The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-06-24
fFrom the St. Louis Times. alst.] - =
THE CHILD STEALER.
The Clerk Of q Prominent Hotel
Charged with Seduction and Child

Charged with Seduction and Child
A fsw days since there q appeared ir
thu. columns of the Times q paragraph,
stating that o pretty little child, nicely
arranged in basket, had been laid on
the doorstep of Mr.. j. H. Bankers
house, No, 1205 Gay street, and that a
man was seen to place the basket there
and then beat hasty retreat. Attached
to the basket was card, with the name
of respectable young lady on it, which
fact was afterwards explained by her
stating that it was stolen from her
while she was out shopping, and that
she had purchased 1t ut the store OF
Warne, Cheever & Co., for the purpose
of using it alta Basket Picnic. The
child was sent to st. AIMS Hospital, cor
ner of Biddle and Tenth streets, and
there left in care of the kindly disposed
Sisters, of Mercy. -
Nothing further was heard of the
matter until yesterday, when o woman
named Mary Dolan called at tho Third
District Station, and detailed to Cap
tain Lee the fact that some days since
she,lo child, She thought, perhaps,
the little foundling mentioned in the
papers might be her own, and calling
at the hospital Immediately recognized
and took charge Of the lost offspring.
Her story, as told Captain Lee, is sad
one, and is the oft repeated history OF
city life, betrayed love, seduction and
desertion, if not the more heinous crime
of child stealing.
Her statement is that she was former
ly employed in the--Hotel Of this
city, where after repeated protestations
of love and promises of marriage, she
departed from the path of virtue, and
lost what true women most love and
cherish-hOnOr and character.
She soon found that she was to be-
come mother, and to remain longer in
the hotel was but to publish publicly
her guilt. Her seducer went with her to
the st. AIMS Hospital, and as the Sis
ters say, "watched her very closely"
evidently anxious to obtain possession
of the offspring. After he recovery
from illness, he took her to house on
Seventh street, where she has lived
since at his expense. EtE gt-L
Unfortunately for the clerk, the child
was strong and healthy, and not the
slightest indication could he detect of
early decay or death. Naturally
enough, the older the child grew the
stronger became the attachment of the
mother, and despite its illegitimacy she
loved it fondly. The father was sOrely
troubled, and as Mary alleges, has en-.
deavOred on many occasions to separate
her from her little one, which she has
always resisted, refusing utterly to
part with it, unless it were adopted in
.iome good and respectable family who
would allow her to visit it. To meet
this objection, Mary says lady called
on her q few days since and stated that
she was search of o child for adoption,
and having heard that Mary had one to
dispose of, was willing to undertake
the care and education of the unfortun-
ate waif. Mary refused to part with
the child at this time, and the next day
the we'll dressed lady called again, in a
handsome carriage, announcing herself
as Mrs. DR.. Pollard, Of Olive street. She
appeared kindly disposed towards
the child and consented readily to its
mother visiting it daily, and even
went so far as to promise to come after
her and take her to see the child in her
carriage the next day. The sOrely
afflicted mother was duped into the be-
lief that her child would secure good
home, where, ignorant of its disgrace
full birth, it might be brought up in
good society and make useful member
Of the community, and giving her con-
sent to the proposition, the woman de-
parted with the child.
The following day Mary started out
to see her child, but no such person as
Mrs. DR.. Pollard could she find, and oil.
most distracted, she returned to her
desOlate room. The article in the
morning papers attracted her attention,
and the sequel is that she found the
child, and regained possession of it.
The above Is substantially the state
ment of the woman, and when she
brings suit to compel the clerk to mar
ry her, as she alleges she will, it win be
proper to give the name of the '.naugh-
ty, naughty man" who is accused of the
double crime Of seduction and child
stealing.