The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-10
TORTURED BY HER AUNT
"A Startling Story of Most Afro
cious Cruelty.
WAS HOUSEHOLD DRUDGE
Never Heard of God-Was Beaten I'm
mercifully for Trivial Offenses-Her
Clothing Consisted of Old
Bed Ticking.

New York, April 9.-Almost unpar-
alleled in its atrocious cruelty is the
case Of Elizabeth Reems, Ii years old,
who was taken in charge yesterday
by the Paterson Society for the Pre-
tvention of Cruelty to Children.
President Arthur W. Bishop of the So
ciety received written information
about the matter recently from Albert
Smith, justice of the peace of Bergen
overseer of the poor with request for
immediate action. Smith and Packer
told Of the life of the little girl, who
lives between Franklin and Crystal
lakes, seven miles north of Paterson.
and the details were SO startling that
Mr.. Bishop took personal charge of
the case. Yesterday he visited the
child's home, found her condition even
worse than was represented and took
charge of her. Her aunt, who had
been her torturer, will be prosecuted
Six years ago the child was left an
orphan, and went to live with her
aunt, Kiziah Storms, near Crystal lake
Since that time she has been made
household drudge by her relatives
She has never seen the interior of a
school or church. She does not know
even the first letter of the alphabet
and of her Maker she has never heard
except in the blasphemous utterances
of her relatives when intoxicated Her
I face is that of woman of 80 years,
her body that of an emaciated child
! of years, who has been beaten often
and without mercy, and her hands are
the great calloused ones of a farmers
boy of 90
On the night of the great blizzard.
When furnaces We're kept under forced
draught to warm comfortable homes,
little Lizzie Reems. starving and al
most without clothing walked miles
through the snow to the home Of Poor
master Packer. She had heard that
food could be had from him for the
asking. Her clothing consisted of
piece of old bed ticking and she had
no undertaking. One foot was half
hidden in an old shoe, and the other
was wrapped in old bagging and tied
with string. A piece of old carpet
was wrapped about her body, and her
arms were covered with thin rags. The
thermometer was at zero. the snow
deep and drifted, yet this child of i'll
fortune had walked four miles through
1t all for food, a, ,,l.. y.-r..
She explained timidly that her aunt
had beaten her unmercfullv because
she had asked for piece of bread For
four days previously she had had moth
ing to eat except few potatoes, which
she had found and roasted in a bonfire,
and few eggs, which she had stolen
from hen roosts of neighbors The
child said that she was compelled to
work in the woods, week in and week
out cutting kindlng wood, which her
relatives marketed in Paterson She
was expected to saw and split a wagon
load OF kindling every two days. and
beating was her lot if she failed
Rain or shine, heat or cold. made no
difference to her torturers. Afterward
at night, she frequently had to trudse
five miles over the mountains to a
tavern to get liquor for her aunt, and
If it was cold or stormy it was needed
so much the more. Once. in January
she lost her way in a snoWstorm while
making trip of this kind and did not
reach the tavern until after midnight,
1t was closed. She dared not return
without the liquor, and so drew her
rags about her and slept in an open
cattle shed until morning. Then she
had the jug filled and returned. A
beating for the delay was the reward
of her faithfulness.
President Bishop called upon Justice
Smith and Poormaster Packer yester-
day. Both men declared that some of
the cruelties inflicted upon the child
were too horrible to describe in detail.
since tue DllZHdIu faCkef mad tried TO
nourish and protect Lizzie sometimes
being able to intimidate her aunt by
threats, but repetitions of beatings and
other sufferings inflicted on the little
girl finally convinced him that the only
. remedy would be to remove the child
from the custody of her cruel guardian.
President Bishop found the child in
a condition even worse than had been
represented He brought her back to
nj har in
Home for Children.