Bellefonte, Pa., July 27, 1928.
LIFE’S TEST.
Temptation whispers everywhere—-
Wait now, and act tomorrow,
To-day you have not time to spare,
So from the future borrow.
And bids you save your best endeavor
To use some future time,
And lose your hold upon the lever
To make your life sublime,
“It will do!” is a false, deceitful shirk,
That will spoil one’s life forever,
Unless by faithful, honest work
You pull yourself together.
And to each day’s task apply the test
To make you truthfully proclaim,
“It is my best, my very best,”
Then naught your life can shame.
—George E. Herrick.
——————— eee.
THE MATRON’S REPORT.
To the Board of Supervisors,
Municipal Orphans’ Home.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
In re: Richard Lewis, age 16; na-
tivity, unknown; history, foundling.
This boy, an incorrigible, ran away
from the Home on the night of Sept.
4, 1927, about 11.30 p. m. He took
with him his Sunday outfit consisting
of suit, shoes, underwear, shirt and
cap, all donated by Mrs. Jackson, of
19 Oldham Place, Jan. 3, 1927, and
valued at $16; and a violin donated
by the Ohpheus Music Co., Oct. 14,
1902, valued at $4.
Richard Lewis was to report to the
Bland Wholesale Grocery Co., 1622
South Melrose Street, at 7 a. m. Sept.
5th, where employment as a packer
had been obtained for him through
Mr. Orson Levy. Mr. Levy has kind-
ly consented to hold the place open a
week. In the event Richard Lewis
does not return the Matron respect-
fully requests permission to substi-
tute for him Waldo Thompson, a very
deserving boy.
Although Richard Lewis would
have completed his legal stay at the
Home on Sept. 5th, it should be not-
ed that he is still a ward of the Board
of Supervisors and the Matron rec-
ommends that an order for his arrest
and detention be given the police.
Should he prove unamenable to fur-
ther discipline, the Matron suggests
that his case be referred to the Juv-
enile Court.
A term in the Reformatory would,
the Matron believes, prove beneficial
to this boy. He needs firm correc-
tive measures at this formative per-
iod in his life. The following descrip-
tion may be forwarded to the police
if the Board of Supervisors decide to
take action: Hair, brown and curly;
eyes, dark brown; size, large for his
age; identification marks, has small
scar under chin; manner, insolent and
overbearing.
If arrested in the near future,
Richard Lewis would no doubt make
many absurd and untrue statements
concerning his treatment at the
Home. The Matron, anticipating such’
action on the part of Richard Lewis,
submits to the Board of Supervisors
a full report on his case. It will ap-
pear, the Matron is certain, that any
charges uttered by this boy have no
basis in fact.
The Matron wishes to warn the
Board of Supervisors at the start of
her report that the name of a form-
er inmate of the Home, to wit, Doro-
thy May Chevis, must necessarily be
used in a recital of the facts. It will
be recalled that very recently Dorothy
May Chevis was claimed by her fath-
er, Mr. Albert B. Danforth, of Oma-
ha, Nebraska.
While the publicity given this af-
fair in the newspapers is to be regret-
ted, the Board of Supervisors may
rest assured that no reflection was
cast on the Home.
Rather, it was through the careful
preseravtion of the girl’s baby clothes
when she came to the Home, a found-
ling, that Mr. Danforth was able to
identify his daughter.
Richard Lewis had a bad influence
on Dorothy May and his presumptu-
ous devotion to the girl, fortunately
kept entirely proper by the Matron’s
watchfulness, led him from one ex-
cess of insubordination to another.
Dorothy May, now that she is safely
away from the influence of Richard
Lewis, will develop into a splendid
young woman, the Matron is confi-
dent.
Incidentally, the Matron might men-
tion that Mr. Danforth has assured
her of his gratitude for the care giv-
en his daughter at the Home and has
become one of our Life Supporting
Members. Later, the Matron be-
lieves, his great wealth will lead him
to make other expressions of his
thankfulness.
It might be well to emphasize again
that wherever the name of Dorothy
May Danforth appears in a seeming-
ly unfavorable light in this report full
blame for her behavior should rest
upon Richard Lewis. He early took
advantage of her essentially noble
and endearing nature, dominating her
in a most shameful fashion.
So that the Board of Supervisors
may be prepared for seemingly in-
credible disclosures later on, the Ma-
tron has set down the facts in chron-
ological order. The report will cov-
er the entire period from Jan. 17,
1911, when Richard Lewis entered
the Home as a foundling. To do this
the Matron has made an exhaustive
scrutiny of the records of the Home
prior to her own appointment, Dec.
11, 1916, covering the administrations
of Mesdames Hallowell, Johnson and
Trampton and Miss Munn.
As early as August, 1912, Mrs.
Trampton, who was Matron at that
time, reported trouble with the Lewis
boy. On Aug. 10th of that year she
noted on his case history the follow-
ing:
“Extremely difficult child. Refuses
to eat porridge and feigns spasms at
the slightest corrective measure.”
Again in October of the same year
on the 18th, 22nd and 23rd, Mrs.
Trampton recorded wilful behavior.
The Matron quotes from the record:
“The little Lewis boy is the most
difficult child in the Home. Refuses
to play with clothes-pins like the oth-
er children and when nursery games
are started he hides in a corner.
Has formed habit of running into
yard unless watched continually.
Chases birds. Ordered doses of cod-
liver oil as punishment.”
Mrs. Johnson, the next Matron,
found on April 23, 1914, that it was
necesary to send Richard Lewis to the
dark room twice and take away his
evening meal because—and here the
Matron quotes her report verbatim:
“For a child of three the Lewis boy
shows precocious and wilful ways.
Stole Minnie Sanborn’s sash. Said
he wanted to make a rainbow. Was
sent to (the dark room 20 minutes
Monday and 45 minutes on Wednes-
day. Upon refusal to express sorrow
or penitence was given two doses of
cod-liver oil.”
The Matrons who followed Mrs.
Johnson, namely Miss Munn and Mrs.
Hallowell had similar experiences.
Miss Munn noted—and again the
Matron quotes from Richard Lewis’
case history—date Dec. 25, 1914:
“The only child who seemed dis-
pleased with his present was Richard
Lewis. This little boy, Mrs. Johnson
informed me, has long been a prob-
lem. He made a scene today at the
Christmas entertainment. I had tak-
en special pains to pick out for him
the least worn of the velveteen suits
donated by Mrs. Pritchard. When the
children were opening their parcels he
threw himself on the floor and
screamed. It appeared that he had
set his heart on a mouth-organ from
having heard one played by a negro
boy who delivers groceries. For his
action he was denied the orange and
peanut candy given the other -chil-
dren.”
It was Mrs. Hallowell, the Matron
fears, who unwittingly spoiled the
Lewis boy. The Matron finds in the
period from May 12. 1915, to Nov.,
1916, when Mrs. Hallowell had charge
of the Home, no entries showing that
Richard Lewis was properly punished
for his misbehavior. The Board of
Supervisors will doubtless perceive
from the following quotations in Mrs.
Hallowell’s report that she adopted a
sentimental attitude toward this child.
(Sentimentalizing over children is
| splendidly discussed in the June issue
of the Social Service Worker by Miss
Albertina Moss, D. S. Sc.)
The Matron quotes several entries
made by Mrs. Hallowell to indicate
that the child in no way changed for
the better, but was unfortunately
bumored in his waywardness.
“June 1, 1915. I think my prede-
cessors misunderstood Richard. The
child is delicate and sensitive and un-
doubtedly not ordinary. Today he
asked, ‘Why does the gentle Lord
Jesus have to stay on Sunday-school
cards? Doesn't he ever get out to
walk on the grass?’ ”
(During the present Matron’s ad-
ministration Richard Lewis made sev-
eral sacrilegious remarks of a similar
nature and was punished.)
“August 19, 1915. Richard has
formed a friendship with Dorothy
May Chevis. It is rather trying. He
wants to give her his dessert and
trots over with it to the girls’ table
every evening. He seems fascinated
by her hair which is a lovely yellow,
but that has become a trial, too, be-
cause he insists on putting his grub-
by little hands on Dorothy May’s rib-
bons.”
The friendship between these chil-
dren, it is the Matron’s opinion, caus-
ed all the later trouble with the boy.
He should not have been humored at
the start.
“November 8, 1915. Richard is go-
ing to be a great musician some day.
The Home should have facilities for
training children like him. I gave
him a harmonica but had to take it
away, alas, as he carried it to bed
with him and blew on it at unearth-
ly hours.”
An orphans’ home is not a music
conservatory.
“July 23, 1916. I want to enter this
as a good mark for Richard. He has
had enough black ones, poor little
chap. He sang ‘Gentle Jesus, Meek
and Mild’ at the Lutheran Sunday
school Sunday and did it splendidly.
Although truth compels me to add
that immediately afterward he got
into a fight with one of the city chil-
dren. He wouldn’t tell me what it
was about, but Dorothy May, who
helped him in the fight, said the
other little boy called Richard an
orphan.” : 2
Taking up her own report at this
juncture—Mrs. Hallowell died in No-
vember of that year—the Matron
wishes to state that when she assum-
ed charge at the Home, Dec. 11, 1916,
she found Richard Lewis to be the
worst child there.
The Matron’s ideas concerning child
training are well known to the Board
of Supervisors. In accordance with
those ideas, and because discipline at
the Home was not what it should have
been, the Matron instituted a plan
to give every child some particular
| work to do each day in addition to
| studies. Only children under five were
exempt.
It was the duty of Richard Lewis
and eleven other boys of approxi-
mately the same age to polish all the
door-knobs in the Home each morn-
ing. The older boys had duties wash-
ing floors and windows and working
in the yard and garden. The girls
washed dishes and made the beds and
swept the floors. Richard was as-
signed to the Visitors’ Room which
had been very handsomely furnished
by Mrs. Morton Alloway as a mem-
erial to her little son, Charles.
There were only three door-knobs
in this room, certainly not an ardu-
ous task. The boy shirked this duty
wilfully and maliciously.
Once, Miss Hawkins caught him
asleep on the expensive sofa. On
another occasion he marred the front
of the piano trying to get it open.
When the Matron arrived at the
Home, Richard Lewis and Dorothy
May Chevis were inseparable play-
mates. The Matron put a stop to this
by issuing strict orders that the boys
and girls were not to speak to each
other or play together except dur
our 30 minute social period at 4:80
p. m, Tuesday, Thursday and Satur-
day. The Matron does not approve
of the lax regulations existing in
I some institutions as to the mingling
! of male and female children.
| The records show that the Lewis
1boy repeatedly violated this rule.
| Four times, the Matron finds from
her reports for 1917, Richard Lewis
‘was caught talking to Dorothy May
| Chevis in the dining-room and pun-
‘ished By whippings. Discovering that
| such infractions brought speedy pun-
| ishment, the boy formed the habit of
{ running away at school recess to an
| appointed meeting place in the yard
' where he enticed Dorothy May to talk
|to him. He set up the defense, when
I caught at this, that they did not actu-
ally speak to each other, but merely
looked at the sky and listened to the
birds! :
It should be noted that this tend-
ency to lie is an incipient incorrigi-
bility, a symptom found in all delin-
quents. With Richard Lewis it was
exaggerated to a degree. In 1918,
1919 and 1920, my records show a
total of 28 whippings, 17 being for
falsehoods. A few notations will in-
dicate the depravity of the boy's
mind:
“April 12, 1918. Overheard by
Miss Maginis telling Dorothy May
Chevis that orphan babies belong to
angels who drop them out of the sky
by accident, and that they are pick-
ed up and left on door-steps by milk-
men.”
“March, 1919. Overheard by Miss
Streett telling boys in dormitory that
when the wind makes a noise in the
shutters it is the mother of an orphan
crying for her child.”
“February 9, 1920. Overheard by
Matron telling Dorothy May Crevis
that his mother was a princess over
the sea and pretty soon would send a
boat for him, and he would take her
along. Also, that Dorothy May's
complexion was like the glow of a
firefly on a pearl.”
“July 10, 1920. Denied that he had
brought a dog into boys’ dormitory
when dog was found hidden in pillow
case on his cot.”
Aside from these prevarications
which steadily grew more fanciful, in
his twelfth year Richard Lewis be-
gan, according to records, to meddle
brazenly in the affairs of the Home.
Dorothy May had become a pretty
child and was considered by several
couples who visited the home in
search of a little girl to adopt. The
Matron made a notation on his case
history in January, 1923, showing
that Richard Lewis was locked in the
dark room on bread and water for
three days. This severe punishment
was warranted, the Matron feels, by
the gravity of his transgression.
A Mr. and Mrs. Jones, worthy peo-
ple had about decided to adopt Doro-
thy May. The Lewis boy instructed
Dorothy May to fly into a tantrum,
kick Mr. Jones on the shins and make
faces at his wife. This she did and
they changed their minds about
adopting her. When Miss Morgan
havior Richard Lewis, who had been
watching from the hall, ran in and
Saratcred Miss Morgan and pulled her
air.
Impudently this boy set himself up
as the arbiter of what persons should
adopt various children in the home.
1924 Dorothy May, egged on by
Richard Lewis acted like a little fiend
when visitors looked at her. This
spirit spread to the other children,
making them unusually sensitive to-
ward visitors. A Mr. and Mrs. Sow-
alsky, well recommended, backed out
on adopting the Jensen baby because
Richard Lewis told them the baby
threw fits.
The Matron wishes to point out
that every possible chance was given
the buy ic mend his ways. A good
home was found for him in a nice
neighborhood with a Mr. and Mrs.
Huddleston. Mr. Huddleston wanted
a boy to help him in his butcher shop
after school. He had to be carried
forcibly to Mr. Huddleston’s truck,
and he had so inflamed the impres-
sionable mind of Dorothy May over
their separation that she had a cry-
ing spell and the next day ran away
in an effort to find Richard Lewfs.
The police brought her back in a state
of exhaustion, and after four days
Mr. Huddleston returned Richard to
the Home as impossible.
Quick to seize upon this victory,
Richard and Dorothy May established
themselves as leaders of the other
children. They held what they call-
ed a “secret meeting” one recess and
swore sacrilegious oaths written by
Richard Lewis to stand in open rebel-
lion against the authority of the Ma-
tron and her assistants.
Richard Lewis had the audacity to
complain of the food in a written ul-
'timatum to the Matron, threatening
| to write to the Board of Supervisors.
! It appeared that he had taken a dis-
lise to rice pudding and cream of
' wheat. The Matron ordered him kept
lin the dark room for a week with
nothing to eat but rice pudding and
cereal and water.
In spite of his actions, the Matron
made an earnest effort to give him
every advantage possible. He was al-
lowed to sell papers before and after
school.
most of his time reading them. He
!tor’s Room and was very properly
refused. He then demanded to use
| the violin which had been stored in
the attic. When it was pointed out
to him that the Home had no funds
with which to buy strings for the in-
strument, he stole the violin and in-
duced Dorothy May to lend him mon-
ey from her savings-bank.
She had earned the money looking
after children in the neighborhood.
The Matron had impressed upon her
the virtue of thrift and had institut-
ed a very beneficial rule requiring
each child to earn and save enough |
money to buy its outfit when it left
the Home at sixteen to go to work.
Yet so under the influence of this
wicked boy she was that she used all
her savings to fix up this stolen violin
and to buy him music sheets.
The Matron learned of their aqe-
ceitfulness the night of June 4, 1925,
when the Lewis boy took the violin
from a place of concealment and at
11:45 p. m. left the boys’ dormitory.
When discovered by the Matron, he ,
was in the yard below a window of '
{
slapped Dorothy May for her be- |
On nine distinct occasions in 19238 #@nd-
It developed that he spent’
asked use of the piano in the Visi- |
send her to the Detention Home I'll
,—kill ‘you.”
the girls’ dormitory playing an im-
proper Spanish love-song.
He had grown so large neither the
Matron nor Miss Gowan could longer
punish him properly. The next day
the Matron instructed Mr. Adams, the
gardener, to thrash him. The violin
was confiscated.
This most severe punishment fail-
ed to have the desired result. He de-
manded in an insolent tirade to the
Matron the return of the violin. The
Matron warned him in a quiet tone
that if he mentioned the subject again
the violin would be burned. He wait-
ed—and this illustrates the guile of
the boy—until the following Sunday
morning, and then organized a strike
of the children. He had got the no-
tion, apparently, from reading the
newspapers. The children were be-
ing marched to Sunday school when
suddenly Dorothy May Chevis whis-
tled, and they all ran from Miss Go-
wan and Miss Maginnis. They ran
to Davis Park and scattered. Miss
Gowan and Miss Maginnis reported
that it was impossible to assemble
! them.
! It was the Matron’s first intention
to call the Truant Officers and the po-
lice. However, to avoid unseemly
publicity, the Matron herself went to
Davis Park and demanded that the
i children return to the Home. Rich-
‘ard Lewis and Dorothy May Chevis
‘had instructed the others to hide
‘while they presumed to parley with
the Matron. They did this in inten-
i tionally rude and loud voices while
seated in a rowboat on the lagoon.
| A crowd had collected and the Ma-
!tron’s sorrow and mortification can be
imagined.
| The Matron was obliged to promise
the return of the violin and abroga-
tion of the rule forbidding Richard
| Lewis to talk to Dorothy May Chevis.
i As they had broken the rule persist-
| ently, anyway, the Matron made the
i best of the situation and consented.
Whereupon, Dorothy May whistled
to the other children and they con-
gregated about the rowboat. To heap
indignity on the Matron of the Home,
Richard Lewis made a speech of an
inflammatory nature and was ap-
plauded by several ruffians in the
crowd. The children then marched
to the Home without further dis-
order.
Knowing that Richard Lewis was
past control, the Matron on Jan. 1,
1926, respectfully requested the Board
of Supervisors to transfer him to
some other orphanage. The Board of
Supervisors will remember that the
| boy and Dorothy May Chevis appear-
!ed before them with what the Matron
| always will consider was a shrewdly
i fabricated appeal to sentimentalism.
| "1 Richard Loals loved ve cvadren
lat the Home and their love was the
| only love he had ever had, as he said,
{then he certainly did not show this
{by his actions. He made them all
{ miserable by morbid juvenile maun-
jderings over their condition of life.
i Dorothy May helped in this business
| by sneaking in improper novels which
i she and Richard Lewis read.
Richard Lewis’ reaction to the kind-
ness of the Board of Supervisors in
permitting him to remain against the
recommendation of the Matron was
one of bitter vindictiveness. On the
night ‘of Aug. 21, 1926, about 2:10
a. m. he climbed to the coping of the
Home above the front entrance, aid-
ed and abetted by Dorothy May Chev-
is. By means of a chisel and hammer
stolen from the tool-shed he chisel-
ed in the stone the following absurd
statement.
Chevis have this day plighted their
troth—August 21, 1926.”
The Matron, it will be recalled, has
twice recommended sand-blasting to
remove the marks.
boy to the Matron and the Home oc-
curred March 19, 1927, when he ap-
peared in the Matron’s office to pro-
test against the assignment of Doro-
thy May Chevis to a position with
the New Era Wet Wash Laundry,
when her legal stay at the Home ex-
pired on Aug. 31, 1927. It was not
known then, of course, that Dorothy
May Chevis was the daughter of Mr.
Danforth. She occupied identically
the same position as any of the other
girls at the Home for whom the Ma-
tron out of kindness to them was ob-
taining positions. The Matron quotes
the text of her conversation with
Richard Lewis at this time, written
from memory immediately after:
Richard Lewis: “Dorothy May tells
me you are going to make her work
in a laundry.”
ard. She is to operate an ironer at
the New Era Wet Wash Laundry.
They also do finish work.” .
Richard Lewis: (Overbearingly.) “I
‘won’t permit it. A laundry is no place
, for Dorothy May. It would kill her.”
! The Matron: (Keeping her temper.)
“I do not care to discuss that with
| you, Richard.”
| Richard Lewis: (Arrogantly.) “We
will discuss it. You will discuss it.
{ Dorothy May is too sweet to work in
‘a laundry. She’s not the sort to work
in a laundry. She's different from
these other girls. Ill try to find some
other kind of work for her to do un-
until I can take care of her myself.”
The Matron: (In calm tones.) “You
‘will please leave this office at once.
I hardly think you are a fit one to
look after Dorothy May. You will
have all you can stand up to, young
-man, at the wholesale grocery.”
Richard Lewis: “Nothing can hurt
me. I’m a man. I can look after my-
self. But Dorothy May is just a girl. L
See here, Mrs. Crouch, we've had our
differences, but you shouldn’t take out
your spite against me on Dorothy
May. Send me to a coal-mine.
don’t care. But you've just got to
find Dorothy May a decent place to
work. That's all.”
The Matron: “You are a presump- |
tuous incorrigible. Get out. Dorothy
May works where I assign her or she
goes to the Girls’ Detention Home as
a delinquent.”
Richard Lewis. (Viciously.) “If
you were a man you’d have to thrash
me here and now. I give you good
fair warning. Dorothy May isn’t go-
ing to work in a laundry. And if you
1
The Matron: (Calmly.) “Leave
“Richard Lewis and Dorothy May
The gravest affront offered by this ;
The Matron: “That is correct, Rich-
this room at once or I shall call the
police. I do not fear your threats,
you horrid boy.”
At this, Richard Lewis scowled like
a mad-man, whirled and left the
room, banging the door, which was
against the rules. ;
The Board of Supervisors will note
that the last speech uttered by Rich-
ard Lewis was a threat against the
Matron’s life. It only illustrated the
depraved mind of this boy. The Ma-
tron was not at all frightened by his
words and determined to be unswerv-
ing in her duty. The Matron might
add that Miss Spink, social service '
worker for the Board of Charities and
Corrections, had made a favorable re-
port on the New Era Wet Wash
Laundry, stating that conditions there
were as good as could be expected.
As spring came on Richard Lewis
and Dorothy May Chevis were to-
gether oftener than the Matron ap-
proved, but hoping to avert another
clash with the incorrigible, the Ma-
tron allowed them unusual liberties.
Richard Lewis was permitted to walk
with Dorothy May Chevis when she
took the twins of Mr. and Mrs. Klip-
stein to the park as was her duty
every afternoon. He was allowed to
talk with her through the wire screen
separating the corridors of the boys’
and girls’ dormitory as late as 8.00
o’clock in the evening.
The effect of this leniency, instead
of bringing out some good in the
heart of Richard Lewis, moved him
to what might have been a holocaust
of unbridled license. On the night
of August 20, 1927, at 9:45 p. m. the
Matron ordered the fire alarm to be
rung for a practice drill. The chil-
dren had retired and were instructed
to dress partially before marching fo
the outside walks. Attached to this
report are the sworn affidavits of Miss
Morris and Miss Gowan as to the
scene they witnessed in the yard of
the Home at 9:53 p. m.
It will be seen from these affidavits
that Richard Lewis, clad in pajamas
and outer trousers, and Dorothy May
Chevis, also improperly clad, hid
themselves from the other children
in the southeast corner of the yard.
It is further related that they remain-
ed after the other children had re-
turned to their beds and that Richard
Lewis played Beethoven’s “Minuet in
G” on the violin while Dorothy May
Chevis, her limbs immodestly display-
ed, danced on the lawn.
The affidavits are substantiated in
part by the Matron herself, who
heard and recognized the violin tune.
Miss Gowan and Miss Morris prompt-
ly put a stop to the disgraceful affair
and locked Dorothy May Chevis in
the dark room for the remainder of
the night.
The Matron had determined to start
Dorothy May to work at the laundry
the next day, but upon her promise
of good behavior in the future placed
her on probation. Richard Lewis was
given a thrashing by Mr. Adams, the
gardener, and John Mills, a negro,
whom he called in to assist him.
There was no more trouble with
Richard Lewis until
Danforth arrived at the Home to
search for his child. Richard Lewis
overheard them describing the cage
to me and demanded that he be al-
lowed to examine his baby clothes
which were on file with other found-
lings’ clothing in the Record Room.
The Matron under the rules could not
refuse this request, as she had allow-
ed this boy to look at his baby clothes
several times previously.
The Board of Supervisors will re-
call the details of the Danforth baby
case from the unfortunate newspaper
publicity. They need only to be re-
told here briefly in their relation to
the actions of Richard Lewis. !
In 1911, Mr. Danforth. a rich manu-
facturer, was living with his wife in
Omaha. She was expecting a child
rand had prepared an outfit of baby
clothes, giving them all a distinctive
marking clearly remembered by Mr.
Danforth. He and Mrs. Danforth
quarreled and she, a wilful head-
dered more distraught by her condi-
tion, ran away. Mr. Danforth never
heard from her again.
Through years of searching and at
enormous expense he traced her to
this city. He located her grave in
the potters’ field early in July, 1927,
and then, after taking her ashes back
to Omaha, returned to search for his
child. Detectives made a systematic
search of hospitals and orphan asy- |
lums, hoping to diseover baby clothes
, bearing the mark put on them by
Mrs. Danforth while she was prepar-
ing the layette. It was a silk-em- |
broidered crescent.
When the detectives came to the
Home the Matron consented to allow
them to make a search of its files of
foundlings’ clothing. The Matron did
this as her public duty while in no
way condoning sensational searches
of this nature. The arrival of the
detectives at the Home had a very!
bad effect upon all the children. Or-
phan children, the Matron has ob-
served, harbor two false hopes which
should never be encouraged by Home
authorities. One is that their parents
may yet be alive and will return to
claim them; the other is that they
may some day be adopted by kind and
wealthy foster-parents.
There was much untoward excite-
ment as the detectives and Mr. Dan-
forth, who arrived in a handsome car
belonging to a friend in the city, pre-
pared to look over the records.
Knowing the evil nature of Richard
ewis it was a mistake to have al-
lowed him to enter the Record Room
to look at his baby clothes before the
Matron and Mr. Danforth completed
their examination. He got there first,
however, and when the Matron and
Mr. Danforth entered, the Matron’s
worst fears were realized. :
Richard Lewis not only had opened
his own file box but he had pried the
lid off the file box in which the baby
clothes of Dorothy May Chevis were
kept.
It is the Matron’s belief that Rich-
ard Lewis, impelled by a criminal im-
pulse, was just about to place his
baby clothes in Dorothy May’s box
and put Dorothy May’s in his box,
| when interrupted in his terrible de-
, signs ‘by the arrival of the Matron. |
Both boxes were standing opened
August 30th,
when detectives employed by Mr.
Tand Richard Lewis stood before them.
The Matron, at once realizing the full
horror of the thing which this crim-
inal was about to do, rushed to him
and covered the poxes with her hands.
Forgetting herself, the Matron did
give way to a natural cry of repug-
nance and did call Richard Lewis’ a
“horrible sneak.” The boy hung his
head and flushed guiltily.
Mr. Danforth snatched up the baby
clothes from Dorothy May’s box and
cried: “I’ve found her. I've found my
little girl. Where is Dorothy May
Chevis? She is my little girl!”
The Matron informed him that
Dorothy May was upstairs in the
schoolroom. He rushed out with the
detectives.
Richard Lewis in surly shame
snatched his box away from the Ma-
tron and shut the lid on it. The Ma-
tron tried to make him’ understand
the enormity of the crime which he
had been about to commit and receiv-
ed only an insolent stare of bravado.
It is a sad commentary on the in-
sidious influence this creature had ex-
ercised over the smaller boys at the
Home that two of the younger boys,
Thomas Peters and James Hogan,
came forward to lie for Richard Lew-
is. They had the effrontery to as-
sure the Matron that they had watch-
ed Richard Lewis from the doorway
and had seen him put his baby clothes
in Dorothy May’s box and put hers
in his. Even the Lewis boy, as de-
praved as he is, had the grace to re-
buke them for their falsehood.
The Matron can only reflect on the
irony of such a lie. Poor Mrs. Dan-
forth could never have borne such a
child as Richard Lewis.
In conclusion the Matron wishes to
piont out that Richard Lewis, far
from feeling penitence for his plot to
rob Dorothy May Danforth of her
birthright, had the audacity to create
a scene the morning Dorothy May
left the Home with her father. Be-
fore the Matron could halt him, he
ran to the door of the automobile and
embraced Dorothy May, crying: “Oh,
remember me, Dorothy May. Oh, re-
member me!”
Dorothy May allowed herself to
suffer a kiss from this criminal. Had
the Matron in the excitement remem-
bered to tell her of his duplicity, she
would have shrunk from him in hor-
ror.
During his last days at the Home
Richard Lewis was glum, morose and
brooding. The Matron neglected to
mention at the start of this report
that in addition to the violin, Richard
Lewis carried away with him, the
night he left, the box containing his
baby clothes. He told one of the girls,
with lying bravado, that he was tak-
ing them to remember Dorothy May
by. A likely story, but quite in keep-
ing with other prevarications told by
this boy.
Respectfully submitted,
Nellie M. Crouch, Matron.
—From Hearst’s International Cos-
mopolitan.
Smith and Hoover Graze Presidential
Age Limits,
Alfred Smith and Herbert Hoover
just graze the upper age limit which
custom has ordained for candidates
for the office of President of the
United States, according to a writer
in “Barron’s Financial Weekly.”
Smith is 56, Hoover 55. Were the
former older by one year and the
latter older by two years, they would
be, if not legallly too old, at least.
beyond the age which many genera-
tions of Americans have unconscious-
ly decreed shall be the borderline be-
yond which no man can step and hope:
to become a candidate for the Presi-
dency.
“In the inauguration of William
Henry Harrison at the age of 68, who
was dead in exactly one month,”
points out Barron’s, “a lesson was
learned which has not been forgotten.
Of the fifteen Presidents inaugurated
since Buchanan, not one was over 56
at the date of his inauguration, and
four of these were in the forties.
strong woman of violent temper ren- !
“Here, then, is a well established
rule which says, in effect, that a can-
didate elected for the first time shall
be well within the fifties so that he
may have the enormous adavntage of
being renominated when he is still
in vigorous manhood. Charles E.
Hughes was prominently mentioned
before the convention. But he would
have been 67 at the time of is inaugu-
Fation and 71 if he had succeeded him-
self.
Doping of Healthy Animals Worth-
less.
“Nothing is to be gained bv dosing
and doping apparently healthy ani--
mals, including poultry, with unneces-
sary and ill-advised stock condition-
ers,” today asserted Dr. T. E. Munce,
director of the bureau of animal in-
dustry, of Pennsylvania department
of agriculture
This statement was made after re-
ceipt of inquiries about a manufac-
turer of a so-called stock conditioner,
who offers free veterinary service to
his regular customers.
“Sick animals and poultry should
be examined and treated by a local
veterinarian,” Dr. Munce added. “Re-
member that someone must pay for
the so-called free service and a care-
ful analysis should enable any busi-
ness man to determine that in the
end the owner of the animals pay
the bill.
“Owners should strive to keep their
animals and poultry healthy by feed-
ing them a properly balanced ration
and through proper housing, care and
handling.”
—————— A ——————
One Lone Pheasant Cost $512.50.
One pheasant cost seven bold Lack:
awanna huntsmen $512.50, = that
amount being the fine imposed on the
party of seven. The pheasant was
shot on Sunday by the party, who de-
“cided that the fields and forests should
{yield the provender for an annual
feast. Unfortunately, it happened to
tbe closed season for pheasant and the:
quarry they selected for their initial
shot was a hen, always protected from
pursuit.
——The Watchman gives all the
‘news while it is news.