Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-11-13
TOOK CHILD AWAY.

Ella Rehfeldt, nine year old girl,
was separated from her father and
foster mother Thursday by legal action.
This is the girl whom the PILOT men,
toned last week as having been the
victim of terrible beatings and who had
pick up table leavings out of garbage
boxes.
The case has appealed so strongly to
the citizens of Wausau that when the
time arrived for the hearing Thursday
a great many people were on hand to
listen to the testimony, among them
several women. The court, however,
deemed it best to exclude all spectators
from the court room.
Only few witnesses were examined,
but the testimony of these was sufficient
to convince one that this case shows
brutality exceeding any perhaps ever
called to the attention of court in this
county. Mrs. Dickens, of the humane
society, and Thos. Malone, chief of po-
lice, testified to practically the same
story Of the case as given in the PILOT
last week. Pictures were shown which
had been taken since the child was re-
moved from her home. These plainly
showed the lash cuts on the child's back,
shoulders and arms. The whip also
was introduced. This was a short stick
to which three lashes had been fastened
and which was capable of infiicting a
great amount of pain when applied to
the bare flesh, as it is alleged was done
on this child. 1t would not, perhaps,
cut the flesh with every blow so
there is well founded belief that the
child had been whipped repeatedly
with it, until her body and limbs had
become a mass of sores.
1t has beer learned that Rehfeldt is
now living with his third wife. 1t is
further learned that previous to coming
here another child was taken from the
couple by the Shawano county authori-
ties, while the family was residing in
Eland Jet, because it had been cruelty
used Ellen, it appears, is not an
adopted child, as the foster mother first
stated, but is child borne by Rehfeldt's
second wife.
At the conclusion of the testimony
the court ordered that the child be re-
moved from its home and given over to
the home for dependent children, 10.
Gated in Sparta
The little girl is recovering from her
harsh treatment very slowly. The
wounds are not all healed and she was
so debilitated from being starved and
insufficiently clothed, that it will be
some time before she is in good health
When given food she ate voraciously
No wonder. That people could turn
out a child to pick up living in alleys
out of refuse boxes does not seem
possible. Yet is alleged that was the
case with this child.
Upon the evidence introduced in the
above case warrant was issued and
Mrs. Rehfeldt arrested. The charge
was assault without regard for human
! life, which carries a penalty of impris-
onment of from one TO eight years.
AT the hearing, she was bound over for
trial in municipal court, being required
to furnish bail in the sum of $780, She
was locked up in Jail. but on Friday
gained her liberty by depositing cash
bail of 500
The little girl was removed to Sparta
Friday. and was taken there by Mrs. w
e. Dickens, who saw that she will re
eeive medical attention until she ha:
fully recovered. 1t is possible that the
little one win later be adopted by :
Wausan family.