New-York tribune., 1920-09-16
Couple Is Held
By. Court for
Cruelty to Child
Brooklyn Magistrate Re.
fuses to Hear Defendants
Story After Lad Tells of
Being Nailed to a Wall
Neighbors Are Blamed
Women at Hearing S'Boo''
Mrs. Pflock's Defense of
Bread and Water Diet

Tcn-year-old Joseph Pflock, who lives
with his father and stepmother at 534
Fifty-seventh Street, Brooklyn, testi-
fed before Magistrate Reynolds in the
Fifth Avenue court that he had been
bound with ropes and nailed to wall
by his parents for four days and three
nights, with nothing to eat but bread
and water. as punishment for taking
food from the icebox.
Gunther Pfock, the lads father, and
Ellen Pfock, his stepmother, tried to
justify their treatment of the boy by
telling the court he had misbehaved
The magistrate refused to listen to
their explanation, however, and held
each of them in $500 bail for trial in
Special Sessions.
"You are wasting your time," the
court told the elder Pflock, when he
asked permission to call witnesses
You can't justify that act"
Mrs. Pflock attributed the whole af-
fair to the Quitting in" of neighbors.
He would run to the neighbors and
tell tales of what we were doing to
him." she said, "and they would en-
courage him to do wrong. 1t was very
hard to know just what to do"
Testimony "Booed" by Neighbors
This short speech by the witness was
interrupted by chorus of "boos" from
her women neighbors, the demonstra-
ton becoming SO noisy and threaten
ing that Magistrate Reynolds had to
caution the spectators.
The most damaging evidence against
the Pflocks was given by Anna Gold,
fourteen years old, of $50 Fifty-seventh
Street, who visited Mrs. Marie St.
Jacques in an apartment below the
Phocks one night. She said she heard
Joseph's cries and went to investigate
The room was dark, she testified, and
the boys father and stepmother were
out. He was tied up to the wall.
The girl told the court that when
Joseph told her he had eaten only bread
and water that day she got him some
bread and milk. Then she went for
more food and could not return with it
because the Pfocks had returned home.
Joseph's testimony made a pro-
found impression on the court He
the first night, but on the second
loose from the nail and went to bed
with his arms still bound. He
awakened early the next morning and
returned to his position against the
wall before his parents arose.
When the lad was asked whether he
mad done anything wrong, he said he
had taken some irunes from the ice
box and had refused to carry papers
to the basement. Before his fathers
second marriage, he said, his parent
never struck him, but after that he
frequently was punished.
Charles Harstedt, of the Children's
Society, produced in court a spike
four inches long to which, he said,
Joseph had been bound. This nail
was driven SO far into the wall he said
thai l. took some time for him 20
draw it,
Admit Bread and Water Diet
During the examination of the
parents it was disclosed that it was
PhocE himself who suggested tying
Joseph uD, and it also wes he who
cut the bonds ard freed him. Both
Phock and his wife admitted giving
the boy only bread and water, which
they provided twice day. Mrs.
Phock told .Iagistrate Reynolds she
asked Joseph several times if he
would not promise to abe good" and
let her set him free, but that he
would not make the pledge. She in
sisted that she had not been cruel.
Pfock testified that his son had run
away from home several times and
that If it had not been for sisterin-
law he would have sent him to an
institution. Neighbors said they had
seen Joseph often sitting ona the
stars Of the house late at night and
that he had said he was locked out