The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-12
NEVER HEARD OF GOD
And Had Lived All Their Lives Within
Ten Miles Of Rutland.

AuAlduu, Il tD. - ufee llLlle girls, /
S, 10 and ~ years old, VINO until three
days ago had never heard Of God and
did not know the meaning of the word
church, attended the morning service
and Sunday school at the Congrega-
tional church Sunday with Mrs. NJ. q.
Wheeler. and these children were born
and have always lived within 10 miles
of Rutland. The story of the lives of
these little children is an extremely
pitiful one and if it does not enlist the
sympathy and help of the people of
this city. Rutland has no help to give
70 anyone. The only thing In their
favor is that they are bright and at
tractive and apparently as innocent
as children of their ages should be-
These little ones, who have lived in
the mountains east OF this city, first
came to the attention of the Rutland
Humane society five years ago. Their
mother had just died. leaving five
girls, eight seven, FIVE three and one
years old for the father to care for.
The family lived on a little mountain
farm. The father who was left Just
when he needed a wife most, has had
continual run of hard luck. First
one horse died and then another.
Lack of work and poverty have COM
PEELED him to sell his farming imple-
ments and even the furniture to buy
food for the children. As the family
lived in the wilderness, a mile from
the highway it was impossible for
him to get a woman to care for the
children and even if he had secured
one he could have paid her practical
ly nothing Finally he got a IA year
old girl to do the work about the
house and look after the children, but
she was weak minded and was of
but little use.
When the Rutland Humane society
heard of the family they sent cloth
ing so that the children could all
come to the society's Christmas din
ner. The father came but the child
rem did not. The society sent food
and presents to them by him. Four
years ago another attempt was made
to get them to the annual dinner,
but neither the children nor their
father came
For the last few years Mrs. f. I.
Hall and Mrs. NJ +. Wheeler have
visited the family and three years
ago the last sign of the mothers
hand disappeared from the home
and since that time the place has
not been worthy of the name home
Last year the children came TO
the Christmas dinner but they arriy-
ed too late for the dinner They
were fed and clothed, however, and
sent home A few weeks later Mrs
Wheeler invited them to a dinner at
| her home on Pleasant street. They
were thoroughly clothed and at the
close OF the dinner they were told
that each could make a wish and 1t
would be granted. One wished for
brush and comb, another for a pink
dress and another for doll. The
wishes We're granted and in addition
the children received many other
little presents.
This winter they all came to the
dinner They were terribly desti-
tute. barely having clothing enough to
cover their bodies and on their feet
were tied old rubbers. When they
were being fitted out with clothing
they asked for new underclothes.
When asked what they did with the
two new suits of underclothes which
each had received the previous win
ter. one replied. why, we wore one
suit last year and the other this
year, meaning that the clothes were
worn until they fell of.
Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Wheeler de-
cided that the children must be look
ed after at once and in January they
visited their home in the mountains.
They found conditions almost be
yond belief. Absolutely the only arti-
Giles of furniture in the house were
an old stove with the front door
gone. two chairs, a table, five soap
boxes and two beds without any mat
tresses. the bedding consisting OF
meal bags aud old rags. The chill
dren had no shoes and their feet
were tied up Ia pieces OF sacking TO
keep them from freezing There was
no wash tub in the house and only
few dishes In the shed the wo-
men found three horses, one Of
which was unable to stand and the
other two had barely strength enough
to keep their feet, all of them being
covered with sores. The family also
included a three legged cat and a
| hen with a frozen comb The only
animal about the premises which
seemed to be well and happy was a
shepherd dog.
The only food in the house was
some bread made without yeast, a
mixture Of water, salt and -four and
some boiled beans. The children
stated that they sometimes had mo
lasses in which to dip the bread but
that this was not often. The rather
raised a few potatoes last summer
but these had all been eaten.
The girl whom the father had Sc
cured five years ago TO care for the
children was still with the family
she having married when 10 years
old Her husband has deserted her
and is living in New York state. She
lbad a two.months old baby which she
attempted to hide from the women,
but they heard It cry In an adjoining
room and made her bring II out For
} the sake of warmth the child had
been slipped into one of the old
fashioned puff sleeves which was
tied at the feet and gathered about
the infants neck. There was no
physician at the birth of the child.
The women decided that the chill,
dren must be cared for at once and
last Friday the whole family came to
the home Of Mrs. Wheeler The faith
or did not know that it was the inten.
ton of the women to take charge OF
the children and when they attempted
10 reason with him, and to show him
that it was to the advantage of the
children and himself he broke down
and cried He said that he had told
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