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[Applause]
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the horrible child abuse case that
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changed the history of America For
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Better or Worse Mary Ellen Wilson was
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raised in New York City by an abusive
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Foster Family she was an inspiration to
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animal rights activists who worked for
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the first child protection laws in
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American history in
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1874 the first child abuse case in US
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history went to trial 10-year-old Mary
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Ellen Wilson had encountered long
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periods of awful maltreatment before
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anybody mediated yet she turned into the
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perfect example for change in the
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country Wilson's story is tragic and
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amazing all at
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once animal rights activists were the
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ones who had to step up and save Wilson
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from an abusive home in the days before
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laws protecting children her story would
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Inspire those same activists to to
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advocate for laws that protect children
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today the abuse of Mary Ellen
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Wilson Mary Ellen Wilson was marked by
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tragedy from birth before Mary Ellen
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turned 2 years old her father was killed
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in a civil war Francis Wilson had to
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work in order to provide for her
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daughter Wilson employed a woman to
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watch Mary Ellen while she worked double
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shifts in a hotel laundry room the woman
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also gave the child to the Department of
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Charities of New York when Wilson could
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not pay Mary Ellen Wilson ended up in
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the foster care system as a result of
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that moreover it marked the beginning of
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years of
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abuse according to American Heritage
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Mary Ellen lived with Francis and Mary
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Connelly for 6 years Mary Ellen later
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testified in court my bed at night is
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only a piece of carpet stretched out on
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the floor underneath a window I can't
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remember the last time I owned just one
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pair of
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shoes the child had no connection to the
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outside
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world she acknowledged I am never
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permitted to play with any
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children I have no idea how old I am
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Mary Ellen was subjected to both
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physical and emotional abuse for 6 years
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she stated I have no recollection of
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ever having been
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kissed I have no recollection of ever
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having been on the street Mary Ellen was
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viciously whipped by her adoptive mother
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who locked her up in a
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closet mama has a habit of whipping and
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beating me nearly every day she used to
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beat me with a rawhide whip that was
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twisted my body was always covered in
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blue and black marks from the whip
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additionally Mary Ellen described how
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her adoptive mother Cut Her Off With
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Scissors leaving her with a prominent
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scar on her face for the rest of her
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life Eda wheeler takes notice of Mary
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Ellen
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Wilson Mary Ellen Wilson's abuse was
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reported to the authorities by a
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concerned neighbor caseworker and
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Methodist missionary Eda wheeler looked
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into the matter wheeler was horrified
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when she knocked on the door in December
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1873 and found it pale thin child
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barefoot in a thin scanty
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dress Mary Ellen Wilson 9 years of age
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at that point was the size of a
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5-year-old Additionally the child had
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bruises covering his arms and
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legs shocked by the maltreatment wheeler
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went to the
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police however there were no laws
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against beating children so parents
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still had almost complete control over
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how to discipline them at home without
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permission from the law Charities
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refused to take Mary Ellen from her
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adoptive parents and the Govern
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government did not want to intervene in
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A Private Matter wheeler got desperate
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as he got
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impatient as a result she inquired about
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the person who established the American
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Society for the prevention of cruelty to
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animals animal rights Advocates fight
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for Mary Ellen
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Wilson activists began advocating for
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animal cruelty legislation around the
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same time that Mary Ellen Wilson's
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foster parents began abusing her
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the American Society for the prevention
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of cruelty to animals ASPCA was
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established in
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1866 by activist Henry Burke Burke
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declared that he would speak for the
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mute Servants of mankind because he was
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disgusted by the way animals were
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treated the asbca was founded by Burke
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who also wrote the Declaration of the
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rights of
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animals the association before long
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turned into the implementers of a new
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enemy of savagery
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regulations the activist made a lot of
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enemies for
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himself papers referred to Burg as the
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incomparable Busy
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Body however Burg was steadfast in his
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mission this is purely a
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conscience-based decision with no
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baffling side
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effects it is a moral dilemma in all of
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its
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facets additionally Burke acted
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immediately upon meeting wheeler Burke
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got in touch with a lawyer for the ASPCA
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and sent an undercover agent to find out
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how Mary Ellen Wilson was doing the
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matter was then taken to court by
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Burke supporters of Mary Ellen asked a
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judge to remove the child from her
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abusive home in a
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petition the judge agreed and the first
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ever child abuse trial in the United
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States began the Mary Ellen Wilson trial
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Mary Ellen Wilson was removed from the
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Connelly residence by police on April
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9th
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1874 and brought before the
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court since Mary Ellen wore worn out
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garments she strolled into court wearing
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a carriage cover the incident was
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described by reporter Jacob
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Reese as I looked I knew I was in the
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place where the first chapter of
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children's rights was being written I
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saw a child brought in and Men wept
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loudly at the sight I heard the story of
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little Mary Ellen and it stirred the
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soul of a city and woke the conscience
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of a world that had been
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forgotten Mary Ellen provided evidence
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against Mary Connelly during the trial
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Connelly claimed that others were
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ignorant of the difficulties of bringing
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up and governing children in her defense
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on the stand the jury pondered for only
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20 minutes prior to viewing Connelly to
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be blameworthy and sending her to jail
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for one year the movement to protect
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children
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according to the New York Times Eda
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wheeler adopted Mary Ellen Wilson
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herself after the trial Mary Ellen
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relocated to a Rochester suburb leaving
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behind the city's
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tenements wheeler wrote a new life began
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here the child was a fascinating study
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because she had been enclosed for so
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long and was now in a new
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world however she was taught by other
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children in this home just as children
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can teach each other
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they taught her to play not to be afraid
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and to recognize and assert her
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rights Henry Burke was motivated to
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establish the New York Society for the
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Prevention of Cruelty to Children spcc
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in December
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1874 by Mary Ellen's case the spcc would
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look into over 300 cases of child abuse
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over the next year backlash arose when
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Burg and the spcc advocated for legisl
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ation to prevent child abuse Burke
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requested permission to break into the
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Garretts of the poor and carry off their
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children upon the suspicion of spanking
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according to the New York
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world the law was passed in
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1876 despite
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opposition Mary Ellen Wilson made a
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promise to her children that she would
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give them the childhood she never had
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she had three stepchildren two daughters
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and an adopted daughter Mary Ellen
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attended an American Humane Society
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meeting in 1913 where Eda wheeler spoke
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if the memory of her earliest years is
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sad There is this comfort in the fact
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that the Cry of her wrongs awoke the
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world to the need for organized relief
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for neglected and abused children
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wheeler said in his
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[Music]
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conclusion he
