The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-27
With Body aMass of Bruises
and Bloody Scars She
Gives Details
FATHER is ALWAYS
VERY CRUEL TO HER
Twelve Year-Oid Child Has Been to
School One Month During Life.
Father Threatened to
Hang Her
BY CLYDE W. ENNIS

Lying upon a snow white bed at the
Hillman hospital, with tear stained eyes,
little Ivy Wesson, the child of Dolomite
who was so inhumanely beaten last
Wednesday, told her story yesterday. or
merciless fioggings, of heartrending beat
ings, of indescribable terror, the child
on bed of pain by her story wrung tears
from the eyes of her two nurses and even
from hardened onloolSers.
The childs father, who is in jail charged
with causing the terrible condition of
the child, was subjected to severe
threshng at the hands of a number of In
furiated men when he was being con-
veyed to the jail He is the one the little
daughter charges of causing her suffer-
ling.
| DR.. E. P. Hogan examined the girl yes
terday at the request of Walter McAdory.
chief deputy sheriff. In places on her
back there are evidences of clouts driven
with hand of iron. Evidence of blows
dealt with maniacal strength is there.
| In more than six places the child's back
| has deep depressions, caused so the ex-
perts say, by the fogglngs received From
her toes to her head there are cuts so
deep as TO cause gasps of establishment
that any human could witness, much less
administer such hogging Her dress,
beaten to shreds, was buried in the gashes
according to Deputy Sheriff Parker.
DR.. Hogan says that in ALI his expert
ences. and the white clad nurses agreed
with him, there has been anything to
cause him so much Amusement. No pa
tent he says, ever entered the Hllman
hospital In such a pitful condition. No
child ever suffered such pain as little
Ivy Wesson at that institution.
Related Her Terrible Story
The child without hesitation and with
evident interest related to those surround
ing her cot the tale of torture. She says
that her father. did it ALL She says that
attempts have been made to hang her
child of 12 years. She looks to be 10.
Her story was something like this:
"They hid a pair of spectacles belong
ing to my dead mother and a snuff box
They said | did It, So my own father
came home and beat me. He did all this
He told me to say that briars had
scratched me. I did say that to Mr.. Brown
at Dolomite, but 1t was not So lie dis
covered that 1 was beaten over the body
and examined me. ! then was brought
to Birmingham. He whipped me with
black gum bushes, peach limbs and hick-
| DRY withes He whipped me until the
| blood ran from my dress. On one oc-
casion he whipped me SO hard that | was
as dead. On that whipping he placed his
foot on my neck to keep me on the floor.
was naked when he whipped me that
time.
| Mother Dead Year
"My mother has been dead nearly a
year My own father, who beat me,
married a Hungarian woman about three
months after my mother died. She has a
little girl My father remained from his
work many, many times to beat me- He
never whipped the other little girl. They
| all told stories on me and caused him
to fay me as / am now. There was
never an excuse offered for the beatings
excepting the snuff, eyeglasses or the
knife. My stepmother encouraged my
father In the whipping he gave me. One
time they picked me up, one by my head
and the other by the feet. They showed
me above their heads and dropped me
down to the floor. That nearly killed me
one time. On another beating they car
ried me down by the branch. There they
threatened to hang me and did put the
rope about my neck. They said they would
then shoot me. Then | was to be cut
In two. One part was to be, thrown across
the creek. The other was to remain on
this side. 1 cannot begin to relate how
awful | have suffered. / cannot tell how
hard / worked l washed over the tub,
cooked, washed and ironed his clothes.
brought wood and cut it, but nothing
would cause me to escape the whippings
| | received.
| II am. glad those men gave him that
whipping. | heard they wore out two
| buggy whips on him." With that Ivy
smiled with satisfaction. Another moment
and she winched with pain caused by
cuts on her back and shoulders.
Cause of Whipping
Little girl. what caused this last whip
ping" She as asked
| why it wa about the specs" she re-
piled. 81 have heard that lie says it was
about not selling some peaches. You
| know we have some peaches at home. He
sent me to sell four Buckets OF peaches. |
sold all of them but one. Her little girl
| was with me. 1t was on this trip that
Mr. Brown saw my bruises and caused
me to be taken away from them"
Where are you to go after leaving
here?" she was asked.
IT have no place yet" replied the lit
tie sufferer. II have an aunt at Virginia
mines, If she has not moved. | have also
grandfather. l may go to live with
one of them. | must not be sent back
out there. My life now would not be
worth anything"
The case of the wronged child has been
taken up by the Mercy Home authorities
and also Judge Murphy Of the juvenile
court. At the hospital yesterday several
visitors went to see the child. She is i'm
proving and Dr. Hogan says she will re-
cover with little trouble. unless some I'M
forseen complications arise Instructions
have been given that the child shall not
be handed over to anyone or any insti-
tuition until a careful investigation has
been made. The attaches of the hospital
as we'll as the officials of the sheriffs
office. are manifesting interest III the
pitiable condition of the girl.
The wife of Wesson. the alleged f1oggei
of his daughter, was at the jail yester-
day. The Investigation that will be made
! in connection with this case will be care
full and thorough.
! A point was brought out by Mr.. Met
| calf and Or. Hogan while questioning the
| little sufferer to the effect that she had
| been to school only one month In her life
She cannot write nor she read. Her