The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-18
A FIGHT FOR A CHILD.
She Is In Home and an Unknown
Man Claims to be Her Father.

She Is In a Home and an Unknown
Man Claims to be Her Father.
MACON, GA, May I7.-For the last few
days white man named Slaton, said to be
from Alabama, has been causing some
annoyance to Sister Margaret, in charge of
the Appleton Church Home, by trying to
obtain possession of one of the girl inmates
OF the home. under the plea that she IS his
I daughter. As Rector Powers, of st. Pauls
| church, is absent from the city, attending
the Diocesan Convention at Augusta, Sister
Margaret appealed to Chief OF Police wiley
for protection until Rector Powers returned
from Augusta. Accordingly Chief Wiley
! instructed Officer Bonner to arrest Slaton
if he attempted by force to carry off the
girl The officer remained on the premises
Tuesday, but Slaton did not put in an APP
| pearance.
| APPEARS TO HAVE NO CLAIM.
Slaton appears to have no claim on the
girl. She has been at the Home nearly four
years, under the representation that she was
| a fatherless child She is about IA years
! old. She says that she does not know Slaton,
and has no recollection of her father in any
way. Sliton has failed TO prove himself
| her father and seeks to establish the
relationship by evidence submitted from his
own family She does not care for him in
the slightest, is contented at the home and
does not wish to leave. Yesterday Slaton
returned to the Home and again demanded
the child, and on Sister Margaret refusing
to give her up, he said he would get writ
OF habeas corpus and take the child.
POLICE PROTECTION.
Sister Margaret telephoned to Chief
Wiley after dinner, and he again sent
Officer Bonner to the Home to render any
needed protection, and later Officer McCaf-
ferty also went to the Home. Slaton first
went to the Home last week after the child,
and was seen by Rector Powers. The latter
asked Maj. N. NJ. Hodkins to represent him
in the matter during his absence, and tcld
Sister Margaret to call on that gentleman
for assistance. Accordingly, yesterday
afternoon as the Major was leaving home
Sister Margaret had him informed Of
Slaton's threat. He went over to the
Home and together with the two officers
remained there until 5 o'clock, but Slaton
did not appear.
THE LEGAL ADVISERS.
j. H. Hall, whose legal advice was en-
gagged, went to the Home yesterday, and
Slaton went to ask Dessau & Bartlett to
represent him in the matter, but as yet this
firm has taken no action. No application
has been made for a writ of habeas corpus.
Slaton says he resides in Fort Paine, Ala,
and is freight conductor on the Chatta-
nooga and Great Southern railroad. He says
he originally came from Athens. He says
he left his wife for good and sufficient
cause, leaving the child with her. Not until
recently did ne learn where the child was,
ana he then took steps to recover
her. His wife has been dead a year
The child was sent to the Home
about four years ago by Rector Harris, of
the Athens church. He wrote sister Mar
garet that the girl was born in 1874, and
that her father died in 1878. 1t is said that
the real father of the child was named Sla-
ton, and that he was a nephew of the Slaton
who is trying to obtain possession of her.