How quaint
I wonder what horrors lurk under the story of Lee Kaplan and the 12 girls removed from his house a couple of days ago.
The girls were found without birth certificates and other public records have not yet been located, according to authorities. Lee Kaplan, 51, faces a number of charges including statutory sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault for allegedly fathering two of the children with the oldest girl found, now 18.
When authorities raided Kaplan’s Feasterville home on Friday after receiving a tip, the children were found hiding in the basement and in a chicken coop, among other places, according to Lower Southampton Director of Public Safety Robert Hoopes.
The oldest is 18 and two or more of the others may be hers along with her rapist’s.
A couple is also charged in the case. Daniel Stoltzfus is charged with conspiracy of statutory sexual assault and children endangerment. His wife, Savilla Stoltzfus, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
The Stolftzfus’ allegedly told police they gave the oldest girl, who they said was their daughter, to Kaplan several years ago in exchange for financial help.
Isn’t that also enslavement? You’re not allowed to “give” people away in exchange for money. That’s called slavery, and it’s not permitted.
Savilla Stoltzfus allegedly said that all of the children were her offspring, Hoopes told CBS News on Monday.
“She was in the house, and she said that, but we don’t really know,” Hoopes said. “There’s no documentation.”
Well they certainly sound like nice people, giving all their daughters to that Lee Kaplan fella.
Hoopes said the children found in Kaplan’s home were outfitted in traditional Amish attire, and as a result, were brought to homes in nearby Lancaster County, which has a large Amish community.
Of course they were. Amish, “prairie,” burqa – it’s all the same shit.
Related
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justice-for-our-children
Fucking hell. If they were dressed as Amish and were presumably abused by the Amish, how about not giving them back to the Amish? This isn’t to diss the Amish, but as far as I’m aware, they’re a close knit society who are not really fond of federal interference, hence it would probably be better if the girls were given to a “society” with a bit more social services oversight.
I was unfamiliar with this story until reading your post here. As soon as I saw the name “Stoltzfus” I thought, “Must be Amish people from Eastern PA.” Sure enough…
(“Stoltzfus” is a prominent Amish name, meaning “Proudfoot” in German. It and “Yoder” are the most recognizably Amish names; the most common Amish name, “Miller,” being too common among the English to be indicative.)
Anyway, the Amish are not quaint exhibits for curious tourists. Amish culture has a serious dark side, which is hidden under the trappings of charming nostalgia for the simpler life of the 17th Century.
Traditional rural American values. Sincerely held beliefs.
I wonder how much the other victims can remember, and how far into The Community Kaplan’s activities reached?
There are Yoders in my family tree, and my mother was a Miller. Mennonites.
Kristjan @ 2: absolutely. It’s ok to diss the Amish in the sense of pointing out that they’re as authoritarian and child-abusing as any other fundamentalist sect. I suppose the thinking was that the children would feel more at home with Amish people than with the dreaded “English” i.e. non-Amish i.e. infidels.