The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-17
WAC WAS ALFRED BKlll?
BORN OF unknown PARENTS
IN BOSTON
And Killed In Ohio by an Unknown
PersOa NhO Attempted His
Life Many Times Before.

man With a record so str6nge ina 4
should be pr, SO we'd in history. ii
was received underihsi ann OF Alfre
Brit, and his age gas n cordsd u %
he YVES partially pslaly zed, tue resul
OF q bullet wound in the back, and a
though he was an inmate tf the hous
ayesro or more, it was not until a few
days hefore his deNh that he related
any i,cis alb ut hims II.
Bnit was born in b tton, and wheI
three or four days old wss put into a
basket with a supply OF Clio hes auo
500 in money and left on the doorst p
of an humble mechanic nam d Alex
ander Gray. Ii wsso1e out OF a score
of ca'es occnrring every year, but in
stead OF the boy being bu died of 10
The pro house or an asl lum he YVES
taken in AID adopted. Cray was
d 5pbless decided Ia Lis acli)n hy'thr
mo1ty, which, TO a man in his cir
Cumstapces, and ia those days of a
dol ar u d-y and ft1Ie pay at thai,
seemed a fortune. However, he hid
no children OF bis osn, though hay
ing been m rriel six or eevei year,
AID the wife gladly fell in with the
idea OF adopting the little stranger ID
th-ir own Gid, The fine texture o.
the C othes AID the roll OF money
were proofs that t @ baby's fAthe
belonged to the wealthy Glass. TIE
abandonment vas also pro that the
cbild wss ill%egi.insts, and thai this
gu lty p rites were seeking to eVad
the punishment of Their tin, bat
these fiCis did t dislu b the Grays.
TIE ba ket and clothes were la d
away, he child was tendeHy cartd
for, and the money was used 70 bet ei
the Condition Cf tue family. OIly
two or three Of the ne'Gbbors knew
Of the child being left, and nom Of
them new all tue circum tanCes.
One day, when the baby had & Own
to be q Guild 3 years old, and coul
ran about, he was playing in the ba k
yard when q man sought IT, steal him
away. Tho stranger entered by tht
alley gate and pick d lit O Alfred up
but a savage cog owned BY q ay a.
tackled the rufian aud made / i'm drop
his Jrey. Mrs Cir y Jaw il al ffvm a
W ndo y, aud the IN ms act oDs con.
vince her that abduc' ion was his OBJ
jfc'. A week late, while the boy wGs
in the gard sgain one afternoon,
10 W 1t ne was hurled at HIM aud
buely m SO, d his head. Some boys
Blw the mi.Creant rs he crept up the
ALLY to throw tnB stone, and tho po-
lice we're furnished with q descr ptiJn,
but the search for him awaited no h
ing. The detective employed in the
cabe was told all about the child, and
he came 10 the conclusion that some
one had an object in putting the boy
ont Of the wAy. Little Alfred was
remarkably handsome, and perhaps
il WIS far d tuat his features
would beiray his relationship to
q me One. Gray was cautioned
H. Keep him close, ard re did 80 for
several weeks One November tvel-
ing q ter lamplight the boy pulled
aside the Cuitain from a winCoy ! Ok
iog out up m the yards Of a factory.
10 had net stood there over two min.
,tts when q shot WIS fired at hun
The bull, I cDt o lork OF hair from his
10 d and vas buried in the OF pc tie
va ! of the room. The new out agp
was reported, snd The detective found
bUht Oult OuO uhl ~ NJ VIZ GOIbtI
OF lumber pile bbout twenty feet
from the vii DIV II fire the shot. The
ground G. We evidence that he bal
been on the watch from that point for
several nish's.
There was a patient search but no
fewaId. IL WAS clear now that the
boys life was sought aIter, fnd as
g ay hid had an Offer Of a good tit
ua ion in Cleveland, he dete mined to
remove :, that city. With the help
of the detective he made his prepaid
tioI 8 VI ry petretlv, his goods leav ny
the house aftec midnight, and the boy
being t. ken o. the train dtes;ed aB u
girl. H. reached his new home with
out adventure, and enjoyed a rest for
ntarly a year before tue enemy made
another move. One day a mnn came
into tue shop where Gray was at wore
aud made ssme ilquiri, Of him, and
asceltainsd that he Was Alex nd r
Gay. Two DAYS after that, as A fred
was playing outs de the gate at hom
with two other ctildieD, the same
MN who had visit d the shop drove
M with a horsN and buggy and
aIlghted. He certainly meant t> &, ize
and Gerry of the boy, but his ohjert
was defeated by Mrs. Gray, who, with
al & quliut9nce, suddenly turned tie
Coiuer on Il eir wny home from a
shopp ng expedition. They IA fun
upon the itrar ger a he was exhibit.
ing a paper Of candies to the children,
ami re s.ammered an apology, and G, t
into his buggy and drove ID. Ait.r
this episode Gray reasoned that ( Q
Il atom uarli-s hsd ia some IN inner
trocei his whsrtab uts, aud that he
was almost help'eA to che kma'eth T
Vaccinations. He suhst qusnlly Learn
Gu ia At a stranger had made inquiries
fl him In several ether Glitter, tuus
shoging that some trusted agent had
been cont out 10 hunt ihs whole cou
irv nver unttl the family was found.
Gray had a brother in Ind anapolis,
ana after s1ms necessary correspond.
ence the boy wa clipped there in the
ga = OF q tru-t d friend.
1t VIVA a nova VIII Gu bsiled the en-
Pmy for thee ! ng years. For the
first three months after Alf,el lett
every eXpedi, Mt WAR resort d TO TIT
- wher abo "a 4 thu hid might be
discovered. Pet ndsd agents aud
Ieli era cal cd RI the house in hopes
TO get ight Of the child ii be va
ther aud 10 gu 2 the mother WHEN
they I uad TO traces of him. Gray
bad n box 81 he pc tOfice, and str ny
e came there ard asked for his let-
ters, Bat could not ootsiu hem. So
call. detectives wsylpid Grav aud
cha ge q at he was urder su 'picu n
Of having Killed. the boy in a fit Of pas
al ~, aRd tlGt he mus. p oduce AR d
or suffer arrest, but Nhey could nc.
Gclrs him toto rsve2li . the seCre.
Some Of the neigl b rs & t$5O0rswaru
10 tell ne boy's Nhere bou 8, but ps
none OF them had b.. n taken into tie
co tideucs OF the & ays they tolld
m nc no be d way. Now and then,
Tor a whole year sitter the boy lef
C.eve ADD, Gray had proof tat the
enemy were On the al,r', bat thty
q ally seemed 30 tire of the uso esq
chsss, and Tor the next two ca s moth
ing &c, urred to alarm him anew.
When 4 fntd was z y ars old he wa
80 hand some 10 festur q and TT ght a.
intell c that he YVES often 20 nt,d out
on the street, and on three or four &C
casiln, hi, wonderful res-mb auce o