A HORRIBLE REVELATION.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2188, 23 March 1880, Page 3

A HORRIBLE REVELATION.

A veritable “ Dotheboy’s Hall ” has been discovered by the press of Hew York and exposed. The Ilcv. Mr Crowley started what he called “ The Shepherd’s Fold ” in a handsome house on Sixteenth street. He has appealed •widely to the public for contributions for the support of the children in his fold, and has further kept his name before the public by endeavoring to get control of the fund set apart b} r the city to support the original Shepherd's Fold, started by the late Dr Tyug, from the management of which the liev. Mr Crowley was ousted some years ago. It has been discovered that the children were unlawfully punished, without cause or provocation ; that there were no servants or attendants in the fold; and that all the manual labor and domestic work w r as done by the children ; that the children w r ere kept in a filth y and unhealthful condition ; that they had had no proper instruction, no proper medical attention or care, no proper place for, or means of care in case of sickness ; that they were not furnished with proper or sufficient food, but had for a long time past been kept on food utterly unfit for them, producing disease and starvation ; that one child Louis A r ictor, was on the point of death from starvation, and that the other children still in the fold were in danger of sharing his probable fate. The records of the societj'- show that Crowley has kicked some of the children down stairs. The officers, with some difficulty gained admission to the house, and took charge of the 32 little boys and girls that were there. Their ages ranged from 7to 15. The children were huddled together in the front basement. There were only two chairs and a small kitchen table, on which a girl 15 yoai’s old but bowed and bent by hard toil,she looking like an old woman, was ironing. On the kitchen range stood a small pot. Superintendent Jenkins explored it and found about a dozen beans, which the girl said was “ the children’s dinner.” He asked them where was the rest of the dinner, and they looked astonished. He hunted for more provisions, hut found nothing except two small loaves of oatmeal bread.