Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-27
RAY WEYMOUTH OF
Benton IS FINED
ON ASSAULT CHARGE
But Appeals and Gives Bond for
Appearance at April Term of
Superior Court-Testimony
in Case Before Municipal
Court Indicates a Degree of
Cruelty Seldom Heard of

IL the story told Saturday morning
before the municipal court by Alfred
Mckague. young boy from Benton but
VINO was formerly a member of the
Chlidrens home at Bath. was true, and
there seems to be no reason to doubt
That IT was, the court was called upon
10 listen to the recital of tale Of cru
city such as seldom has been heard in
Maine court. The case grew out Of
the arrest at the instance of Mrs Ada
r. Hunt. the State agent for the pre-
vention of cruelty to children, Of one
Ray weymouth Of Benton. The spe-
enc charge against Weymouth was
that or assault on the McKague boy on
feb. last. When arraigned before
'udge Lancaster Weymouth was repre-
scented by Hon. George G. Weeks Of
Fairfield and advice of his counsel
waived a reading of the warrant and
pleaded not guilty.
II developed during the taking of the
testimony that the Mckague boy was
taken from the Bath Home Feb 16,
1914, by the respondent, who was to
give him good home, food and cloth
ing and send him to school; that for
snort time after his arrival at the
weymouth home the boy had a good
room and good bed. but that after
about three weeks he was moved up
into the attic Of the house, under the
roof, the caves Of which came nearly
to the floor. SO that the only place in
which one could stand erect was under
the ridgepole; that he was given a
spring cot with a quilt over it to sleep
upon and for a covering he had a quilt
and thin blanket.
Testimony further showed that when
the Mckague boy went to the Wey-
mouth home he was 10 years of age;
that during his stay there he was scan
lilly fed and also scantily clothed: that
he did chores about the place both ear
iy and late, getting up at o'clock in
the morning and going to bed late; that
he was given soda biscuit and molasses
for breakfast. and when it came time
for supper he was given soda biscuit
and separated milk. After supper he
would saw wood until IL O'Clock night.
This was attested to by woman neigh
boz of the Weymouths. who stated that
on number of occasions when she was
going home from some meeting late at
night she saw the Mckague boy saving
wood. She also said she had seen him
barefooted when there was ice in the
yard.
Regarding his sleeping in the attic
the boy said that sometimes he was al
lowed to sleep on a lounge in the kitch-
ell, with his clothes on and an overcoat
over him. In regard to his schooling
he said that he could not read or write,
and that he was only allowed to attend
school occasionally: that he had been
to school three weeks during the past
year, at different periods.
Touching upon his duties about the
house and farm he said that after ars-
ing in the morning he washed the dish
es. scrubbed the floor and did various
other work in the line of chores; that
when the haying season came on he
helped at that driving the horse rake.
helping bunch the hay and also raking
up the scatterings; that last year they
cut the hay on four farms besides the
home farm and he helped in the work
that after haying ne went barefooted.
He further said that during the past
winter he hauled ice from a pond three
miles away. that the men loaded the
team for him and he hauled it, and that
after he got home at night he sawed
wood until II o'clock.
When asked about the alleged as
sault the boy said that part of his
work was letting the cows out in the
yard to drink and that one day when
he had let out a COW that had a newly
born calf the respondent asked him