The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-11-23
10 RECLAIM HIS son.
/ Fafher's Search All Over the
United States.
so0sD At LAST ~ SEATTLE.
1e.<s,sx sssns rpen ss.s Discovery ~
ks<nsans ssssria 81 Efgs Lsng .Test
fh1ls-Ifls Ten Years. travels.

~ ssutis-fsound Northern Pacific train
- rsfils carried amau9 is passengers
s..rs>sas SEVERN. ~ Milwaukee. and his
<k.HfeId sen. Grssfe. In this simple
EASEMENT ID nothing extraordinary.
fls Il segxei In . cnain Of events in
~ S<rsfsn,s life which, Nlfh . stury--a
- 80 fnf Asm. and one which shows the
ExesfiislFs ef real life 20 tse ~ strange and
I'll a absos ring ssterczt ~ . complicated
~ x faEasnen. Ten years ago. In Pfslla-
{z,ntn. MF. Severinss Two children Nere
sel'stea aHay from him. and ever since. up
Is nikAin . seH months ago. . fathers
6t4,t hes been wrung with grief and
nxsets fOf his missing children.
ii is7t Augustus SEVERN was married In
ftssASiphia. where be then lived. About
f<sr after the Marriage a son vas bora,
IS zknsn wax given the name Of AHguAfns.
!t1 months later occurred the first
.rsail> between the husband and wife. The
<5segarns sTcnts Of which hare eaussd
nh eosld Of trouble 10 the man. The
~ bad psnehnnt for the stage. and no
9srzn<zlon en- tue husbands part could
l7<1sIs her from her purpose. 4 quarrel
nneit<d. and separation followed.
S1orty after little girl. Virginia. was
tsra The wife instituted Z suit for all
e1a5 for the support Of herself ard chis-
xrsn. The case was brought up. bur the
ts1f kn order compelling Mr. SEVERN 70
i flrposi her. Bnt be aid this voluntarily.
~ tie lore he sfsll bore Der.
After ssxving him. his wife vent 70 live
sitt Der mother, who kept boarding
hogzs Dor theatrical people. u was here
~ sntf the man shose baneEul Influence
soaxhi 20 fnnesa misery. He was variety
x6:nr. Thomas Norris. BY naane, and n
apnndrel - hsaFt He won the wife and
~ disappeared, taking With them The
~ children Mr. SEVERN 1T once In
eslAseg lnqniS.es. nut 20 no purpose His
xiisas mother. and aii the theatrical people
IS Elsosn she was surrounded weFe equally
utlttnt Is - the whereabouts OF the rum
sssys.
Tie anowiedge OF his wIfs's perGdy and
~ inss Of his children caused him great
sffoe. md be resolved 60 find them. even
b he sxtent af making Il the one obi~st
a - lie 70 this end be visited all the
kfrs eltiss Of the East and West ~ far as
nh!csfo. he Nould work DAYS and haunt
- heaters Ia the evenings, hoping to gain
Mme sisght clue For ten years Mr.
s<<sria has kept up the search. hepelsssi2
= hmes. e Il seemed, but never for .
anneat abandoning bis purpose. At last.
y April. fsSa. came clue from an unex-
f<Eiet source.
NJ Sescsia. who vas In Chicago at that
tms. received u letter from . sister in
Rh'lAdeirhia. saying that she had hap
pened 10 meet q member Of q theatrical
troupe there. whs sald her that Thomas
Norris Was iE San Francisco. The chill
tf<n we're there. but bis wife had died Of
eensampsion In May. isss.
Al that time. owing 80 the long search he
hsa had Mr.. SEVERN was not financially
stif y Incur the expense Of q trip 10 san
Ksa<tseo. lie commenced q correspond
sa@ With Mr.. n. Hunter, secretary III the
tetiess for The prevention Of cruelty 70 chill
afen. and In due time received an answer.
~. Hunter tated that the people were
vel known 10 him, for In fact both Morris
ND his alleged vile bad been arrested in
February Tor cruelty % the children. The
soman bad been discharged. bus Morris
vas t.nsd 50 He vas often guilty Of beat.
ihE NE children ana Of petty acts ef
cruelty.
kilsFsard they disappeared and for .
tns nothing could be learned Many let.
tfs passed between Mr. Hunter and the
hhsE, and The the girl Virginia vas finally
Steesied in Sacramento. where she was iiv.
hs. having been adopted BY a family OF
hsztfiesi tendencies. 10 was learned from
Ne manager Of the Palace theateF IN San
ftncisco. that Morris was in Portland and
I'D The boy with him.
~. esverin then tried 20 have TIE chill
Wsn sent 10 him at Chicago, but this could
~ be accomplished. and At last he decided
GENE out here himself This coFres-
pehdence brings the story Mp % reeent
e6le
go Tuesday morning last ne arrived "a
fsfaasad, and as once sought the ahlsf II
fefse xbe placed him ia She hands Of DE.
NSksfs Wood, aud they 81 once started our
and the boy They learned from an
ssfnf ~ one of sie Portland thsaters. that
AssFs haf gone ~ San Francisco about
Nfss waeks ago. and the boy had been
h1sA 10 Seattle hy lanes Wallace. Who
sa'ts ont h. be a performer in the Oremorne
Stssst ia tlis CITY.
Afsnea With this information, Me-. SEVERN
Nek She train Tuesday night and arrived
sfss Wednesday morning. lie called upon
49, q Police Mitchell ard told bis story.
me tis4f 81 csies became Interested In the
80. and promised 70 have the hoy inside
tes hours. An officer was sent out
- tSaad him living wth the family, as
Nsiea BY tie Portland variety man
Nhea father and son were brought to-
rshss IN Chtes Nltchsil's private
sNes . MAS vita sssiely varying emotions
-sa afi.eAEAsee 81 heNlsdering surprise en-
ssy's face with The father feeling
Assp emotion which be could aes help
~ says.
-, sevvrtn showed his son an old pie.
.sis q bis usethsg. taken la Philadelphia
~ buy recognized che face Al enee. The
aksasaeeslan u her death came 70 hssn. and
- utte testow cried for long tine Is
@easa his yenng heart would break. A
- sAsA iolsosed ard gradually the hoy
- masse ~ understand that she mAn with
- Dc sas talking was his father. Il
$3.50 strange ~ tF~t but The faes grad
dawnsd upon him and ne had many
sssaeus 10 ask. Mr.. SSvurin vas As tsrss
~ Y VEL his ress Il his mothers reFEay,
kesevv the aAy was ever had tola him
aels staFy upon the advice eE Pro-
ssist 0sheFa. uhoza he visited In tie
Nlesneon
fas sskea JasEs ussaEn Il be would have
= saFeash any LEGAL feFnas 10 raia pos.
1850 q bis child The ladwe Told aim
-. ssis sasSgessei that Iasssss Wallace be
- ~ sAssA wss a. once dons. Wallace
rs1sz 49, wss made acquainted wsth TIE
NJ, SsFxrsa sahaittea sufficient
p sAow shSz he SIS the father Il
80 leSgs Osborn aid there vas 40