Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-16
The Child SteaIer Arrested-Her
Appearance and Statement.


the 9th inst, Mr.. Thomas Digby, of New
Orleans, succeeded in finding bis los
child. After weeks of intense anguish
happiness is at last restored to the be
reaved family, and the parents clasp theil
little one in their arms The New Orleans
PicGya1ae of the 10th inst. gives the fol.
lowing particulars:
1t disappeared from its home on the
morning of the 9th of June. 1t will be
recollected that the child, in COMPANY
with its little brother and young lady.
Miss Rosa German, were PLAYING on
Howard street between LAFAYETTE and
Poydras at the time in question. Sud-
denly the fire bells rang out, and the
young lady, who had the child in her
arms, handed it to the little boy, saying:
"Hold Molly, while l see where the fire
is"
''Let me take the boy" said voice
near them, and turning round Miss Cor
man discovered two women, a mulattress,
tall and very pretty, and low set, heavy
negress. Itwas the mulattress that spoke,
and extending her arms, took the child.
She had been seen in the street frequently
before, and frequently noticed la7ishing
caresses on the baby, which, from its
cunning ways and delicate beauty, usually
excited attention, even from strangers.
Miss German went in the direction of the
fire, and the two women, one of them
carrying the child and accompanied by its
little brother, walked around the corner,
up Lafayette street to the corner of Dry
AIDES. Here the mulattress stopped, and
giving the little boy some money, told him
to go to the fruit stand and get some ba-
nanas for his sister, The boy went, but
when, a moment afterward, he returned
to the place, the baby andthe women had
disappeared. From that day until this
TUESDAY, no trace of the child could be
found. Immense rewards were offered
for the discovery of the child and arrest
of the abductress. The entire city was
stirred with popular excitement, and young
and old united in the search for the stolen
child.
Conjecture run riot as to the motive of |
the abductress and her intentions affecting |
the little one. Some said she was an |
enemy of the family, and her purpose |
was revenge. Others, whose imagina- |
tons were excited by Voudou superstitions
felt that the child had been stolen for sac |
rifice in fetish rights. The celebration of |
this strange mystery on the following oath |
OF June gave a coloring TO the SUPPOSE |
ton, and an intense fear seized upon the |
public. In the mean time the police and |
a number of citizens were incessant in the |
TnrOcaaufiNro Of 4hn eoornh na1oo-7
sent off in every possible direction, and /
piacards and publications describing the |
child, and reciting the circumstances of
its abduction, were scattered broadcast |
through the land. News from Cincinnati,
st. Louis, and other cities came in, but
the information was not reliable. The
excitement engendered here was felt
with almost the same intensity elsewhere.
But of no avail. The child seemed to
have as effectually disappeared as if it
had sunk into the bowels of the earth.
Hope of finding it had almost died out. |
Some believed it dead-all thought it
finally lost.
Early yesterday morning the news
spread like wildfire through the city that
THE CHILD WAS FOUND.
Finding it impossible to make a con-
nected statement from the flying rumors,
a reporter of the Pic proceeded to Dig
by's house, en- Howard street, near Lafa-
yette, to obtain the news from first hands.
He learned that Mr.. and Mrs Digby had
gone in a carriage with their newly-found
baby to the office of Superintendent of
Police. Proceeding thither he found the
party, and saw for the first time the child
about which there has been such excite
ment.
The mother held her little one tenderly
in her arms, her eyes suffused with tears
of Joy and her whole cOuntenance radiant
with an unspeakable happiness. The
father was quite beside himself, and could
give but little information as to where the
child was found. 1t was up town some
where, however, and he could drive to
the house. In answer as to how he had
found the baby, he replied that a gentle
man-an elderly man-had called at his
house early in the morning, about half
past six o'clock, and informed him that
he had child at his home that he was
quite sure was his Digby's).
Mr.. and Mrs. Digby were still in bed, |
and the latter wanted to 90 with the gen
tleman, but he, remembering how often
she had been bitterly disappointed before,
insisted on her remaining at home, and
got ready at once to 90 himself. ''Little
did think, said he, 81 was on my way
to find my little Moll." Ae remembered
that they got into a Jackson street car,
but could not say just where they got
Out-sOmewherc near Josephine and |
Chestnut street, he thought.
The house was quite an elegant one, |
and on entering with the gentleman, he |
saw lady walking up and down the side |
latticed gallery with a child in her arms.
Fearing lest he might be mistaken, he |
looked steadily at the child for some mo-
ments, and catching her in his arms, said, |
in answer to an inquiry from the lady, |
Eyes, madam, this is my baby" ''Sup- |
pose" suggested the lady, "she should |
not prove to be your child2" 'Then |
promise to return her, but | know it is
Mol, he answered, as he ran out of the |
house to take her to her mother.
A mothers instincts are infallible. Mrs. |
Digby did not hesitate moment 1t was
her child. Clasping it in her arms, the
little one murmurcd, mammal mann
MAJ" 1t was a mutual recognition.
EFFORTS TO DISCOVER TIE CHILD srRALKR.
Mr.. Digby reached home with his child |
without the fact of discovery becoming
generally known. Soon, however, the |
news spread throughout that portion of |
town, and people tlocked to the house
from all directions. White and black. |
young and old, appeared equally de- |
lighted.
In his excitement at finding the child, |
DiCby had forgotten to ask the name of |
the gentleman, and, consequently, Capt |
Badger decided that the next step was TO |
go 10 the house and ascertain the particu-
lars from the gentleman and lady, who
ever they might be. Accordingly, Mr.. |
and Mrs. Digby, with the child, Capt. !