Joseph Shephard, Orphan Train Rider

In 1887 a seven year old boy was sent to Illinois by the New York Juvenile Asylum. Little Joseph Shephard, called Josie by his family, was a true orphan, but he did not lack a loving family. While he was in the Asylum he was visited by his grandmother every month (the most that was allowed), and despite the fact that she had asked for him to be released to her care, he was sent to Illinois.

Mrs. Shephard and her sons took their story to the newspapers, and the The Evening World began a campaign to have Josie returned to New York, where his uncle in Rochester was anxiously waiting to adopt him. The Asylum managers were portrayed as heartless automatons who claimed full authority over Josie and stubbornly refused to recognize the rights of the family -- or Josie. Mr. Carpenter was pictured as a carpenter boxing Josie up for shipment to Illinois. Mr. Carpenter stated to the press that no one had visited Josie while he was in the Asylum, and then refused to let anyone see the records of the children held there.

The World pointed out that the records of the children in the Asylum were a matter of public record and the charter required that the books be open to the public. On examination of this records, Mr. Carpenter was quickly proven wrong regarding his claims that Josie had not received the attention of his family. For too long the administrators of the Asylum had been running the Asylum like their own little fiefdom. Their authority came from the people, and they were made accountable by the pressure of the Press.

Included in The World's campaign was a song written to express the heartache of the Shephard family:

From September of 1887 to September 1888 the readers of the World waited anxiously to see the conclusion of this wretched event. A nearly full page story announced Josie's return to New York in September 1888. His location in Illinois was never revealed and Josie was adopted by his Uncle John Shephard in Rochester, New York.

A year later, the men of the Asylum had not learned their lesson. In October, 1889, a sixteen year old boy was remanded to the Asylum by a judge, despite the fact that he was over the age of remandment to the Asylum. The judge reversed his order and when the order was presented, the Asylum men refused to release the boy on the technicality that the judge's order was not made within 20 days of the original order. This young man had been arrested for selling lozenges on the street without a license and the Asylum proposed to hold him until his 21st birthday despite the judge's order. This time the Asylum submitted to the demands of The Evening World and the public much sooner. Heyman was restored to his parents after a month of requests from his parents, bad publicity and angry letters from the public.