Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-08-14
FATHER SENT
TO PRISON
PARENT WHO LOCKED LITTLE SON
IN BASEMENT WITH COBS AND
BONES TO EAT.
DID NOT REALIZE CRUELTY.
But for Plea of Attorneys, Albert Sepin
Might Have Been Sentenced for
Year for Offense.
sHAcKLEs ARE SHOWN IN COURT.

MILWAUKEE, Wis, Aug. 10, 1905
To the rattle of the heavy cow chains
he had used to shackle his boy to the
floor of a grimy, dingy basement with,
Albeit Sepin, arrested Saturday for
cruel treatment of his son, endeavored
in vain to explain away his medieval
methods to Judge Neelen this morning.
Surrounded by crowd of curious peo-
pie, including attorneys, officials and
newspaper men, Sepin was asked by his
attorney, John J. Vlach, to tell his
story.
Father Feared Dungeon.
ga policeman told me 1 should whip
my boy and tie him up," began Sepin,
a slight, dark man with rowing eyes
THE boy begs, steals and runs away,
and | could not manage him. l under
stood that would be thrown into a dun
geon if | did not keep the boy in the
house. And I waned him to be an hon
est man" There was no virtuous ring
in Sepin's voice when he spoke this SEN
timent, no fatherly pride in his glance
when it rested for a moment on the
stopped figure of the little 9-year-old IN
the chair opposite, who looked over the
scene with dull, unrealizing eyes.
The tale of cruelty that was unfolded
when Patrolman Carpenter and Supt;
Clayton Of the Humane society found
the child chained to the floor with cobs
of corn and a few gnawed bones lying
about him, was added to in important
particulars when Patrolman Carpenter
took the stand in police court.
Found After Midnight.
81 found the boy three days ago on
Fifth and Vliet streets at l o'clock IN
the morning, cold, hungry and scared
half to death, afraid to so home. At
other times | have known him to sleep
outdoors for weeks on an old couch under
the rear stairway of the old building
where the people live. l sent him home
and told the father to take care OF him
in the future"
The man continued to insist that he
believed that he was doing right in
furnishing his boy as he did. He said
that the boy remained away from home
for three weeks. He charged his son
with stealing money from little girls sent
to the stores in the vicinity to purchase
supplies, and with stealing fruit. Patrol
man Carpenter said that these charges
were true in part, but laid the cause TO
Supt. Clayton pulled up the waist of
the little fellow in court and showed
judge Neelen the great blue welts where
the father had pounded the boy with a
piece of hose. The shackles which he
wore when found were also displayed,
and the jingling of the chains made grim
music during the progress of taking tes-
timony.
sit is simply horrible to contemplate
the misery of the boy chained to base
ment floor like dog. with bones and
corn thrown to him to eat" said Judge
Neelen. THE punishment was simply
barbarous"
81 acknowledge it was barbarous,"
said Attorney Vlach, "and if this man
was a born American he should deserve
the severest penalty that the law al
lows. but he was brought up in coun-
try where such things are common. He
has suffered them himself and does not
know any better. If you punish him
you will punish his family.
Goes to Workhouse.
His family will be taken care Of"
said Judge Neelen, "by the county au-
thorities, and so will this boy, but the
man must go to the workhouse without
a fine.
Assistant District Attorney Edwin
Van Vechten suggested that the extreme
penalty, one year in the workhouse, was
too severe, and asked that the man be