Child Acrobat Victim Rescued from Abusive Guardian
A woman who exploited a young boy for a child acrobat act is arrested following allegations of brutal maltreatment.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Madeline Shone, who kept a boy named Ray Sansome as a child acrobat, was arrested in Tacoma last night by Humane Officer Clark and Officer White. Shone is accused of brutally mistreating the boy, who detailed the abuse he suffered while under her care. She was transported to Seattle, booked at police headquarters, and placed in the custody of the police matron to await trial on charges of cruelty and assault and battery.
“Mrs. Shone is accused of having brutally maltreated the boy, and the boy tells of being grossly misused.”
Child labor exploitation and the role of humane officers in the early 20th century represent a shift in how society began to define the protections afforded to vulnerable minors.
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