Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-03-09
SAD FATE OF WAITS.
District Of Columbia Law Does Not
Protect Them.
The Crime Of Abandonment 10 Quite
Prevalent In the National Can.
ital-Law O0cers Unable
to Suppfess It.
Especial Washington letter.

ISpeC1ol washington AetIef.l
sInfants have no rights in this dis
trict," said big Irishman wearing the
uniform of a policeman, and swinging
his club, as he stood in the vestibule of
q leading hotel.
"In other cities there are laws which
fully protect helpless infants, and
severe punishments are provided for
those who abuse them. In 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, land 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 a wife competent wit
ness against her husband in cases of
cruel treatment of children. What is
needed is law that can be speedily en-
forced"
"What has been your work?"
ssThe chief work have been called
upon to do has been in relation to cruel
ty to children and abandonment. 1t is
true great many infant children are
abandoned by their mothers, but it is
almost physical impossibility 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 clew, but, when you trace
itup, no 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,
ga person will leave 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 CQllQ 10 the woman never COluSS
again and is never heard of any more.
Now that is not a case of abandonment
under the law. 1t may be swindle or
a case of breach of trust, but we
could do nothing 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 I go to
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 it is next to i'm
possible to trace the offender. I have
had several cases like that. One trouble
is that the colored woman with whom
the child is left, as rule, cannot give
any intelligent description of the party
that imposed the child upon her. Ihave
had cases 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 case. The child was not