Smyrna times., 1906-08-15
MRS. wv MORRIS DONE AN INJUSTICE
c. ". Williams of the New Jersey and Della.
ware Chdren's Home Society Made lnves-
tigatIon and Found Child had Good Home.

c. v. Williams of the New Jersey and Della.
ware Chdren's Home Society Made lnves-
tigatIon and Found Child had Good Home,
Tie runaway of Lizzie Bacon, the
little orphan girl who resided with
Mr.. and Mrs. John W. Morris on the
"Grieves Farm" near town and her
subsequent custody by Frank Stout,
agent for the Society of Prevention of
Cruelay to Children, in Wilmington,
has not terminated in anything def
mite since we published the account a
week ago. The little girl is still in
the care and keeping of Agent Stout
and what he intends doing in the mat
ter is not known. Yesterday Mr.. G..
V. Williams of the New Jersey and
Delaware Children's Home Society,
the guardian of the child who placed
her with the family of j. W. Morris
SIX months ago, visited Agent Stout at
Wilmington and was refused admit
tance to see the child. He understood
from Mr.. Stout, however, that the
case would be tried in Court as soon as
his attorney arrived home from his va
cation. Mr.. Williams then proceeded
to Smyrna and made an Investigation
of the case. He regretted the occur
renee very much and while it was nat
ural for him to sympathize with the
child, despite her bad traits, he
thinks Mrs. Morris has been done
an injustice by the published re-
ports purporting to be the statement
of the child. He.had every reason to
believe the child had a good home
with the Morris and should Agent
Stout push the case to trial 1t would
go very much against him. When in.
terviewed Mr.. Williams said:
II have just made an Investigation
relative to the stories of abuse told by
one of our wards, who lived with Mr..
and Mrs. Morris near Smyrna and
feel I must correct the impressionI
given in the following statement: Thi'
little girl is to be pitied more thar
censured. Neglected many years BY
her own parents, she has developed
some bad traits, and two good families
who had tried to give her good home
before 1 brought her to Smyrna, re
turned her. Mrs. Morris has had 81
much trouble with her that she ha
thought much of returning her to tn
Societies, but the child begged he
'Aunt Jennie" to keep her. She RAJ
away on the hottest day of the yea
and was pitiable sight after reachin
Middletown. But if an immediate in
, vestigation had been made by those n
, sponsible for the publication of thes
allegations of neglect and cruelty,
think that any unbiased person woul
feel satisfied that she had good hon
with Mr.. and Mrs. Morris, aud the al
D ticles would never have been pul
= lished. There are none in the Sta
more anxious TO see the child have b.
rights than the author of this note al
= 1 would hasten the prosecution, if pc
: sible, of persons who neglected
abused little children. But in th
. family whom I think have been goo
case it seems too bad that a goo
and true to this poor child, providir
- -, her with an abundance of clothin
and treating her as one of the famil
- add at least seeking to have great r
tience with her, should be subject
:. to criticism. 1 state this after havil
- made inquiry, seen her clothing, Al
= that, supplemented with my know
q edge of the child"