, 1879-04-07
AN OCTONOON'S BABY.

How It vns stoion hy IT., rath"r. aud roro.
tl,iy Taken from sl1lns by 1tA atnttaer on
tho Pintfnrin nf a 11orse-Cnr.
.Selt lark 7fne,. .inrti a!
A stn3u1arly complicated case WIS before
.uatico WaudclI, in Till, Jefferson Market Police
Court, yesterday, In regard To the custody Of
child. An octoroun known as Mrs. Mctlu!ston
has bcuu living Mt No. t2'0S Sullivan atreet for
sosnc tin,o past, Hot husband. brooks Nc
Quiston, deserted her abJAls tnrco months ago.
Tho couple hayo child aoo,tt years Of age,
which was lott with tlo mbthcr at the ttsnc Of
separation. Several timed lately McQu!ston at.
tempted to got possession bf tho little one, but
eacll Of Ills efforts was frustrated by tho child's
mother. Yesterday afternoon he attempted
tho abduction naaIu, but an alarm was
raised by the mother, mid tho police frightened
the father nwny. He hovcrci arouud the place,
however, until about o'clock, and then at.
tempted to effect an entrance to his w!lc'a
rooms, but found them Locked. flo broke open
q door, went In. snatc1ed the child from the
discovered hy tile mother. nlto bccanlo frantic,
mid leapcd from the bccond-stury window tO tho
paverngtt to head slc man OF. sllo fni'na, and
then followed, aeream'nE| with all her strength
attracted iarge crowd, who followed ti,e nan
ns hu run with tho child fn Ills arms through the
| streets. Tho chase was continued In this way
| Until tho western cOrncr of Sixth avnnua nrtl
i Doughty, Of tic Ninth Precinct, stopped Me.
tlutston, and, At tlc woman's request, took him
| before Justice Wnntlcll. She charged him with
| stealing the child, asked fur its rccovury. mud
Qu!ston said he was from baltimore, MD Ind
lived with the oc.oroon seyantenn months as
her husband. Tlc WIS thu father OF tho
CHILD, and no wished to secure the. little
lived In Baltimore. 11o had left the wo,nan, le
said, because slle kept company with negro
walter, and he didn't wiah his riiltl reared nn,itl
sllch associations. The woman went bitterly,
aud pleaded pttcously that thc court would eoi'.
Qutbton was the father Of tile cntld, and sald 1t
was born two months attcr shu first met him.
She never knew him ill baltimore, hut first met
him IN this city. 1le knew her condition then,
md that tho father o. her chll1was still 10 BAL
timofr, nt,d tint she had como to New York
merely to hu confined Mut. TO saru her reputa
tfon ut home II was not true that shn hud d
lover. She lived With \ respectable German
family, md would defy the world to prove any
thing agatnat her gince Bho had lived Us the
prisoners wtfc. Ile did not desert Ier, but sl,t
him, A,,d bccuuse ho had grown 20 brutal md
drunkcn that slc could not Longer live witt
him. BIie lluG good home for lhe clltd, ulld
was willing to work hnrd for It.
Justice Wnndc1l felt Monplnsaca. and begrcl
Of tic parftes to GO home md try to settle thci
dispute anjcably. Each refused, nnd stool
upu,l The siilp1e question OF rlVht. The Cour
tIicn said that the law III tile case interpreted
strictly WAS hnrdly On the side of Nature Or sen
tfmcnt. Tie chitd seemed cartcutcd III y:
fathers arms, md to Eayc 10 desire to 70 to tt
mother. lie should tlecltle, therefore, ltat, u
tho father hnd possession, n,ul tl.e ,uotrr tiit
not care to punish l,iul for tllc ma1ncr OF oh
tnining It, tho tather should keep the child
The mother, II shg could not settle with ltn
an,icaoly, could obtain redress through civil
tt1tt lat oil
The woman threw up her arms niltl Bl,Itckct
out: 10, Jutlgel for Guls sake don't he crnc
TO mother; don't drive mo mad; don't give ,
stranger MY tnbyi'' But Tue man hustcnet
reached the door The mother sprung to her feot
wiped tos streaming eyes with her! skirt
md hurled from tho place. McQuIstol
hailed a. down Sixth.ayc!suc car wlet
had just reached tho platform, bcarIng the but,
in his arms, wien tho woman snw him. llnel
as tlash she dartcd aeruss to the car, spran,
Oh TO tlt platform, struck a1etlnistcn II power
ward, pulled the child iron, Ills arms, mi
sprang awns Will, q Hcrcan1 Ut triumph. TIL
seenu produced great cxeftrMent+ md lnrc
crowd chasel tho WDnItn, who ran llke II deer
S SaeS ~; eodatsa d saapnts nr eax e s e1 1 oSs
Ing placed Mt tho bur, stu said: Judge.
could not help tt-he was stealing my baby. II
DO II again. Forget wa'ero you nro a1'd renlcn
| HCr OILY tHAt you HFt lHlIl tAAb AHl WOlnHI
nnt tllat ami a mother III your power. Judge
YOU Just dealt out some hard law to MT. VIVA
i8 law for onU pasctlt ought to De inv for tIr
other. / stand here lust cxaatly US iic stoo'
hero few moments ugo. Now give him Il,
ln,s as you gavo It to mc. Do It MIL be just
could not SEQ tho Justice tlen-1 cal sce
now, u,lt1 beg for II mysclf.h =
Ju.lge Wantleil sank back in Ills chair aMnzc
at the woman bvsore him. f1c tlle, said: Al,
McQuiston, tho woman Il right. Tho law gay
you must glvo les. You were gina to gut
nnl considered It, sound. and yau cannot he
grldgo It to her. llln child secula US iApp
with her now aa It did with YOU, md as lttlu Il
Glued to GO to you us 1t dIi to gO to her. Sfl
l,as tho possession u lhe cLild; IL yoY..wish !
you must obtuln It through = civil h0ecss
And remember. tho cld 6clns, illogttn,atc,'
nloro tile mothers and less tllt fathrr's TIM
otherwise. There cas, be no doubt about III
matornity-tl,c paternttyis denied. You cnnno
ohtaIa your wtslles ~ rea.!,ly Us II the child wn
born tn weLlork. Woman, you llnvo the child
| keep It until the law orders otherwise. Go ail
| make up.n The oetoroon fairly tlsw out OF I'll
rounl, ald manY moist eye followed lcr to til
/ door,