The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-12-23
SORROWFUL SCENE.
Al Incident Of Travel That Made
Hearts Ache and Ely es Grow MOIST
4 Railroad Conductor Who would
NOtbe BulldOZed.

The following touching incident of
life's experiences is related by the
Davenport Democrat: OfFriday morn
ing bright little girl was placed on
the c. R. L. & P. train from Kansas
CITY to Davenport, the person who
brought her to the cars requesting the
conductor to be very particular and de-
liver the child into the hands Of no
body but certain persons at Muscatlne,
who would be at the depot in that city
for the purpose Of receiving it; and the
conductor promised to comply. The
child seemed contcnted enough, and
the passengers near her, as well as the
conductor, were pleased with her
beauty and brightness. At Fairfield,
Iowa, nicely dressed and handsome
woman rather dashing in appearance,
entered the coach, and was walking
through it, when the child called to
her: Mamma, oh, mammal The
woman turned and asked: did you
speak to me, child?" And the child
replied: ''Oh, mamma, don't you
know mel am your little girl" and
then bounded toward her. The wo-
man held the child at arms length for
a moment, and then seemed com
pletely overcome-sinking to the
floor. and clasping the child to her in
almost frenzied delight. She stated to
the conductor that she was the chlld's
mother, but had not seen the little one
for nearly three years; then he told
her the directions he received when
the girl was placed in his care-and
she begged the privilege of riding with
the child as far as Washington, to
which place she was ticketed. And so
the mother and child sat together
the child in the woman's lap and arms
about her neck the whole way. At
Washington the woman asked If she
might continue TO Muscatine, and the
conductor gave permission; but before
that city was reached the woman was
IN AN AGONY OF TEARS.
At Muscatine there was a scene
as stirring and melting a one as was
ever presented on the stage. AS the
train stopped young man and woman
entered the coach, the former going d.
rectly to the child, Selling her and
rudely taking her from the woman IN
whose lap she had been riding-scowl-
ing at the woman as if he would like
to crush her to the floor Then
the child's mother fairly shrieked in
her sobs: ''Please, oh please let me
kiss her once more" The answer was
brutal in its roughness: On you,
you shall never kiss the child again!''
The passengers grouped around, very
much excited, and the conductor in
terferred-"I say she shall kiss the girl
if she wants to; it is her own child and
she may do it, and he put his hand
toward the girl to hand her to
the mother. Instantly the man put
his hand to his pocket. and told the
conductor to mind his business or he
would put daylight through him-and
the conductor grasped him, saying:
"You take your hand out Of that
pocket, or I'll brain you'll say this
mother shall kiss her child" And he
held the man until the mother and
child had taken long embrace-and
when the child left her it was crying
as if its heart would break, and its
mother was in 4 swoon in seat
And there wasn't a dry eye. in the car.
1t appears that the parents of the child
had separated-and now were meeting
over their child for the first time in
years; that the mother had gone into
| forbidden paths, or was charged with
doing so, and that the father had been
granted divorce with the custody OF
the child, which had now been sent to
him by his relatives