventeen years
old and had escaped from the second
story of the Home of the Blind, No.
IS Ocean avenue. by the aid of two bed
sheets which he had fastened to the shut
ters.
The boy said that he had been ilI-treat-
ed. Smith told the patrolman that he
had found the boy cuddled up in a corner
of the stoop incoming from the cold. and
that he took him inside and placed him
beside a warm fire.
AS the Home and the residence of
Smith is just south of the dividing line
of the Fourth and Fifth precincts, and
in the Fifth precinct Downs found Pa
trollnan Bose on that beat and reported
the case to him. Bose went to the house
and tried to induce the boy to return to
the Home but could not. Neither
\coaxing nor threatening had any effect.
The boy said he would die before he
gould go back, as he was sure he would
beaten to death if he did.
Bose then went to the sshome." and
&reatly surprised the matron Miss Rose
Grant, by asking for the boys clothes.
She did not know that he had escaped.
An investigation showed that the boy had
taken two sheets from the bed and select
|pips- he window facing the rear yard. so
he cGald not be seen from the street,
secured one sheet ITO the blinds of the sec
ond floor, then slid down to the first floor;
then standing upon the window sill fas-
tened the second sheet to the blinds and
again slid down to the end Of the sheet.
which was still possibly six feet above
the ground, and dropped
Bose returned to Smiths house. After
securing the boys clothes and then sent
in call to the City Hospital for an am
bulance Upon its arrival the doctor re-
fused to take the boy, stating that the
case was one more fitted for the police
court than the hospital. Bose telephoned
GDr the patrol wagon and took the boy to
she Fifth Precinct station house. Arriv-
ing there shortly before two o'clock this
morning, Sergeant McDevitt at the desk
sitter hearing the story, advised Bose to
make a complaint of disorderly conduct
against the boy, stating that Justice Doug
lass was better qualified to act in the case
than he was. The boy was then locked
up. Driver Mackey considerably placed
several blankets on the hard plank In the
CELL and made the boy comfortable for
the remainder of tn night.
AT the station house he told the follow
ing story to a News reporter:-"My
name is John Clifton. I will be seven
teen years old next month. I lived in Ho-
oHen, at Washington and Fourth streets
~ father died when was about five
years old. and my mother died when /
was six. was then placed in st. Michaers
home, at Erie street and Pavonia avenue,
smd on April A, 1894 the sisters put me in
the Home for the Blind on account of my
having sore eyes. I have been in the
home ever since. am not blind. I can
see well enough to read sometimes.
-Four weeks ago last Friday I was
locked up in the room / escaped from
last night and my clothes were taken
away from me. All | had to keep me
warm were the blankets and bed clothes.
The house is heated by a furnace, but
there was no register in my room Some
times I thought I would freeze. The
cause of my being locked up was: On
that day Miss Grant gave Theresa Camp
bell, little girl, eleven years, ten cents
to go to store and buy something. She
came back and told Miss Grant that she
had lost the money and Miss Grant got
mad and said to Theresa:-sWho call me
a devil?' Theresa said that l did, then
Miss Grant came to me and asked me if
had. I said Yes, but 1 was angered
when did Then she beat me and broke
q stick over my back. She afterward
found the money in the hall. / did not
get any dinner or supper that day. She
also beat Theresa Campbell till she was
black and blue.
81 have witnesses that will prove what
I say and will tell what they know in
court, unless Miss Grant scares them
from 1t. Tonight / decided to escape and
waited until everything was quiet. But
when went to the window heard some
one say, Look at that boy l jumped
back was afraid l had been seen.
waited until about half-past eleven and
then slid down the sheets to the ground
walked out the back yard, but was
cold and sat down on the stoop, where
was found. don't want to go back to
that place. have money my grand
mother left me and I am afraid Rose
Grant wants to get 1t. My guardian
&and Lawyer Charles Hardy, in New York.
looking out for II. ! have brother
ineteen or twenty years old. who lives
omewhere in Hoboken. have some
ousins, but ! don't know where they are
nd I am sure they don't know where I
M
The case had a hearing before Justice
Douglass this morning Miss Grant was