You're
a
special
little spirit, the all great master
said.
As he gently caressed the
hair of the little spirit's head.
You
need
to go to earth to spend some time you
know.
A place I send most spirits
to be tested, to learn, to grow.
The
little
spirit
in sadness, slowly bowed her little head
and from her eye a tear did
steal and down his cheek it shed.
Don't
you
fret
now little one, I wont let you stay too long.
I'll bring you back to help
me here, you'll hardly know you've gone.
I
need to test the people who will have you in
their care
to see if they appreciate
how precious you are there.
Your
my choicest little spirit. your the apple of
my eye,
and he wiped the tear and
gently kissed his little spirit good-bye.
When he saw how you were
treated, his special little one,
he sent down all his angels
just to bring you safely home.
I want to thank a certain
"Bug" for sending
this to me.
If
you know of a child who is being abused and
is in need of a lawyer, please
contact:
"Lawyers For Children America"
Our Mission - Lawyers for
Children America is a lead child advocacy
organization protecting the rights of children who
are victims of abuse; abandonment and neglect by
providing quality pro bono legal representation
and collaborating for systematic change to improve
the lives of children. Lawyers for Children
America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Mary
Ellen Wilson
March 1864 - October 30, 1956
Find A Grave Memorial
Mary
Ellen Wilson before her ordeal ended and
after.
In September of 1874 a New
York city charity worker, Mrs. Etta Angell
Wheeler, heard about the abuse of a ten year
old little girl name Mary Ellen Wilson. Mary
Ellen's father had died at war and her mother
had placed her in temporary care of a baby
sitter.
Mary Ellen's mother did not
return for several months and was not
providing any support for her. Then one day
she showed up drunk and newly married wanting
to take Mary Ellen home. The baby sitter could
see that this new marriage had changed Mary
Ellen's mother and didn't want to put Mary
Ellen back with her so she told her that Mary
Ellen had died. Later, she could no longer
care for Mary Ellen so she took her to an
orphanage claiming her mother had abandoned
her.
Mary Ellen was later adopted
by a man who had lost all of his own children
to illness.
He told his wife that Mary Ellen was his
illegitimate daughter. His wife agreed to
accept Mary Ellen but hated her every day she
knew her.
Mary Ellen was treated as
though she were nothing more than a slave. She
was allowed to wear only one set of clothes
and was rarely bathed. Mary Ellen slept
on a piece of rug under a window in the living
room and was locked in a closet when her
mother left the house.
Mary Ellen had no toys to play
with and was never allowed outside to play
with the other children. When a policeman who
lived in her building found her locked in a
closet in her home, he gave her some candy,
which she had never tasted before. Though he
treated her well, the police man never did
anything to save Mary Ellen from her abuser.
Sadly, many people knew of the
abuse Mary Ellen was suffering, including the
police officer who lived in the same building
as she did, however, her suffering went on for
years, until Etta Wheeler and Henry Bergh
entered her life.
Etta Wheeler arrived at the
house in September 1874 to find Mary Ellen covered in
bruises and scars. Mary Ellen had
a gash in her forehead made by the care
taker, with a pair of scissors. She made
several return visits to check on Mary Ellen.
At this time there were no laws in affect to
protect children so Etta Wheeler persuaded Henry
Bergh, from the American Society For The
Prevention of Cruelty To Animals, to go court
on Mary Ellen's behalf.
Mary Ellen's "foster" mother,
Mary Connolly, was convicted of assault
and battery and sentenced to a
year of hard labor in the city penitentiary. Mary Ellen
had this say in court:
"Mamma
has
been in the habit of whipping and
beating me
almost
every
day. She
used to whip me with a twisted whip, a
raw
hide. I have no recollection of ever
having been kissed and
have
never been kissed by Mamma."
After the trial, Mary Ellen
eventually ended up living with Etta Wheeler's
sister. In 1888, at the age of 24, she was
married to Lewis Schutt. She had two daughters
who both grew up to be teachers. Mary
Ellen died October 30, 1956 at the age of 92.
In April 1875, the New York
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children was created, only eight months
after Mary Ellen's ordeal. Other states then
began to
form agencies for the protection of children.
Read
the facts as told by Mary Ellen's decedents as
well as Eric Shelman and Stephan
Lazortz, M.D:
Purchase
this book:
Amazon
I was given this book as a
gift from my son and his then girlfriend.
Let me tell you that I read the entire book
over a two day period. The book held my
attention so that it was hard to put it
down. It shows pictures of Mary
Ellen, Etta Angell Wheeler, Henry Bergh,
Lewis Schutt the man Mary Ellen married,
Mary Ellen's children and several others.
The book details Mary Ellen's life from
birth to death and I found it to be one of
the best books I have ever read.
To skip the rest
of this page and go directly to the list of names
of abused children, click below: 
A
Child's Silent Prayer
Some
where in the distance
a
desperate child can be heard
though
never does he chance
to speak
aloud a single word
His
cries fill the night
from
the pain they choose to send
silently
he prays alone
for
this nightmare to come to an end
Curled
up against the bed post
he
hides his face in fear
as
slowly down the hall
angry
footsteps are drawing near
He
thinks:
"What
could I have done
to
bring on all this pain
I
didn't forget to clean my room,
or
walk the dog again
I
only want to show my love
each
day to mom and dad
Let
them know how much I try
show
them I don't like to be sad
I
wish that they could see
that
all I need is love
So I
am sending up a prayer
to God
in heaven above
Please
help them both to see
as you
bless my mom and dad
That
even though I am very small
I try
very hard not to be bad
I
might get stains on my new shirt
sometimes
I might spill my cup
But
stains do come out in wash
and a
little spill will mop right up
Even
when they broke my arm
I kept
up with every chore
I
cleaned my plate at every meal
did
all they asked and even more
I
keep my bedroom nice and neat
on the
floor this is not one toy
and
everything is in it's place
I try
to be a good little boy
Can't
you let my parents see
that
hitting me is just not right
that I
love them very much
this I
ask of you tonight
Tell
them I need hugs and love
and
that I like to give them to
Oh,
please help, dear God above
that
is what I need from you
Amen
Author: Sharon Schafer
© Copyright 2000
All rights reserved
Within
the
next few pages of my site you will learn about
the terrible realities of child abuse. You will
find resources for reporting this terrible legal
and moral crime. So much can be done to prevent
these terrible crimes against the innocent
victims, the smallest, weakest and least
deserving of what they must face everyday
at the hands of their abusers.
If
you would like to link to these pages, here
is a graphic
you
can use or a text link would be fine.
Please
link back to:
http://www.angelizdsplace.com/child1.htm
National
Child
Abuse Prevention Month 2004
By the President of
the United States
A Proclamation
America has a fundamental duty to
protect the safety and well being of its
children. During National Child Abuse Prevention
Month, we renew our commitment to preventing
child abuse and neglect, and we dedicate
ourselves to creating a safe environment in
which our children can grow and thrive.
We have made important progress in
protecting America's children, but too many
still suffer from abuse and neglect. Recent
reports indicate that nearly 900,000 children
were found to be victims of abuse or neglect in
2002. Of these children, an estimated 1,400
died, 75 percent of whom were 4 years old or
younger.
These young girls and boys depend
on adults to recognize the risk factors and
warning signs of abuse and to take action to end
it. This critical responsibility is shared by
parents, teachers, coaches, religious leaders,
government officials, and concerned citizens in
every community.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH,
President of the United States of America, by
virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do
hereby proclaim April 2004 as National Child
Abuse Prevention Month. I encourage all citizens
to take an active role in creating a caring
community and help protect America's children
from abuse and neglect.
IN
WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second
day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE
W.
BUSH
My
name
is Sarah
I
am but three My eyes are swollen
I cannot see
I
must be stupid I must be bad
What else could have made My
daddy so mad
I
wish I were better I wish I weren't ugly
Then maybe my mommy Would
still want to hug me
I
cant do a wrong I cant speak at all
Or else im locked up All day
long
When
im awake im all alone The house is dark
My folks aren't home When my
mommy does come home
I'll
try
and be nice So maybe ill just get
One whipping tonight
I
just heard a car My daddy is back
From Charlie's bar
I
hear him curse My name is called
I press myself Against the
wall
I
try to hide From his evil eyes
Im so afraid now I starting to
cry
He
finds
me weeping Calls me ugly words
He says its my fault He
suffers at work
He
slaps
and hits me And yells at me more
I finally get free And run to
the door
He's
already
locked it And i start to bawl
He takes me and throws me
Against the hard wall
I
fall to the floor With my bones nearly broken
And my daddy continues With
more bad words spoken
"Im
sorry!",
I scream But its now much too late
His face has been twisted Into
a unimaginable shape
The
hurt
and the pain Again and again
O please God, have mercy O
please let it end
And
he finally stops And heads for the door
While I lay there motionless
Brawled on the floor
My
name is Sarah I am but three
Tonight
my daddy Murdered me
Author: Unknown
Did
this
poem affect you? Do something about it! All I ask you to do
Is pass this on!
IF YOU ARE AGAINST
CHILD ABUSE...
PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS POEM AND
PASS IT ON!
