CHAINED LIKE DOG

NZ Truth, Issue 1208, 24 January 1929, Page 4

CHAINED LIKE DOG

Boy Drudge Brutally Treated By »Bullying Farmer

WORKED FROM DAWN TO DUSK

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Brisbane Representative.)

It is hardly credible m these enlightened days that a man could be so brutal as to chain a/ State child to a fence, as a punishment. Yet at Crow's Nest, Queensland, a callous farmer, by name iSdward David Shannon, perpetrated this piece of infamy.

THE boy, 14 years of age, was the farm drudge, according to his story. He worked from daylight to dark, doing the odd jobs round the homestead. That he was not altogether truthful, and was probably addicted to running away, is true. But that gave no one any right to chain him UP-' . / ■■-„ ' - . ■.: . V Shannon came . -bef or.c Magistrate Burne, at Crow's Nest, and was fined £20, the magistrate telling him he was lucky he wasn't gaoled. ••.In addition to chaining, the boy up, farmer Shannon was alieged to have also clipped the' youth over the ear, one cold morning, when the lad's ear was frostbitten. . •v . •-■ ■ The evidence was startling. Shannon admitted ..having chained the lad to a fence with a chain weighing 81b. 8oz. ! Perhaps the most satirical touch was his offer, to the lad," chained so that he was unable c to move very far, to, give him a book to read! The complaint against Shannon was laid by Mr. G. A. Ferguson, Director of the State Children's Department. Mr. M. J. O'Sullivan appeared- for the Department. Shannon was represented by Mr. E. W. , Cleary. .• ' ; "■■".. Godfrey Havbottle, the child m question, told the .court an appalling story— a tale* Avhich ..;-.. threw an amazing light on the treatment meted put to the boy, who deserved pity, not brutality, on account of his unfortunate: start m life. •;■■•..•. He was hired but to Shannon m Jiine last, he said, and* \vorked at his farm till last August.- :He usually rose at 4.45 on mornings when cream was brought to the factory. Oh. other days he was treated a; little better. He was allowed to' stay m bed until about 5.30 a.m. "':'■• ■'■" : *'„■ • ■•■■■•■ . .'' '.' First he went for the' cows, of -which there, were' about 40;. ; \ Sometimes he went on horseback. Sometimes he made his way as best he could on foot. Occasionally he assisted .with the milking. Usually , he bailed up the klne. leg-roped them, and assisted m, the preliminary operations of the. milking. When the milking was finished' .he took ,the cows to the paddock. Then lie went out to feed the pigs. There were seven horses ori the. farm. /Oh creani days he attended to their feeding. ' , '\"' : . :■' . : . : \-r" ::,:-r:..': : -\ He pulled grass and herbage for the fo.wls, did '-. some gardening, grubbing and digging. In fact, he was constantly at work. He used to got to bed about eight o'clock at night.

Always Working

. He said he ran away from Shannon's place because he had been wrongly ■ ', accused of stealing , some tinned peaches. That he denied. Once he told, Shannon belted him over the ear when that part of him was frostbitten. He made up his mind to run away, then, he said. He told another boy,. Malcolm x North, about his intention. On August 12, he; related, 1 there was a row about the milking. He ran away. About five o!clo'ck that morning he met a man named Dukes* who took him to his house and gave him something to eat. He told Dukes why he had' run away. Next day , Shannon called at Dukes' place and took the' boy back with him, he Avent on. shannon was riding a horse., v The. boy walked. When he reached the farm Shannon gave him the horse to feed. He also fed the pigs. • Shannon asked him if he would run away again. He said he wouldn't. Shannon said he wouldn't trust him. He got a chain and some wire, put. one end of the chain 'round the* boy's wrist, fastened it with a piece of tiewire, cut the ends short, and fitted '-"'■-. - ■ the chain so that the lad couldn't get his wrist out. The other . end of, 'the chain he fastened to a fence. The lad ' . 'couldn't e-et away. Shannon considerately aske,d him if he would like to sit — chained— in the shade. He also asked him if he would like a book to read! The boy with the chain <round his wrist had 'no immediate preference for literature. Who would m that. condition? The lad was tied by the woodheap, about 15 yards from the house, -he continued. The chain was heavier than a dog chain. It was found to be 26 feet long! Shannon told th'e youthful - captive* that he was going- to Merritt's Creek to get his daughter ariel that the lad would have to stay tied up thei;e until he came back.. He also threatened that if lie got away he would get the biggest hiding he ever got m his life when Shannon caught him. '-:■.• „ The chain was struck- off by Mr.-: Duke's, he added. He" had to get .some pliers out of the car to do it. Dukes was very kind. V In convicting Shannon, /Magistrate Burne said the Department treated the affair very gravely. - , Shannon was .fined £6/10-, with costs of count, ( witnesses' and legal expenses amounting to £ 13/10/-. The magistrate told him that he was lucky he wasn't sent to prison;- v