Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-12
B R UTAL TREATMENT
.ALittle 6olursd Girl Terribly Whipped Viii
q Rawhide.
The Case Heard In the Police Court
Judge Mills Remarks In
Passing Sentence,

MIS- Maria Smith, a middle-aged colored
woman was today sent to Jail by Judge
| Mills for sixty days. fined S. and, IL that
Is not paid, sixty days additional in prison,
| Tor the brutal treatment of Rosa Russell,
a little colored girl about eight years old.
| There were few dry eyes in the court
room while the testimony in the case was
being heard, and Attorney Hewlett, who
| defended the prisoner. said he could not
ind words to express his views of the con-
| duct OF any one who would treat an ami
mal' much less human being, as the
child had been treated, and he could nos
bring himself to believe that any mother.
as Mrs. Smith is could become so devoid
| OF all the instincts of woman, which it
| was evident was the case of the guilty
| party in the matter in hearing.
The case was brought to the attention of
the court by Humane Officer Wilson ard
| Officer Reiplinger of the Society for the
| Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, each of
I wnom yesterday received a postal card
mot signed. asking him to do something
| TO take Rosa Russell out of the clutches
| OF Mrs. Maria Smith, living on I'D street
between L and NJ streets northwest.
What the Officers Found.
| The officers at once repaired to Mrs
Smiths house, but were refused admit
| lance, and they went to the house adjoin-
| ing to make inquiries concerning the COM
| munication they had received. While
there the little girl crawled over the fence
to where Messrs. Wilson and Reiplinger
| were. With the exception of a woman's
jersey, she was utterly destitute of clothing
| and was taken to the house of neighbor.
! Where she was examined as to her physi-
| cal condition 1t was found that her back
and legs, as well as her arms. were a mass
| of bruises, weltS and running sores.
In reply to questions from the officers,
the child stated that the blows were in
hicted by Mrs. Smith The officers were
also informed by persons in the neighbor-
| hood that almost nightly Rosa's screams
! were heard begging Mrs Smith not to beat
| her. but that her entreaties were of no
avail nor did Mrs. Smith cease whipping
| the child until 1t suited her purpose to do
| SO. Leaving the neighborhood the officers
| at once proceeded to the Police Court and
| swore out a warrant against Mrs Smith
! On the charge of cruelty to the child, and
| last evening she was taken into custody.
| The officer who made the arrest managed
to secure a whip. known as a cowhide,
| which the little girl identified in court as
| the one with which she had been beaten
| on numerous occasions
| The above facts were corroborated by
| testimony offered this morning in the Po-
lice Court before Judge Mills, who then
had the clothing removed from the childs
| back SO that he could examine her condi-
ton. The judge characterized the condi
| ton of the child evidence of the most
| brutal treatment that he had ever seen
| inflicted on a human being, but listened
patiently to the evidence for the defense.
The Defendants Testimony.
Mrs. Smith, who took the stand, told
Judge Mills that she had never in her life
whipped the child with a cowhide, but that
two boys who formerly worked for her
husband had done so and they were i'm
| mediately discharged by her husband when
he heard of it, Several other witnesses,
| all of whom were connected with the fam
". testified hod
| known of Mrs. Smith whipping the little
| girl.
After both sides had been heard Judge
| Mills called Mrs. Mary Russell, mother of
| the little unfortunate, to the stand. and
asked her how 1t came about that the wo-
| man Smith ever got possession of her little
girl In reply Mrs. Russell said:
The Girls Mothers Story.
About three years ago the Smith family
moved into the neighborhood of where We
| then lived in Georgetown, and Mrs Smith,
a little afterward, went around trying to
find a small girl to play with her little boy.
Among the houses that she visited was my
own, and at her request and in consiiera-
| ton OF the fact that l had to go out to
| work by the day, l let her have my little
| girl. She at once took her to her own
| home, and in little while wanted me to
| give her papers surrendering all my right
| to the child. refused to do this, but told
| her that she could keep my little girl as
| long as she was satisfied with Rosie and
| Rosie was with her.
| so far as / know Mrs. Smith treated the
| child as well as could be expected until a
| few months ago, when 1 began to hear that
Rosie was being abused by the woman. 1
went repeatedly to the house to make in
qulrles, but could never gain admittance,
| and although l saw Rosie at an upper win
| dow the child would not come down and let
| me In because, as she said, Mrs. Smith
| would not allow her to open the door when
i frnVr hnv,
| This state of affairs has continued for
| some time, and although I have tried re-
| peatedly to have talk with my little girl
| l failed to do so until the officers became
| interested in the case yesterday"
| Judge Mills asked Mrs. Russell If she was
| able to take care of her little girl if he
restored Rosie to her, and Mrs. Russell re-
| piled that she was. adding that not only
did she have abundance of work. but that
| her husband was regularly employed by a
| large establishment in the city. This ended
| the hearing of testimony in the case and
| Judge Mills, addressing the prisoner, said:
Judge Mills Remarks.
II am going to give you such sentence
as will teach you not to abuse child
again. Never in my life have seen such
an exhibition of total depravity as I wit
messed upon examination of the back of
| this little child few moments ago, and 1
| cannot realize how you could become so de-
void OF all the instincts of womanly nature
| as to maltreat human being in the way
| you did little Rosie Russell
| Judge Mills then reviewed the evidence
| on both sides at considerable length, add
| Ing that the witnesses for the prosecution
| were eminently respectable, and while they
had not seen the whippings, the fact that
| they had heard the screams and pleadiags
| of the child, added to the fact that the poor
little thing had timidly told him that Mrs.
Smith had beaten her with the cowhide.
| convinced him that the prisoner was guilty.
| He then imposed the sentence as above
| stated. Mrs. Smith was led to the cells be-
| low by Bailif Darr, and Rosie left the
court room in company with her mother.