The tradition of using nightmarish literature to scare children into submission is probably as old as literature. Here's one from the beginning of the 20th Century. Some people say, however, that the intent of this poem is satyrical.
Matilda
Hilaire Belloc
Matilda told
such Dreadful Lies,
It made
one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt,
who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept
a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted
to Believe Matilda:
The
effort very nearly killed her,
And would
have done so, had not She
Discovered
this Infirmity.
For once,
towards the Close of Day,
Matilda,
growing tired of play,
And
finding she was left alone,
Went
tiptoe to the Telephone
And
summoned the Immediate Aid
Of
London's Noble Fire-Brigade.
Within an
hour the Gallant Band
Were
pouring in on every hand,
From
Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With
Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They
galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's
House is Burning Down!'
Inspired
by British Cheers and Loud
Proceeding
from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran
their ladders through a score
Of
windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took
Peculiar Pains to Souse
The
Pictures up and down the House,
Until
Matilda's Aunt succeeded
In
showing them they were not needed;
And even
then she had to pay
To get
the Men to go away!
It
happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt
was off to the Theatre
To see
that Interesting Play
The
Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had
refused to take her Niece
To hear
this Entertaining Piece:
A
Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish
her for Telling Lies.
That
Night a Fire did break out--
You
should have heard Matilda Shout!
You
should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw
the window up and call
To People
passing in the Street--
(The rapidly
increasing Heat
Encouraging
her to obtain
Their
confidence) -- but all in vain!
For every
time she shouted 'Fire!'
They only
answered 'Little Liar!'
And
therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda,
and the House, were Burned.