The Washington times., 1915-01-22
Jeanette Haeffner Never Learn.
ed to Work, She Pleads In
Own Defense.
"BR0UcHT UP AS A LADY"
"Hardest Kind of Work There Is
to Care for Children" Says
=
Prisoner.Mother.

NEW YORK. Jan. 22-"I liked to go
to the movies and to picnics." said Mrs.
Jeanette Haeffner, In answer to those
who sought to find out why she had
abandoned her four babies. IL never
learned how to work." she continued.
a. she sat in the Tombs. "and 1t Is hard
work to take care of children"
And then she told Of having insured
three OF the children, paying or 10
cents a week for each. and said only
because Earle was under year old
that he was not insured at tre same
time. But she said they hadn't seen the
collector for over a month now.
We didn't think anything bad would
happen to the children. We thought
some rich people would read about
would adopt them and bring them mp
to be rich and have velvet suits with
caps to match and automobiles to ride
In with the initials of their names in
Bold letters on the door.
why. you're always reading about
such things In stories.
And seeing about them in the movies
too. And everything always turns
I'VE didn't see'why it wouldn't turn
out all right this time-why should our
children be SO different from the ones
In the stories?
Went To the "Movies."
Il never learned how to work. and
it's hard work to take care Of babies
Il guess it's the hardest work there IS.
You have to wash so much and
iron, and then getting their food ready
takes lot of time-but the worst Of
It all Is getting up at night. and by
and by you get SO you can't sleep even
when they will keep still and let you.
And like to go to movies. and to
pienics.
getting SIS a week and we lived real
nice and went to movies and to picnics
and had a real good time.
1T was all like the stories In the
books-for a while.
And then the babies began to come
and the first baby-he was real pretty
were both proud OF him.
And then the others came-so quick.
& -Four Of ~ them in aT fiye ysars.and ns
and I didn't know anything about
work.
'i'd never learned-Ma said I'd have
plenty OF time-she slw.ys said >that
ols And d the see mor. nS"stS tSs efia.s came, the
tireder I got and there was always
something to do, and when George
wanted 10 take me out 10 tne moves
couldn't 60. and so we both had to stay
home with the kids.
"Movies" Her Model.
"And George lost his job-and we
didn't have much money and we
thought how nice it would be to Just
begin all over again-like the young
couples in the movies. and maybe
somebody would take the children
ha ff.h
how to work and didn't mind so much
about staying at home.
"Or maybe some woman whose hus-
band wasn't very good to her. and so
II thought q good deal about that
George was always good to me. and
wore always good company tosether.'
All these things the woman who put
into the street and lost them one after
another said in response to close and
determined questioning.
For she is not Of the type that vol
unteers anything.
"Yes." she said when she was asked
II she did not -.rieve for her children
even now down in the Tombs:
Yes" she said; Il guess 20"
"I. don't see what made Earle. the
seemed healthy when we put him in
his carriage and George took him out
and left him in front of that house
up IN Harlem: !.
George put him there-but not raining
'"SerS No, I "hdHi didn't think much about hin
that night. l knew somebody woulc
find him and take him in. George sale
And then. besides-the littlest baby
had the whooping cough and ! wal
busy taking care of him, and then
slept whenever he kept still"
What Could We Do"
what could we do?" says George
Haenner.
You see what jeanette is-she wa.
brought up to be LADY, couldn
bear to have her work SO hard and b
SO tied down with the children: and
lost % t,,nG ny ;. 'o0-and poor jeanette wa
why. you wouldn't believe how
pretty she was when we were frs
married, and I wanted her to hav'
some nice clothes and l wanted to TAX,
her to the movies. She's a good littl,
thing. She's never given me a eros
look since the first time I ever saw
her; x.. , ,ovs NV ci,,oren and IN
sorry for them. but 1 thought some
body would adopt them that wanted
children and could take care OF them
and loved Jeanette and was sorr!
And while all this went on down IL
tho dark and gloomy place they cal
the .Tombs. up in the children's room
at the Gerry Society. the little four
year-old boy sat up In bed and said t.
his two-year-old brother in the mex
crib:
Don't be afraid, George: I'm righ
here with you all the time"
And the little two-year-old snug
gled down under his blankets ant
sighed comfortably
"All the time" he echoed. sleepily
Whan Woman Suffer