In February of 1913 the citizens of Leroy were shocked and appalled by the treatment of a 9 year old orphan by his uncle. Ralph Douglas had been orphaned when his mother died when he was aged four. He had never had a father, and almost his entire life had been lived in his uncle's home.
Jesse Douglas was arrested by the sheriff on the warrant of the humane officer L. Kerrick on February 17, 1913 and four days later the trial began. At the trial several witnesses were presented who testified that they had seen Douglas throw the boy down to the ground by his ear and then kick him for very small offenses. When present at a dinner of another family, the boy displeased his uncle and was kicked as a form of discipline. Others had seen the boy wired to a fence post by the ankle or wrist in the chicken yard for hours on end as a form of discipline. Another witness testified that he had seen Jesse whip Ralph with a buggy whip when the child could not place the sideboards on a wagon. The witness testified that the child was clearly not big enough or strong enough to complete this task. the defense recorded was that the child was fed and given clothes and a place to sleep.
Despite this testimony, and the dozens of people who came to Bloomington to support the child on February 21, 1913 the jury found that Jesse Douglas was innocent of the charges.
Jesse Douglas did not appear in any census in McLean County and may have not been a long time resident of this county. Ralph Douglas also cannot be identified in the census. Apparently the mores and practices of the time allowed an adult to use a child in the most cruel ways and a jury of his peers would not condemn this man.