The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-11-16
Varte&
LITTLE HA RRE MCABE.
Adventures Of Boy acrobat in and out Of
the Ring--How He vas Lost and Found
again, and the Fight for His Recovery.


The Rev. DIR. Ellis, pastor Of the First
Presbyterian church of Oakland, CAL, ar
rived in New York on Tuesday evening
last, bringing with him a pale-faced boy
Of only four years, but whose brief life
has been crowded with strange incidents.
In 1874 Henry McCabe and his wife
parted by mutual agreement, the hus
band being out Of employment, and too
poor to support his wife and their two
children, the younger boy two years
old. The mother took the boy with her,
and the father the elder, a little GIRL
McCabe went to Albany in search of en-
ployment, and his wife, during Barnum's
first occupancy of the Hippodrome, OBJ
tanned the position of "lady'in waiting"
in one of the departments Of the show,
where she became acquainted with Se'
bastian Quaglieni,a bareback circus rider,
Sebastian saw the taby Harry, and of.
fered to adopt it as his son. The mother
consented, and was taken before mag
istrate at Essex Market Police Court one
morning, where she signed document,
the import of which she did not know
Sebastian, in company with DR.. Rob-
erts, then drove to the Office of the Com
missioners of Charities and Corrections,
and, after remaining inside few min
utes, returned to the carriage, saying, II
is all right The paper signed before
the magistrate was supposed to be COM
mitment of the child to the Commission
ers of Charities and Correction, and Sc
bastian afterwards claimed that his er'
rand to the Office of the Commissioners
was to obtain an indenture of adoption
but it proved such was not the case
From that time Sebastian had custody oi
little Harry.
After the close of Barnum's season Sa'
bastian left the city, taking the child
with him. In the meantime McCabe
obtained a position in the Appraisers
Office of the New York Custom House
and being able once more to support his
family, he looked about to gather its
members together again. All but little
Harry were easily found. 1t was said
Sebastian had gone to South America
and it was supposed he had taken the
child with him. Once MCCabe hearC
that Sebastian was in New York, stop
ping at hotel in Houston street. He
went there in quest of tidings of his chile
but was driven away with threats of be-
ing shot. AS last resort McCabe las
April applied to the society for the Pre-
Vention of Cruelty to Children for aid il
reclaiming his child. The society tooE
the case in hand, and hearing that {
child performer was being exhibited il
San Francisco, correspondence was open
ed with Mr.. Charles Sonntag of that city
who by the aid of descriptions and pho
bographs, discovered that little Harry
MCCabe was with Sebastian, in Mont
gomery Queens circus, then performing
in Oakland, Cal.
The Sheriff of San Francisco, armed
with a writ of habeas corpus, and accom-
panied by considerable posse, seizeC
the child during an evening performance
and in the presence of 1000 spectators
The circus employees offered resistance
and the officers were obliged to draw
their revolvers before getting out of tht
tent. On their way back to the city the.
were again attacked, andit was with tn,
greatest difficulty that they were able It
bring their littleEharge in safety to San
Francisco. The case was brought int
court, and Sebastian contested the pos
session of the child to the utmost. Upol
the strength of affidavils sworn to b!
MCCabe and bis wife, sent on from New
York, the child was remanded to tn
custody of Mr.. Sonntag. Sebastian thel
obtained an order from the court for tn
appointment of a commission to take tes
timony, pro and con, in New York, Il
reference to the adoption Of the child
and the papers were sent to person il
this city, who proved to be an aCcomplic
of Sebastian, and who purposely delaye
any action in the matter. A commlsslo
was then appointed in San francisco
and coming to New York, heard testimc
nv in the case. On the 18th Of last Au
gust the case came before the Fifteent
District Court of San Francisco. 1t wa
charged by appellants that the ,custod
of the child was obtained in frauduler
manner, and that he was not only III
lawfully restrained by Sebastian, but wa
ill.treated by him. 1t was proven tina
during his exhibitions OF bareback r
ding, Sebastian held the child in Varior
painful positions, and whipped him whe
he did not perform satisfactorily. Tn
Court decided against Sabastian's CLAIM
and the child, who is now about fol
years old, was taken into Mr.. Sonntag
family and cared for. 1t was found ne
essary to guard him night and day,
special watch heing employed for th'
purpose, as every effort was made by S
bastian to kidnap him.
Wednesday a World reporter called
the residence of Mr.. John s. Griffin, Sc
retary of the Socie y for the Preyentic
of Cruelty to Children, Ill West Thirt,,
eighth street, to see the little wandere
One of the servants had taken him o.
walking, but Mrs. Griffin kindly sent o.
for him. He's real affectionate lit
thing" said the lady, tears coming in
her eyes as she spoke. Soon a childit
voice was heard, and Harry came in.
very pretty boy is little Harry, with
pale face, blue eyes, andsunny hair han
ing in heavy ringlets ovel his shoulder
But he is painfully emaclated, and Il
blue veins are visible in his slim, whi
bands. He has hacking cough, but f
guardians hope that it is only temporar
and that under proper care he will so'
recover health and strength. AS his pa
ents are again in very poor circumsta
ces, the society has decided to reta
possession OF the child until he shall
adopted by some suitable person.
II expect" said Mr.. Griffin, that u
less some one adopts the little fellC
soon, my family will become so fond
him that they will want 10 keep him
good and all."-N, Y, World.