The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-08-13
A CHILD'S MISERY
Nine Year Old Idiot Locked
Up in a Foul
Garret.
HALF NAKED AND STARVED
His Stepmother's Objections
to His Presence in Her Home
Police Rescue Him.


John Wallace, nine years old son of
John Wallace, of No 176 Warren street.
who is employed in the American Sugar
refining Company's plant, was this morn
ing rescued from a dirty, foul smelling
poorly ventilated garret in his father S
home by Detective Lee and Patrolman
oxley. The child is an idiot and looks
as if he had been poorly fed. Every
'bone in his weak little body is plainly
visible. His ribs stick out and his cheek
bones seem to be breaking through the
skin. He is very dirty, hatless, shoeless,
and clad only in dirty undershrt and
overalls The shirt has no buttons, and
his chest is exposed so that the unwashed
and emaciated condition of his body is in
plain view. The boys hair is struggling
and stuck together with dirt. 1t was ap-
parently light colored once. On his right
ear is a sore that seems unable to heal,
and his left leg is short and thin and
crooked. The child was run over once
by a vehicle some years ago and the leg
crushed. 1t looks as If anything but
proper treatment had been applied.
AS he jumped about the patrolman S
room in the First precinct police station,
playing with the cords of the window
shades and enjoying the pure air without
which he has existed for at least three
days, some say three weeks, he looked for
all the world like a monkey. There was
the lack of intelligence in his eyes that
marks the imbecile. Nothing would hold
his attention. Such thing as carrying on
rI, J, INN hi
Every creak of chair, every move of
from each preceding object of blank Won
der. He was a pitiable sight.
John was born nine years ago and his
mother died shortly after. He was an
idiot then. Several years ago his father
married again and the child was sent to
friends named Freize in West Fifty-ninth
street, New York, where his board was
paid. The stepmother has seen him very
seldom The New York family tired of
the boy and brought him to his fathers
home. This was Thursday last, accord
ing to Mrs Wallace.
The child's father sent for DIR. Baumann
to examine his son. DR.. Baumann made
an examination and gave Mrs. Wallace a
note certifying that the boy was idiotic.
He advised that the boy be treated in an
asylum and advised Mrs. wallace to con-
suit with Poormaster Hewitt. This she
failed to do before complaints were lodged
against her to the police by neighbors.
A number of the neighbors about War
rem and Essex streets complained last
night to the police Among them were
Mrs York and Miss Annie Cassidy, of
No. 121 Essex street. Their rear windows
look out on the rear windows of the row
in which the Wallace family live. They
said that for three weeks a child had been
confined in garret in the Wallace house.
The child was dirty, they said, and
seemed neglected. They even said they
saw the boy in a position that led them
to believe he was praying for Divine aid.
The women said the child was victim of
a stepmother's neglect and torture.
Detective Lee and Patrolman Oxley were
sent to investigate. They got to the house
this morning and entered. The hall door
was open. They went upstairs to the top
floor. The first door they met had hole
in it and they looked in. All they could
see was a bundle of old clothing, an old
stove and some stovepipe and a broken
bedstead. There was no bed in the room.
small window about ten by fifteen
inches. half covered with cardboard, let in
a faint ray of light.
Mrs. Wallace came upstairs, having
heard the officers enter. They told her
their business and she opened the door.
Detective Lee said there was COM
motion in the bundle of clothes and sud
denly the boy appeared. He made wild
dash for the door, Lee caught him. The
air in the room was so foul, the detective
said, that he was forced to leave the door
way to get some fresh air.
The boy was almost naked. He was
partly dressed a little later and Mrs. Wal
lace and the boy were taken to Chief
Murphy. to whom Mrs. Wallace told her
story. She was allowed to go free and
the boy was held. He will be sent to
Snake Hill to the asylum
Mrs. Wallace when seen this morning
at her home said the boy had always been
in New York, where his board was paid.
Those who kept him tired of the task
and brought him to his father.
"when everyone else gets tired of him
they bring him here said Mrs. Wallace
in high indignation. 81 don't want him.
1 can't bother with such boy He is
crazy anu i Cdtl9l COALiOt AiAih. Ike was
brought her Thursday night and was in
the house only a short time when he
began to break everything he could lay
his hands on. He tore the clothes from
his back and tore the bed clothes SO that
/ could do nothing with him. I sent for
DR.. Baumann and he gave me this
She produced DR.. Baumann's certificate
that the child was an idiot. ''Then we
put him IN the room The other day
he broke the glass in the window and
had one leg cut trying to escape from
the room do not want him around here
again"
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