Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-04-13
AN OCTOROON'S BABY.

Ho,U 1T Was Stolen by It's Father, and Zorro
IDLY Taken from Fl i'm by Its Mother on the
Platform. of a Horse Car.
New York Times.
A singularly complicated case was before
Justice Wandell, in the Jefferson Market po-
lice court, yesterday, in regard to the custody
of a Guild. An octoroon known as Mrs. Nc
Quiston las been living at No. 2O3 Sullivan
street for some time past. Her husband,
Brooks McQuiston, deserted her some three
months ago. The couple have a child
about two years age, which was left with
the mother at the time of the separation.
Several times lately McQuistoD attempted
to get possession of the little one, but
each of his efforts was frustrated by the
child's mother. Yesterday afternoon he at
tempted the abduction again, but an alarm
was raised by the mother, and the police
frightened the father away. He lowered
around the place, however, until about
o'clock, and then attempted to effect an en-
trance to his wife's rooms, but found them
locked. He broke open door, went in,
snatched the child from the cradle, and ran
away with it. His flight was discovered by
the mother, who became frantic, and leaped
from the second-story window to the pave
ment to head the man off. She failed, and
then followed, screaming with all her strength
at every step for help. The singular spectacle
attracted large crowd, who followed the man
as he ran with the child in his arms through
the streets. The chase was continued in
this way until the western corner of Sixth
avenue and West Fourth street was reached.
There Officer Doughty, of the ninth pre-
cinct, stopped McQuiston, and, at the wo-
mans request, took him before Justice
Wandell. She charged him with stealing
the child, asked for its recovery, and said
she did not care to punish the man. Nc
Quiston said he was from Baltimore, and
had lived with the octoroon seventeen
months as her husband. He was the father
of the child, and he wished to secure the lit
tie one in order to send it to its own mother,
who lived in Baltimore. He had left the wo-
man, be said, because she kept company
with negro waiter, and he didn't wish his
child reared amid such associations.
The woman wept bitterly, and pleaded
piteously that the court would con-
slider mothers feelings. She denied that
cQuiston was the father of the child, and
said it was born two months after she first
met him. She never knew him in Balti-
more, but first met him in this city. He
hueW uer CouulIlou tueAi, anu tuab tuo Iatuel
of her child was still in Baltimore, and that
she had come to New York merely to be con-
fined and to save her reputation at home.
It was not true that she had lover. She
lived with respectable German family,
and would defy the world to prove anything
| against her since she had lived as the pris-
| oner's wife. he did not desert her, but she
him, and because he had grown so brutal
and drunken that she could not longer live
with him. She had a good home for the
child, and was willing to work hard for it.
| Justice Wandel felt nonplussed, and
begged of the parties to go home and try to
settle their dispute amicably. Each refused,
and stood upon the simple question of right.
The court then said that the law in the case
interpreted strictly was hardly on the side Of
nature or sentiment. The child seemed con-