The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-04
SADIE IS DEAD.
The Wiseman Girl Fails to
Rally After an 0per-
alton.
HER STORY OF CRUELTY
She Was One of the Heroines
Of the Recent Trenton Re-
form School Scandal
rs,ec,a, 10 ..Tbe Jersey city News."l

PATTERSON, Oct. A. 1S99.-Fears OF tnt
physician tina Sadie Wiseman couio no
survive the operation about to be per
formed proved only too well founded. Sne
died a half hour after the use OF thf
knife, without ever coming from under
the influence of the ether.
Before the operation Sadie, as a former
Inmate of the Industrial School for Girls
in Trenton, made an ante-mortem state
ment to Justice of the Peace John Keys
in the presence of President Bishop of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children, n Eugene Pulls, a member
of the same society. Her statement will
be put into the hands Of the Prosecutor
of Mercer county at the opening of the
court and empanelling of the Grand Jury.
The statement of the girl, under which
she places her signature, is given in full
as follows
state of New Jersey, County of Pas
sale, ss.: Ante-mortem statement of Sadie
Wiseman, taken before me, John Keys,
a Justice of the Peace, this third day of
October, 1899.
ssThe said Sadie Wiseman saith as fol-
lows:-My name is Sadie Wiseman. l be-
aieve I am about to die and desire to make
the following statement:I was born in
Holland June IA, 1880, and came to Amer
lea with my parents when about a year
old and have lived in the city of Pater-
son ever since, with the exception of the
year and one week that / was in the Ew-
ing school.
Il was sent from Paterson, by John
Hopper, Esq, Judge of the Court of Quar-
ter Sessions, on the ed of June, 1896
.sOn Sunday. I think it was either May ID
or 20, 1897, while in the Sunday school at
Ewing, / was charged by Mrs. Eyler with
Breaking one of the rules. I denied having
done SO. Mrs. Eyler then ordered me TO
leave the Sunday school and go up stars
to the dungeons. l refused to go, saying
! had done nothing wrong to 'De punisned
for so severely Mrs Eyler then sent
Miss Sickells after Tim the gardener, at
the same time seizing me and dragging
me to the next floor above. Mrs. Eyler
dragged me up the stairs and threw me
IN the floor, and | was in that position
when Miss Sickells and Tim came Miss
Siekells was a substitute in the laundry
while one OF the attendants was away.
When Tim and Miss SickellS got to the
upper hall Miss SickellS got on to me,
and sat on my stomach and held me down
with. her weight. She weighed over 200
pounds. Mrs. Eyler then began striking
me with a heavy strap. Tim then grabbed
hold of men by the back OF my neck and
arms, choking me. TITS IISSTS dIu lnullO
nearly met on my neck. and he carried me
up the next pair of stairs in this manner
AL the while Mrs. Eyler was beating me
over the head and body with the heavy
strap. When they got me to the dungeon
door, I tried to scream, as the pain from
the beating and the awful choking made
me believe that I was to be murdered.
Mrs. Eyler sent Frances down stairs for
the strait jacket, and she made Tim sit
down on me with his knee on my stomach.
and at the same time choking me with
nAnfh hnn1c 7 0banornn Him fpor7 .ahNkirU
and twice Tim let go my throat but was
compelled to again choke me by Mrs.
Eyler,s orders. Then they picked me up
and Tim held me as / could not stand
and the strait Jacket was put on me by
Miss Frances Day.
While the strait jacket was being put
on me and / was held by Tim, Mrs. Eyler
continued to beat me over the face, lead
and body. Over two hundred blows were
struck, But l did not mind it so much, as
my neck and stomach hurt me SO bad l
much.
Then / was showed into the dungeon by
to her that I should tell the trustees about
her cruel treatment. She told me to be
still or she would give me some more.
Il was left alone in the dungeon for six
days. and only saw Frances twice every
twenty-four hours when she brought me
a piece of bread and a BOWL of water.
nights and three days, during which time
I could not move. l could not even at
tend to the demand of nature; my
parched and dry. and I was burning up
with fever, and the sight of the bowl of
water so near me, and yet I could not
touch it, made me mad.
.Frances Day took the strait Jacket off at
the end of the third day, and found that
my arms were ~paralyzed- I could not
walk either without help, and it was a
to eat with. I have not had the proper
use Of my hands since. as you will notice
my feet are the same way. and in the
least movement suddenly I am taken with
vertigo. I was nearly starved while in
the dungeon, and at times unconscious;
had been removed Frances Day asked
Mrs. Eyler to let her give me proper
and water, but Mrs. Eyler forbid
Frances from giving me anything but
the bread and water.
After the sixth day Mrs. Eyler let me
Into the board room. This is the room
with the windows boarded up. I was
kept there four days still on bread and
water. Miss Day then told Mrs. Eyler
that / would not live unless I was nursed
better and had proper food. Mrs. Eyler
then became frightened at my condition
and allowed me a bowl of hot milk. My
stomach was so weak that / could not
drink the milk or eat the bread. Mrs.
Eyler brought a ~lady~doctor who exam
ined me and said she could not help as
I was too far gone.
> AA-C4A ~ q thC 0S1
room TO the hospital where 1 was fed on
the best of food to save my life, but l
did not get any better. My side panied me
SO that I could not sleep nor walk and
I could not keep any food on my stomach.
Mrs. Eyler sent for the asylum doctor.
He examined me and decided / was well
enough to stay where I was. Mrs. Eyler
said she intended to send me to Paterson
for treatment, but instead I was brought
to the County Jail, where no one knew me
I was changed so much. and then I was
sent to my mother.
My throat troubles me all the time.
The doctor say my lungs are injured and
very weak. My side hurts me so much
that / cannot lie in bed to sleep and I
cannot keep any solid food on my stom-
ach. My hands and feet are numb, and
the least movement I make I am taken
with vertigo. The name of the
man Tim Is Timothy Commit.
MISS SADIE WISEMAN.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this
third day of October. 1893, at Paterson.
JOHN KEYS,
Justice of the Peace.
THE foregoing statement was read to
Sadie Wiseman and signed by her in our
presence, and she declared the same to be
true in every particular.
"ARTHuR w. BISHOP,