River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-09-03
A Young Lady, lately of Hudson,
Wis, Restored 10 the Parents from
whom She Was stolen when an
Infant

Wis, Restored 10 the Parents from
whom She Was stolen when an
Infant.
A correspondent Of the Milwaukee
Sentinel. writing from Durand, Wis, I'M
der date of August 2lst, gives an inter-
esting account Of an incident which lately
occurred there. lie says:
On the 18th of June, 1854, Mr.. limo
thy Stokin, now of this place, had little
girl eighteen months old stolen from him.
He was then living at Merton, Waukesha
county. Mrs. Stokin was in the garden
at the time, picking cucumbeIs, leaving
the child in the house with older chill.
drep. Her husband was some eighteen
miles away from home. When Mrs. Sto.
kin returned to the house she
asked where little Emma was,
and the children answered tout on
the flower bed" She called it, but re-
ceived no answer, and never saw the
child again until night before last, when
Mr.. Stokin returned with lady from
Red Cedar Falls, Dunn county. This
proved to be the child who was stolen
twenty years, one month and two days
before. The girl had been teaching school
during the summer at Red River Falls.
The history of the loss of the child and
her subsequent movements is interesting.
After the child disa ppeared the father
aroused the neighborhood, and a long
search was made lie firmly believed
the child had been abducted, and left 10
stone untUTned to finG her. lie tracked
two men to Ripon under the belief that
they had the child, but there he lost
track Of them. The father and his son
entered the army, the son was killed, the
father returned alone, and the family re-
moved to Durand, where he has lived Tor
ten years,
Of the adventures Of the child nothing
is known up to her sixth year. She re.
members that at that age she was living
in St. Louis with woman whom she re-
garded as her mother. The woman
was taken ill, and under the impress
sion that she would die she confessed to
the girl that she was not her mother; that
she had been stolen, and that she, 1.-THE
woman) had been paid to keep her. The
woman did no, die, and the girl remained
with her in st. Louis until she was ii
years old. At that time Capt. l.. ID.
Bartlett, Of Hudson, Wis, captain of the
Viola. was in St. Louis with his wife.
Mrs. Bartlett met the girl, and made
arrangements with the woman by which
the girl passed into the hands Of the
Bartletts and came to Wisconsin to live.
About year ago Capt. Bartlett removed
to Indiana, and Fannie johnson, as the
girl was known, took charge of the school
IN Dunn county as mentioned above.
few weeks ago Mrs. Nasty of this
place visited Cedar Falls and became ac.
quainted with Emma. She was immedi.
atoly struck with the resemblance of the
girl to the Stokin family, and knowing
the story of the lost child, concluded that
this might be her. She acquainted the
Stokin family with her belief,
and Mr.. Stokin at once visited
the girl, and after interviewing
her felt assured she was his daughter.
lie persuaded her to accompany him
home, and they reached here Thursday
night. The meeting between mother and
daughter was affecting, and so deep were
the mother S feelings that she swooned
away on seeing her long-lost child. All
doubt of the identity of the child is re-
hONeus ne young iaoy mas Oeen well
educated, and is a very interesting per-
son. She has been well cared for, and
especially during her residence in Hud-
son, where she was universally liked
Her parents are in moderate circum.
stances, but are honest and industrious
people, and have the highest respect of
the entire community.
1t seems that year or so ago the girl
received information from St. Louis that
her parents had been discovered, and was
urged TO visit St. Louis, but her Hartford
friends advised her to wait until
references given were found to be
genuine. AS no clue TO the
parties advising her to return to st. Louis
could be found, it was concluded that it
was an effort on the part Of some ques-
tionable persons to get possession Of the
young lady, and she remained at Hudson.
Mr.. Stokin, the father, has this theory
in regard to the abduction. A man named
Charles Taylor was sutton for the hand
Of Mrs. Stokiu. Her marriage filled him
with rage and he vowed revenge. lie FOL
lowed them from Ohio TO Wisconsin, and
stole the child