The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-14
CONSP Tracy?
Francis Says His Neighbors
Are in League Against
Him..
A FIEND OR A MARTYR
He is Charged With Horrible
Cruelty to His Three
Little Girls.


An interesting case of a man charged
with neglecting to provide for MS cnli-
dren and cruelty to them has been oc-
cupving the attention of Police Justice
Nevin in the Second Criminal Court ene
past few days. The defendant Is George
Francis. of No Sc Maple street Poor
master Hewitt is prosecuting the case.
The man claims that he is the vlctlm
of a conspiracy on the part OF coterle
Of women of much apparent respectabil-
itv These women are determined VII
rasses against Francis Several Of them
live in the same fiat house. The others
arc next door neighbors. They are Mrs
Settlers. who lives on the top floor OF the
tlat. Mrs. Hogan, the ianitress, and MRS
Vaudeville, a tenant; Mrs. Black, OF No.
5S Maple street, and Mrs. Fox OF NO o..
These women this morning testified 10
various times when through pity they 1ed
the children; to hearing them scream
when they were being whipped by their
father. and to seeing blackened eyes ana
bruises on arms and legs after such peat-
ings. Some of them related instances OF
finding the children in the cellar OF the
fiat cleaning it up or chopplng Wooo
with a broken and dilapidated hatchet-
They said the children cried because aa-
most Impossible tasks had to be finished
before they could have their meals, ana
they were whipped at times because they
did not finish quickly enough for the
alleged irate father The women in the
same fiat told how through pity they FED
the children when they were locked up
and hungry through a dumb waiter
There are three of the children, bright
pretty aittle girls. They were In court
this morning with their mother, who,
though she had her husband arrested a
week ago is fighting hard and in rather
dignifed manner for the aequittal OF her
usband She denied in toto the stories
told by the women who appeared against
hre husband.
She is the bread winner the family.
She leaves her hom every morning to go
10 work III New York at seven o'clock,
and returns at seven in the evening.
She says her husband is out of work,
but has for some time tried hard to get
something to do: that he is good to her
and the children, and generus with his
wages when at work. Some years ago
they lived in Buffalo, where the husband
was employed as a detective by the Erie
Railroad Company and subsequently
worked for the Erie Company here. Be
fore the family moved here two years
ago they lived in New York.
Mrs. Francis accounted for the bruises
on the children. When at work she
leaves them in the care of her step-sister
who keeps house, for her. She says there
is never a dearth of food in the house.
When pressed for explanation of her chill
dren,s stories concerning their hunger she
admitted that they were MT as truthful as
they should be-
Complaint was rst made of Francis
cruea treatment of his children to Chief
of Police Murphy two weeks ago. He
ordered an investigation, which was made
by Detective Hottie, Who reported that the
complaint was true
Frederick Vaudeville subsequently made
another complaint, and when Detective
Hottie went to investigate further he
found Poormaster Hewitt Investigating
The Poormaster asked that nothing be
done for a few days until he pursued am
other line of inves estigati0n This resulted
in Francis arrest. The Poormaster plied
questions in manner which ind1ca1ed
that he thought Francis acted queerly.
Police Justice Nevin heard all the test
mony and reserved decision
Francis was represented by Lawyer
Clarence Kelsey.