Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-03-29
A BLUE.EYED BABY.
An Adoption SO Hasty that it Look cd
Very Like an Abduction.
New York " orld.

New York orld.
Yesterday afternoon buxom, bare
headed, honest looking Irish women, loud
in lamentations, rushed into the central
Office clamoring for aid, and Captain
Copeland. with great difficulty, ascertain
ed that she had been robbed of her
daughter under circumstances that APP
peared both peculiar and suspicious The
woman gave her name as Anna Welsh,
and related that she lived at No. So South
Fifth avenue, rear, and that yesterday
her husband, a laborer, being out of work
she took her daughter Mary, aged
seven months, IN her arms and went out
to look for work, hoping to find q job in
an office. She had vainly sought employ
ment as scrub-woman In number of
places, and was about to ask clerk in
the office of the Pennsylvania railroad
company, corner of Broadway and Spring
street, If they had need of q scrub woman,
when very gentlemanly appearing man
noticed her blue-eyed, golden-haired
little girl, and quite unceremoniously got
up Irritation with the little child. The
mother forgetting her misery and her
errand in her pride at the tiattery be-
slowed on her darling, allowed the man
to pet her baby, and when he remarked,
"What pretty blue-eyed baby you have
wont you let me have it?" she laugh
ingly allowed him to take Mary in his
arms, and then recollecting her errand
and believeing her child safe, she turned
TO the clerk she had been about to ad
dress, and finding that she could not
wheedle him into giving her employment
turned with a heavy heart to where she
left the man who took the baby, prepared
1 10 nab nrlr
| The man had vanished with the child,
and after convincing herself that her
eyes did not deceive her, the poor mother
INDUCED in an outburst of grief that
every one that heard her enlisted their
T acting on the advice OF
several gentlemen, she, as soon as her
terror and excitement would permit, ran
TO police headquarters and reported the
case.
Captain Copeland reported the facts to
Superintendent Walling, who saw that
there was necessity for immediate action,
and an alarm was sent out notifying the
different precincts to look for the child
and its abducter. Mrs. Welsh, accom-
panied by Detective jeremiah Wood
went back to the office of the Pennsyl
vania railroad ard ascertained that tho
man who asked Mrs. Welsh to make hin
present of her baby, had purchased {
ticket for Mobile. The description of the
man was accurately agreed upon by thu
clerks and Mrs Welsh, and Wood started
for the Desbrosses street ferry to lool
: after man 80 years old, slim, of medium
stature, with dark hair, eyes and nous
| tache dark clothes and silk hat. Mrs
. Welsh accompanied him, and they scan
ned every person that crossed to New
Jersey until seven o'clock.
, Att o'clock Inspector McDermott
who was on night duty at the centra
office. was visited by gentleman VIII
! gave bis name as DR.. Easton, of New Or
leans, and who, in few seconds admit
ted having taken Mrs. Welsh's child
DIR. Easton gave an enthusiastic accoun
D of the affair, aud appeared delighted a
1 having the infant in his possession. II
I has been living at the fremont Hous
No. 665 Broadway, with his wife and fiv
s of their six children, and yesterday after
noon purchased tickets for Mobile for hi
o family at the Office of the Pennsylvani
: railroad. His children are all dark, b
: said and he had a passion almost amount
ing TO mania, for blue-eved fair-haire
y babies. AS he was leaving the Office
o WAS fascinated by Mrs. Welsh's littl
girl and quickly struck up an acquaint
ance. He was so interested In the chill
that he hardly remembered what he sal
TO the mother, but believed he asked he
if she would part with il if she foun
some one to take good care of 1t. II
! says he understood the mother to say tina
! she would be willing To give up the child
/ and when he was allowed to take the ba
! by he was so overjoyed that he had
: very indstinct recollection of what too
: place until he reached his hotel. Her
the baby was washed and richly dIesse
: DIR. Easton explained the motive whic
. induced him to visit police headquarter
: by saying that in his enthusiasm he di
,, not anticipate any obstacle TO his retain
), ing the child, but that last night he hear
8 accidently that u child had been abducI
: ell, and that the police were looking fo
!. a man answering his description. and
. Immediately occurred to him thet a mis-
y apprehension existed somewhere and tina
: ii was his duty TO communicate with IN
y authorities.
While DR.. Eaton was concluding hi
narrative, which was embcllished wit
J expressions of intense affection for tn
!. child he had adopted in such a hast
: manner, Detective Wood and Mrs
!, Welsh, who had tired of watching at tn
y ferry, entered Inspector McDermott
? office, and Mrs. Welsh instantly recogniz
ed DIR. Easton, and quickly dcnounce
!. him as "the man who took her child.
! The matter was quickly adjusted to tn
!. satisfaction of Mrs. Welsh, who admitte
> that she voluntarily gave the child to Di
!. Easton, without, however, imagining tina
= he intended to take il away. She hurrie,
TO the fremont house, found her bah
!, dressed in all sorts of fineIy, passionaicl
embraced it, and. declining DR.. and Mrs
Easton's tempting offers. carried il hom
- hs.w y u.
had a good cry over it. At IL p. m yes
terday reporter of the World found he
foadling her baby. In reply to remarl
that the child's future would perhaps b.
: happier with DIR. Eastons family thai
: with her, she said AN fwhat wud b.
: be wantin' wild it. He's crazy sure
: Hasn't he bis own to look for, an fwha
: wud he be dom wild me- darlin'?"
Inspector McDermott says that he hs
: no doubt that DIR. Easton acted in perfec
good faith. When he took the child from
its mother he walked up Broadway to TIA.
: fremont house, and did not imagine tina
the spectacle of a well-dressed gentleman
, carrying rather dirty little baby in hi
arms attracted attention. On the way ht
, remarked that gentleman kept up will
him and eyed him closely, end on beinl
requested by DIR. Easton to 'draw tina
shawl a little closer over the poor littl,
! mites head, if you please" appeared ,
/, little surprised.