Many were intended for children, they just had a different understanding of childhood back then. Especially for poor people, life could be so utterly brutal, and morality was so forceful, that stories like that were the norm. Also, Americans may have a particularly sanitised view of what's appropriate in children's literature partly due to 'Disneyfication', it's not the same across the board.
I was obviously trying for Green Goblin after "Goblin" didn't work, but I will accept the point!