The evening times., 1900-01-23
A BOYS STRANGE STORY.
A Blind Guardian Furnishes Him With
"a Heavy Cane.


NEW YORK. Jan 23.-Dr. John T. Thel-
berg. a blind physician. who has an Office
at 26 West Thirty fourth Street. and lives
/ at The Waldorf Astoria was prisoner N
! the West Side police court yesterday
| charged with beating a boy Of fourteen.
| who was taught TO call himself At rhur
| Magnet. and who beliyes his name Is some
1 thing else
The physician. who is wealthy. admits
Furnishing the boy with a cane. but as
serts that as his guardian he has d perfect
| right 70 do so. The boy, he says. is sew
/ enteen years old.
! The Gaming incident took place in the
/ doctors Office on January 70. The boy had
/ been living az the house Of a Miss Barton,
/ at 81 West Thir;ieJh Street. She was
/ asked by the physician TO take the boy o
his Office she did SO and as soon as he
entered his office the doctor seized him and
beat him over the head shoulders. and
legs with a gold headed cane, which bIoAe
under the force Of the blows.
Arthur went home. and another bcarder
in Mrs. Barton's home took him 10 the
West Side court. where he told his story 10
D
Magistrate Cornell. who sent him 70 the
rooms Of the Society for the Prevention OF
Cruelty to Children. with the request tEat
his story be investigated.
His body was covered with bruises, and
Mrs Barton confirmed he story of the
beating The physician admitted II. and
upon this information obtained by an
agent. Mr.. Agnew. Magistrate Cornell is
sued an order OF arrest for the physician.
an to he Waldorf
Astoria, and DR.. TheIberg promised TO &C
company HIM 10 court yesterday morning,
and kept his word,
The physician was represented By coun
sell who requested an adjournment until
tomorrow. and Magistrate Mott paToled
him until that time. The boy was sent
/ back 10 the society's rooms.
! Arthur is pleasant faced and intelligent
beyond his years. L am between fourteen
. and fifteen years Old" he said. Il don't
! know where | was born or who my par
/ ents are. My first recollection Is o. living
with Mrs. Frazee. at No ; HoptCn Ter
race Washington Street. san Francisco.
/ When l was about four years old man
/ came and tried TO get me away from her.
/ but | continued 10 live with her until about
six years ago when DR.. Thelberg came 10
her house and told her that he had right
10 take me away. He showed legal papers,
\ = It
He said. I did not say that
DR. Thelberg took me TO Chicago where
we met Mrs. Thelberg. and she came on 10
New York with us She is a teacher at
Vassar College. Her daughter Elsie lives
with her.
In Chicago the doctor told me my name
was Arthur Magnet" the boy continued.
He kept me at school ar Chappaqua. y.
Y and Amherst Mass. and for two years
on a 1arm al GTeenpOrt y. Y. In June.
1895 he placed me on the school ship st.
Mary. and | remained on her until last
October. He told the captain that | was
sixteen years old. He wanted me 20 take
a postgraduate course on the ship. hut
thev wouldn't take me when they found |
was so young.
Then he took me to the West Thirtieth
Street address and arranged for my board
and lodging He told me | must find a job
on shipboard and go TO sea. | got job
on ship about 10 sail for South Africa,
but ran away after working two days, just
before she sailed The doctor was angry
at this. | got two other positions in
stores. but he would not let me keep them.
and told me | must go TO sea. Then came
our meeting at this office.
Mrs. Barton said she had only recently
bought the house where she lives and that
Arthur had boarded with the woman who
had owned il before her. She was told.
she said that DR.. ThelbeTg was the boys
guardian She said the doctor told her he
only took charge of Arthur out of kind
ness. because he had known his father.