The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-03-16
Child s.e.l,ng-oar,oa. In.,anc...

Child steaiing-oarious Instan noes.
Thatreminds me OF an incident that
happened two years ago. A Mrs. H.
In Thirty-fourth street. sent her little
lad, ten years old, down to his fathers
Office one evening by the Third avenue
railroad. He was bright lad, and an
only son. About mid night the father
camo home. BE had not seen him.
Then began the customary search, the
telegraphing and hiring of policemen.
and the advertising-all without the
least success. One, two years passed
AWAY; and then letter came to Mr..
H, purporting to be written BY his
son in London, and asking him to send
E2OO, for Gods sake, to save him from
being sent to Australia. It was the
opinion of the police authorities that he
was in the city; that in fact, he had
never been out of it. Aud so, indeed,
it proved. But what grave admission
| is this to make. Does it not suggest to
the thoughtful mind night, whose
darkness, almost impenetrable to such
official eyes as we have, needs exploring
for our own safety? A very dense dark.
meas ia that which can cover child for
years from the search OF parents and q
tolerabiy intelligent police force, with
money and all the machinery OF law at
its command.
A little girl WAS stolen a year ago out
OF hallway in upper Madison avenue,
In the evening. Report was made OF the
case, and there it ended. I don't think
she was recovered. But sometime after
the disappearance the mother saw, or
declared she saw. her daughter from an
omnibus window on Broadway, and
made a frenzied aud useless descent from
the stage. and ran headlong in the direc.
ton the child had taken. There is some
thing startlingly sad in the idea of o
parent firmly convinced that its infant
is in the hands Of evil-disposed per-
sons, IN the same city, who cannot be
reached.
This thild-stealing business belongs
by tradition to the Gypsies, and that re-
minds me that there are quite q number
OF them In this country, and those who
come here, singularly enough, seem to
lose their gregarious habits. This free
atmosphere ia wonderful solvent, and
1t affects tho criminal no less than the
laboring classes. What was going to
say about the Gypsies relates only to n
case OF child stealing that occurred in
l9GS. on Long Island, near Jamaica. A
boy about eight years old was missed on
Monday night, just as the family was
about retiring. A New York photo
grapher-l think it was Kurtz-had
been on the grounds that afternoon,
making pictures Of the piuce, and the
children had been playing croquet at the
lime. he came the next morning and
took another picture of the same view.
a rry, xr,.,u -
three city detectives out there. but no.
thing was done except to invent theories,
unit! one day young ady, niece OF
the family's, brought home the finished
picture of the grounds from Kurtzs.
Almost as soon ns 1t arrived, somebody
IN the house. and I dare sny it was one
of the children, discovered on the bark
OF large treo that occupied the fore.
ground three hieroglyphics that puzzled
them. They were Gipscy marks. Re-
ference to the tree itself was made. but
they were almost obliterated then with
the summer parisitic growth. Nobody
ut the time thought much about it, But
it occurred to the niece, a day or two
afterwards, that she would mention il to
one of the officers. The first question
he asked her was if the artist had taken
ssA Wv PiStuiCs duu WHICH BIG
told him he had, and on different DAYS.
that worthy official instantly replied,
"Ihen we must find the other picture" I"
Neither of them bad the slightest suepi-
cion how closely they were treading pom
the domain of Wilkie Collins. They
went to the photographers, and with
some difficulty found the negative Of the
first picture. There were no marks upon
the tree. Hal exclaimed the officer.
we've got the boy" 1t was obvious
the symbols had been made between
Monday afternoon and Tuesday morn
ing, aud at that time the lad was missed.
The clue thus given was successfully
worked. The boy was overhauled by
deputy sheriff of Broome County, two
mouths afterward.-Ne,o YORK. World.
The New York correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune says: "The prospect
now is, that John Graham will succeed
III sending to State prison every mem
ber OF that jury who voted for the in.
dictmcnt OF Stokes. AS for Stokes, he
is to be mt once released, so that he can
shoot j. Gould and some other Erie
officers who are objectionable TO him.
Mrs. Mansfield is to run for Vice Prcsi-
dent on tba XVoo1hnl1 t;ol,ot ,,l ,,l,o,,