The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-11-06
KIDNAPPED AND FOUND.
Remarkable Search for Stolen Child
1t is Found in Mountain Wilderness,
Five Miles from Canton, Pa.

He lOloWlng account or the kidnap-
ping of a child from Mrs j b Adams,
wife of Editor Adams, Of Scranton, will
be read with interest 1t is from the
Bing ghamton Republican, of Friday, and
is of a purely local nature. from the fact
that Mrs. Adams in her search visited
Williamsport. and that after her tedious
wanderings she found the child near
| Canton
Mrs ]. B. Adams, of Scranton, was
in this Office last evening, with the little
child for which she has been searching all
summer. 1t will be rememb bered by most
OF the readers Of the RcpuJlican that early
last July Mrs. Adams was in the city,
advertising and inquiring for her child,
and searching at the schools aud in homes.
and wherever she could hear of deserted
or an adopted child, for hers. She ex
pressed fears that her child had been
kidnapped, and procured tie services of
Colonel Brown aud other officers to assist
her in the search, when official protection
was necessary. Colonel Brown went with
her to Greene, where they learned the
child had been, but there all traces Of it
were lost sight Of
"Mrs. Adams, nevertheless, continued
her search as detective, and appears to
have been for the most part uuaded
except where she would engage an officer,
as she did here, to protect her on occasions
when she expected to place her hands
upon the child.
1T Is probable that some more ex-
perienced detective, with money at his
disposal, would have been successful in
shorter space Of time, but the loss of
the child so preyed upon Mrs. Adams
mind, and so unstrung her nervous
system, that she could not rest unless
engaged in the search herself. Like
Evangeline in search of her lover, she
would wander to far off places where the
lost one was last seen, only to learn that
other persons had preceded and removed
the loved one to another locality, and
where that was no one could inform her.
In the disguise of pedding woman she
would travel on, inquiriug when she
dared to and observing when she dared
not inquire.
Now her presence in Montrose would
be announced (; by and by a personal in
the Williamsport papers would say she
was visiting the schools in that city soon
her presence in EImira would be noticed :;
then she would be going through the
schools Of Owego, or travelling with her
baskets in the suburbs or along the
country road
"1hus the summer wore away, and the
autumn was two-thirds spent when the
distracted woman came upon her missing
child last Friday night, in a lonely, wild
spot, away up in mountain wilderness,
five miles from Canton, Pa. On that
occasion she was accompanied by an
officer, aud the child was at once legally
secured. A Mrs. Niffns, who was keep
ing it, made no objections to parting with
the little girl, but appeared very much
concerned about getting her pay for her
board for three mouths, on which she had
not received a cent.
''The little girl, Minnie, is ten years
old, and is Mrs. Adams child by adoption
She is the daughter of Mrs. Adams
brother, Martin Snooks. Snooks some
time ago parted from his wife, and she,
who is the mother OF Minnie, became
insane over domestic trouble. Mrs Adams
then adopted the child for the purpose
Of afording it home, simply as a matter
of duty, aud not from love to the child.
She became so much attached to the child,
however, that when her brother got
another housekeeper, and wanted the
child again, Mrs. Adams would not give
her up. Snooks resorted to stealing the
child, but was forced by the courts 20
restore it.
Mrs Adams, having secured the child,
is now preparing to prosecute those en-
gagged in kidnapping it. ln her long
search aud wanderugs she came in
possession of much valuable information
for the trial She has learned that the
child was probably coaxed away from her
home in Scranton by notorious dress
maker Of that city, assisted by woman
from Syracuse. At Binghampton she
was placed in charge of seamstress, who
secretcd her four days and then sent her
to Greene. From Greene the child was
taken to Elmira, and from there to the
lonely, unfrequented and unvisited cabin
on the Canton mountain. The cabin is
three miles from school, ana great
distance from any neighbor, and, as Mrs.
Adams said, the child learned nothing,
good or bad
SAT the time the child was stolen,
Snooks was living at WhitnGys Point,
and was employed by his brother as
engineer in the sash and door factory. IN
consequence of this affair, aud other
scandals, he was discharged, and is now
living in Elmira. lie never went TO visit
the child once while it was kept upon
the mountain, and, according to the
woman who boarded it, he did not pay a
cent to keep it from straving
Mrs Adams went TO Syracuse IaS'
evening, to ascertain the truth OF some
important rumors about the women sus
pected of taking the child from Its law
ful home.