Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-07-31

STRANGE CASE OF AN INSANE FATHER
STEALING HIS OWN CHILD.-Y yesterday
! week man of genteel appearance, about
forty years of age, dressed genteelly in a
long black sack coat, black pants and a
tall beaver hat came into the INDICATOR
Office with a baby about year old in his
arms. Setting the baby on the counter he
proceeded to write an advertisement to
the effect that the Rev. Myron Leisure, of
Ohio, independent theologian would preach
the next evening in the Court House.
Not having the money to pay for it's inser-
ton it was rejected, and taking his baby
with him he left. He stopped at Mrs.
Cupp's boarding house, and also day at
the Virginia Hotel, at neither OF which
places did he settle his bill. He visited
the Lunatic Asylum, where kind lady,
seeing the forlorn condition of the infant,
took it and replaced it's clothing with clean
apparel. He said the mother of the child
was dead and he took the child about with
him because it was great deal OF company
to him. He had a milk bottle his pocket
and was continually feeding peppermint
drops to the child On Monday he left for
the White Sulphur Springs, where on
Thursday the child, which always seemed
to be half Supplied, died. Getting q doc
tors certificate from Drs. Leake and Cald-
well, he left with the body for Baltimore,
but passed Gordonsville by accident and
went to Richmond There he took the
body to Hollywood Cemetery, where, hav-
ing the proper certificate he buried it. In
the meantime the Richmond detectives
had cotton hold Of the rumor that Leisure
was the Philadelphia child stealer, for
whom a reward of 800 900 was offered, and
upon his return to the Exchange Hotel he
was arrested He at first said his wife
was dead, and then that she was dead to
him, being divorced for adultery. They
searched his valise and four bottles found
therein, two of which had milk in them,
and the other two appeared to have had
medicine in them. There was also very
large number of photographs of himself
dressed in every conceivable manner. A
IUluUtl VI UllClI COCllUlllS lil1ll
with Bible in one hand and an apron on.
Among his papers the following we'll
thumbed slip was found, cut from the AL
bany ''Journal'' of October, 1873:
"Many Of our city readers will remem-
Der having seen crack-brained, long
ed, fantasticallydr individual in
our streets bearing the name of Myron st.
Leisure, who harangued small gatherings
on street corners and in other public places,
on temperance, the second advent and va
rious isms. He now turns up in Salmons-
vile, near Fonda, Montgomery county, in
a new character-that of a baby thief
About year ago he induced very fool
ish woman to become his wife. The hus-
band has been struggling round the coun-.
try until last week, when his wife became
The happy mother of a fine baby. Leisure
secretly determined to steal the baby and
run away with it to his mother, who lives
in Jefferson county. He made his plans
by getting a bottle of milk and also some
candle wicking with which to nurse it,
and at midnight he took the babe from it's
mother and locked her up in the bedroom.
He then locked the outside door also, and
being favored by darkness was easily con-
cealed.
can alarm was soon given by the half
QlSUldCCGu ulOUll6l. WIZ 1CdlOQ ulleto ollO
child might be killed by the strange parent.
The neighbors were aroused, and as soon
as daylight appeared a search was com
menced. They got out warrant, and be-
fore noon the fellow was found near Yost
station. He expected to take the first
western train which stopped there, and
kept tile child in as good condition as pos
sible, but it needed the care Of the mother,
and the latter was overioyed when it was
restored to her arms. Leisure was then
notified to leave Salmonsville within an
hour, under a risk Of a coat of tar and
feathers, OF something Of the kind, and
this advice he accepted. The affair made
great excitement III the neighborhood gem
orally"
The prisoner said the account was al
together false. During the recital of his
narrative he frequently wept violently. At
his request his brother who lives in Balti-
more, was telegraphed to. He was COM
mitted to jail for ten days as vagrant.