The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-10-22
STORY OF WILLIE ALBRIGHT.
The Kidnapped English Boy Who Was
Rescued from Snowman by his Pa
rents, in the State of Iowa.


The Kidnapped English Boy Who Was
Rescued from Snowman by his Pa
rents, in the state Of Iowa.
The case OF Willie Albright an Eng
lish lad, was full of strange adventures.
He lived at Sheffield with his parents
until five years OF age. His father was
employed in a great factory there, and
his mother was a dressmaker for the
neighborhOOd. They lived in a cottage
in The suburbs of the town, and at the
age of four he boy was permitted to
run about the neighborhOod a good deal
At five, when he was kidnapped, he
was sent to the stores to make purcha-
Scs, and knew all the streets clear to
the factory in which his father worked.
One day in F6l, about two o'clock in
the afternoon, he was sent to a store
three blocks away after some buttons.
Before he reached it a strange man &C
custeI him AM asked his name. He
then gave Willie some sweetmeats and
asked him to so and look at Punch
and Judy show in the town, promising
to return with him il a half hour.
The boy eagerly set of with him, and
was taken to the railroad depot and
placed ON a train in charge of middle
aged woman, who gave him more sweet
mrats and was very kindly spoken. She
said thG show had moved away and they
after it, and the novelty of the childs
position prevented him feeling any anI-
iety.
When the detectives came to take the
case UP, rs they did two days after the
boys disappearance, they got no clus
W at"vcr. Although he had walked
mil or two hand in hand with tue alb
d4ctor. along crowded stress 5, nobody
rrtlcm HCr "a seeing the pair.
They had gone openly to the railroad
stat on, but no one there had noticed
them The guard on the train dimly re-
mem bered Il woman and child in a com
partmenr, but could give no descrip-
lion.
A. the AIIbrights were poor and lowly
no great stir was created, and no great
effort was made by the detectives to re-
store the boy 10 his parents.
The boy was taken from Sheffield to
Liverpool, being 50 well treated on the
way that he had no thought of his
home.
AT Liverpool he was told that his
name was John Manton, and that the
woman was his mother. When he dis
puted the p Jiut he wa sOundly whipped.
His hair wis cut close, his dress entirely
changed. and liquid was rubbed on his
skin. which turned il dark. Except
when he asked o 20 home, or d"nle
that his name was John Manton, he was
kindly treated. and after he had been
baat n sey. II or ci.ht times he accepted
tb. new name and ceased to refer to his
| parents. d,
Young as he was this was a stroke OF
d ,licy on his part. He realized that he
had been stolen from home, and lie kept
repeating TO himself that his true name
was Willie Albright, and that he lived
! at Sheffield.
/ After a couple Of weeks lessons in
tumbllng and tight-Tope walking were
given to the boy. He was never per-
/ mitted to 90 out alo he or 10 converse
with strangers, and 1t soon came
natural for him to call the woman
mother,
In the course Of a couple of months
| the past seemed a dream to him and he
would have forgotten ali about 1t had he
| not kept repeating himself:
/ a am not Johnny MInUon, but Willie
| Albright, and they stole me away from
| Sheffield.
| He was in Liverpool six weeks
before he knew the name OF the city.
Wneu n had been taught how to
| dance sing, tumble, and walk tight
! rope-a matter OF three months time
! no was taken around the country with a
! small show. which the woman owned III
/ Dart. The novelty of travel was SO
| agreeable that he almost forgot his
| situation, and was loT Two OF Ihrce cars
! quite content.
/ There was no o. to teach him how to
read or write but ne was quick-witted
/ and could reason beyond his years. DE
/ had hopes that The show would some
/ dav reach Sheffield, and he would then
/ slip out aud ruA home, but the people
/ of course carefully avoided the place.
Once when they were showing al
Doncaster. a few miles away, Willie
1bservei a man whose face had famil
/ i,r look. gazing at him in an earnes
manner. and presently heard hin say K
| a friend
:" The laddie keeps me thinking OF th'
child who was stolen away from neigh
bor Albright, but of course it can't b
| the one.
The boy was about to call out tina
his name was Willie Albright when tn
woman. who always kept an eagle ey,
! on him came closer and intimidate'
Rim The show then hurriedly packe'
up and left the place.
| Tho boy now realized more fully thai
! over that his right name was Albright
ond that he had been stolen from home
Lut he also felt his helples6ness.
/ ~ lad been toll | that II he ever trieC
| -. away wild animals would pursu
mi q ,vour him, and he was in morta
! t,rror If a bulldog which followed tn,
chow He therefore humbly obeyed al
orders and made no move to ruI
away.
| changed masters, being sold for goOC
| round price to man who called himsel
Prof Williams. This man was a ven
triIoo1isi and iuggler, and he took tn,
Io,- to Australia with him and gave hal
! DeTTornauces for about a year or so