Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1899-03-11
SAD FATE OF WAIFS.
District of Columbia Law Does Not
Protect Them.
The Cr,mc of Abandonment Is Quite
Prevalent in the National Cap
itai-Law Officers Unable
to Suppress II.
Especial We shing ton Letter. !


"Infants have no rights in this dis
trict," said big Irishman wearing the
uniform of policeman, and swinging
his club, as he stood in the yestibule OF
a leading hotel.
in other cities there are laws which
fully protect helpless infants, and
severe punshments are provided for
those who abuse them. Ir this district
there is but little provision made to
prevent outrages and impositions upon
children.
1.-THE code IS in crude state" he con-
tinued, 'and can be much improved in
several respects. One change which
should be made is that the law should
provide fine by the police court in
cases where children are employed as
acrobats, or for other purposes con-
demned by the law, instead of requir-
ing such cases to be taken before the
grand jury. Another amendment
should make wife a competent wit
ress against her husband in cases of
cruel treatment of children, What is
reeded is law that can be speedily en-
forced"
"What has been your work??"
The chief worll ! have been called
upon to do has been in relation to cruel
ty to children and Abandonment. 1t is
true a great many infant children are
abandoned by their mothers, but il is
almost a physical impcssibilty to find
the Offending mothers. The infant is
carried from one end of the town to the
other, and its identity is entirely lost.
Sometimes piece of clothing appears
to furnish a clew. but. when You trace
It up, 10 one knows anything about the
child. The only case of abandonment
in which we were successful in finding
The mother was one where police Off
Ger knew the girl. After abandoning
the child she went TO her home and the
next morning inquired near where she
left the child to learn what had be-
come of it.
Sometimes" continued the officer,
"a person will leave a child with wom-
an promising to pay two dollars week
or ten dollars a month for its support.
After paying the sum stipulated two or
three weeks, the person who brought
the child 10 the woman never comes
again and is never heard of any more.
Now that is not case of abandonment
under the law. 1t may be swindle or
a case Of breach of trust, but we
could do nolhing if we could find the
person to whom the child belonged.
Another way of disposing of chill
dren is in this manner: a woman will
come along with child, stop colored
woman in the street and say: Please
hold this child moment until go tc
the store and buy something. The col
ored woman takes the child and has it
left on her hands. That is clear case
Of abandonment, but ii is next to i'm
possible TO trace the offender. ] have
had several cases like that One trouble
is that the coored woman with whom
the child is left, as a rule, cannot give
any intelligent description of the party
that imposed the child upon her ! have
had eases where mothers have left chill
dren with persons to care for them and,
in some instances, have found the moth
er of the child; but | can make nothing
out of such a case. The child was not
abandoned and not cruelty treated.
One thing needed vere is law that
would compel the father of child TO
pay five dollars month or more for its
support. If such law We're in force
there would be fewer eases of abandon
ment.
THE complaints Of cruelty to chill
drcn generally come through the police
Very few come TO the office Of the chill
dren's society. People do not seem to
understand that complaints can be sent
there. The complaint is generally
made to the police officer on the beat.
and if he cannot attend to it it is re-
ferred 10 me. These cases are those of