The record-union., 1899-07-11
THE CHlEbREN'S SOCIETY.
CASES HANDLED LAST MONTH
ACTION TAKEN.
Some Pitifu1 Cases-Children a.
Peddlers and the Law-The
Society Policy.

sumo 1At11uA Oa8cs-O OAAAsAX Xo1 -
Peddlers and the Law-The
60 Society Policy.
The Society for the Prevention of
| Cruelty to Children held its monthly
meeting last night and it proved a
very interesting one. President Van
Norden was In the chair. Collections
made fair showing, but the Assist
ant Secretary reported some $500 on
the books of unpaid dues.
The delinquent members had been
| notified and asked if they wished to
be dropped from the roll. Some had
paid up, others reported that they
were unaware they were members. 1t
was resolved to lay the list over to
| September and in the meantime con-
suit the persons and if they wish TO
! be dropped, to strike off the names as
| the society does not wish to carry de-
| linquents on the books. nor to force
membership. on any one. All engaged in
its beneficent work must be willing
helpers.
| The monthly report Of Officer Healy
| consisted of brief sketches of the cases
June. This report gives a fair idea
of the work the society is called upon
| to attend to from month to month out
side Of charity, advice, correspondence
| and the like. In one case the COM
plant required looking into the case
Of an epileptic, woman, not child,
not concern itself Another was the
n a q of 6, hnx Of a. Of f6ar-
of a girl of 13 consorting with suppos-
edly bad women, and complained Of by
neighbors; another of the arrest of a
married man living illicitly with girl
of 16. He insists that his wife is dead
and that he will marry the girl, but the
wife writes that she is much alive,
which the husband still denies.
| Another case was that of married
man who complained by a forged let
ter of a widow for cruelty using her
minor child. It turned out on inves-
| tigation that this man had married the
widow while his wife lived not pistol
| shot away, and when the widow left
him, discovering how she had been de-
| ceived, lodged the complaint against
her under a false name in order to
compel her to return to him. The
| iPAeIiit w dS 6lOu1ioiCSS, 00t tAlC ACN-
| elation of rascality one for a Grand
Jury to investigate.
| Another case involved the desertion
of mere baby by a ,heartless father;
another concerned a trick played to
| get possession of a minor child and re-
store it to party the Superior Court
had forbidden to take the child, a pit
! iful story; another was the case of an
i I'M hon 1,ot1s& ted r,
time. Her daughter whom the soce-
! ty had to take charge of nearly three
years ago, returned and set the step
! father and his stepson by the ears, SO
! that the new father, a good man, de-
serted his home in self-protection. The
! society took the lad away and found
him place of employment.
In one case a runaway girl of 12
was found and returned to her home
and warned into submission to parental
authority. A boy from the Youths
Directory, San Francisco, escaping, was
captured here by the officer and re-
turned to the institution, and the hope
entertained that the wild lad may be
saved to good citizenship. In one case
a dissolute mother has left her two
small children to care of a very aged
iSAotiSSs - ~ 6OOd ACdI leu WOllldU
wishes to save-the children from shame
| and ruin to which they will drift if
| the mother takes them, when the aged
relative is too feeble to care for them
| longer. The officer is to aid the kind
| hearted woman in securing guardian
| ship and adoption of the children
| Another case was that of the girl
found friendless, hungry and distressed
/ IN fho hox- 60 -, ~, I,
! destination, where she was going out
to service. She was kindly cared for
and letters of gratitude from her moth
er were received, and of apology and
explanation from the party to whom
she was going. But the girl will not
| be sent on. She will either be retained
here or returned to her mother in San
Francisco. In another case the ques-
ton was whether the society could or
should prohibit young girls selling
newspapers ON the streets; whether the
| law of the State is prohibitive of it;
whether in fact, it is peddling. The
father Of two girls SO engaged wants
the children to follow that work, say
| ing he prefers it to sending them to
school He thinks that in the street
! they will learn business habits and
| worldly wisdom" The officer disagreed
with him and the case was referred to
| the society for advice.
In another case lost child was found
and restored to it's home; in another
two homeless children were shipped to
! Oregon, to relatives who will care for
| them. In another a cruel woman was
arrested for beating most brutally an
| epileptic child left in her care. She was
sent to Jail. the child to the hospital,
and the father warned to prepare to
care for his offspring as soon as it's
| health is restored.
| In another case lad of 8 was taken
i for larceny apd jailed, and is to be
examined fo1 admission to the lone
School. In another a girl on whom
a criminal assault was made. but who
refused to support the charge in court,
had been sent to Beulah Home. From
that place she wrote to the society
asking for money that she might be
more independent saying she is i'll
clad, that she has tried hard to be-
come Christian, but 'the tempter and
his imps are after her. She begs for
money and clothing. The letter was
guileless and excited sympathy. In
another case boy of 13 ran away
from home, conserted with vicious
characters, was taken in charge and
put in home, from which he present