The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-04
THE KERR CHILDREN.


W Ah1E5 SA*xfck JGzf>4 N C87U<<r
yesterday. AID occuySes the vkoss q
the day The court reserved hi de
cision until nexs Monday. DuY;nx IN,
progress q slae trial. the yeenze,
. child, aged shous THREE years. sat or
| it, mothers lap the nscss Of the tim.
! and przsties sway. al unconscious d
the sersczs nature OF the proceeding
Ia progress. Occasionally she SPENT Z
FEY minutes on Tkoynslyke's knee and
puiied the tatter's znusfsehe. Tho
other gifi. = pretty child Of about Eve
years. divided her time between Mrs.
II. Afscs and Mrs. Melee. matron o.
the Orphans Home. Both Of the eisii-
dren are bright. nice-spYezring riris
TEE nsTkoss TESTIMONY.
Mrs NcGee Was the first witness.
She testified 10 ksrr's tasisg the chill.
dren 70 the home IN January, ieS-
when he asked the aafhoriiies Of the
Home 70 take the children. be said his
vile vas III and he was unable 20 PRO.
vide for them, but when he took them
% the institution few DAYS later his
wife accompanied him. and Was eyi.
Gently stout, healthy waman. Later
Kerr vent to the home and requested
Mrs Metsee not TO let his wife - the
children. n she had not been true 70
him and was m immoral woman
She told him that she could not pre-
vent his wife visiting the children. as
she was their mother Later, he OBJ
tanned a divorce and was awarded the
custody OF the children. and be then
again made . request that his wife be
no. allowed To visit them. He agreed
TO pay 80 month for their raainfen-
ance Ut the home. and now owes a bal
anee- Of about $a6. Mrs Kerr. later
known ~ Pearl Winters. and for the
present month Z. A. Thorndyke's
wife,
MAS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY THORN
Dyke
When she visited the Home. Al the
time OF the funeral OF the youngest
child, she and Thorndske were pres
ens and she introduced the latter 10
Mr.. Smith. ihorndyke called alone q
few days before the child was kid
mapped and offered her 500 to let him
take the little girl away. She told him
that il was against the rules OF the in
stitution to let any of the children be
taken away without an order from the
president The day that he and Kern
took the child away By force. the for
mer offered her a handful of silver 10
let the child GO without making any
trouble and she refused. Mrs. MCGEE
testified further that she had
PLEADED WITH THE MOTHER
OF the children 10 reform her ways for
the sake OF the little ones. Her testi-
mony relative to the kidnapping was
substantially as previously printed in
the PosT-IsTELfisEScER
MRS. rEAgy TEsriFIEs.
Mrs. John I.eary, the president OF
the Women's Relief Society, testified
10 the reception of the children AZ the
Home eighteen months ago. She sai.i
il was against the rules to let any OF
the children be taken away except
upon an order. and no order had been
given in this case. The letter from
Kerr, stating that he was satisfied TO
allow Mr.. and Mrs. Ames TO adopt the
children and would sign the necessary
papers when he returned to Seattle.
was produced in evidence. Mrs. Leary
testified that Kerr and Thorndyke
called at her residence the evening be-
fore the child was taken and she re-
quested them 10 call again the next
day. They returned ON the following
morning Before she had arisen, and
Mr.. Leary asked them To come back
again about noon, but they did not re-
turn.
Mr.. AaEs ON THE STAND.
ii. ii. Ames testified that he was
worth about $500 in his own right.
lie related the circumstances of tax
ing the children from the Orphans
Home. and the receipt of the letter
from Kerr stating that he was satisfied
with the arrangement and would sign
the papers as soon a. be returned "a
Seattle Mr.. Ames said he and his
wife had become attached to the child
and she TO them; that they had no
children OF their own and wished 10
educate the little girl and bring her up
properly.
ruoRsDYKE's REFrrArtoS BAD.
All Of the witnesses who had testi.
fed up to this point stated that Thorn
dykes reputation was bad and that
they had heard runners in the past
that he was living with the mother 81
the children, who was the inmate OF
a Washington street brothel under the
name OF Pearl Winters.
MRS. THogSpyKs's CHARACTER
Policeman Patrick Farahar swers
that the present Mrs. Thorndyke was
last winter an inmate and the alleged
propfietress Of q house of ili-fame on
Washington street. and that she was
commonly known as Pearl Winters
a a. T. . H.
night force, and frequently saw her on
the street at night and in restaurants
AT midnight In company with Thorn.
dyke.
Policeman David Webster testified
regarding Thorn1yke reputation, ana
said ne did not consider him proper
person IA have charge of small chill
dren- Thorndyke was formerly mar
riei to witness sister. and she got 4
divorce from him.
kKRs's STATEMENT.
| This closed the case Tor the prosecu
| ton and Charles r. Kerr was called
He testified that he was the father o.
| the children and that the present Mrs
lThorndyke was their mother. He
! suhstsn.iated the testimony OF Mrs
| Ieary and Mrs. Mctsee regarding his
taking the children 20 the Orphans
Uame. He -wore that after taking the
child away from the Home lastFriday
he placed her in the charge Of Mr.. and
tNr- White. friends of his. Mr.
| White and Mrs. Thorndske are part
ncrs in the management OF the Gold
Bar lodging house and she witness
considered il respectable place. Hs
| said il was his desire 20 leave the chill
ar,n with Mrs. White and Mr.. ana
Mrs. Thornsiyke as hong as the tvs
| latter conducted themselves properly
and that he had 80 instructed Mrs
| White. lie said he wished o. keel
/ the children together. lie had sons'
means with which q support then
sad their mother had promised d
contribute literally. He believed thai
she was irving to live an uprigh,
lyfrtnoas life and had reformed.
1 Sor A cixaS RECORD.
z. +. Murphy. NJ. kceiy. Messrs
Chlberr. Nixon and several s'aer'
| were eallsSi "a testify regarding Thorn
dykes reputation. bat rome Of then
gave hsiu . very clean record The
had heard SOME good and soss'e t's'
I things about him, hs;t az tar - :he,
personally kaeS. he had not done ans
I thing wrong.
/ Mr.. and Mrs. White, TIE Isart,r
referred 81 by Kerr, tesii5esl thai Ia
latter had brought the child - fsfei
houss ami requested thai she he sei'
shere and he permitted - aSsnvisst'
wsth Tisorndxke and biz wsis zs seai
a. Tie two latter c,sn4sIi TED tkefnsssve
rre,,ryiv. Mrs White sail that ssns'
| -. a,,d NJ. Tha-nssS ke had been !