Wichita eagle., 1890-02-18
ess>>NNiIaaR-
Iailu 80 Ea9le
AFTER a LONG SEARCH.


The Romantic Story of a Little Southern
Girl Who Was Kidnapped.
About five years ago Dir. James J.
Arnold, son OF old Parson Arnold. wei
known in Shelby and adjoining countie:
Of Alabama, while visiting his step
mother, Mrs. Nancy Arnold, of Calera
Shelby county, had 4-year-old daugh
ter, Mahala j., stolen from him. Mr.
Arnold learned that his child had been
seen with woman who called herself
Sarah j. Colbert, and who had undoubt-
ediy taken the girl away. Inquiry at
the railroad Office at Calera revealed no
hint as to the direction gone or the OBJ
Jectlve point of the child stealer. The
child mother had died when the former
was an infant, but there was small
brother and sister still living, home com
panlons at the time of the abduction of
the girl.
A search for the stolen daughter
proved fruitless, and five years had
elapsed. In the meantime the father
had moved to Mississippi and returned
again to Tuscaloosa county, where he
lived when his daughter was stolen, and
where he has resided for the last two
years, since his return from Mississippi.
In 1897 John G. Arnold, who had as
sisted his brother in the search for the
lost child, received a postal card, dated
Jan. IA, from Key, Ala, and signed u.
NJ. Bridges" informing him 1.-The par
ties he had inquired about got their
mail at that Office. From this clew only
the brother continued his search by in
qulries and correspondence in the effort
TO discover the whereabouts of his lost
niece.
Nearly three more years were thus
spent IN trying to unravel the mystery of
the stolen child, when at last what ap-
peared to be fruitlesS effort was re-
warded by substantial clew to the
girls probable whereabouts. The father
recently set out from his home, nearly
twenty miles south of Tuscaloosa CITY,
to trace up the information he had ob-
tained.. On reaching st. Clair he fol-
lowed the windings of the Coosa via
Greensport and Hoke's Bluff, entering
Cherokee-the county he set out for lie
had learned that little waif girl had
been left with a McAlva in Cherokee,
about fifteen to eighteen miles above
Coloma. A description of the child con-
WINGED Mr.. Arnold that she was his lost
daughter. On reaching McAlva's his
convictions were confirmed as soon as
his eyes looked upon her features.
McAlva said the girl had been left at
his house by q woman calling herself
Sal Wheeler, who was found to go also
by the alias Sal Colbert, and who after
ward came back after the child, he re-
fusing to give her up, bat let her have
the latters clothes, which she demanded.
The girl had been called Emma by the
woman who stole her, but retained the
memory of her real name. Mahala is
now about 9 years old, and of pleasant
features, bright and intelligent face, and
by no means of an unprepossessing ap-
pearan.s, TAshvil.e H,,gis.
A Horrible Shark story.
The Melbourne Argus prints the fol-
lowing, under date Sydney, Oct. 49,
Thomas Punch, Fred Riley and Ed
munds were induiging in their usual
pull in their club skif in the harbor this
morning. As they were passing between
Bradley's Head and Clark Island, the
scene of the late fatal boat accident, they
were Mortified to see a shoal of sharks
tossing about a human body. They
pulled nearer the spot, and then discov-
cred the body to be that of a female COM
pletely dressed and swollen to an enor-,
NOUS size by long immersion IN the
water. The party endeavored 10 make
fast the body 10 the boat, but the sharks,
surrounding it, passed under the frail
boat SO viciously that the occupants be-
came alarmed and pulled away to give
notice to the police. Mr.. Tooth's small
steam yacht was within hail and quickly
reached the spot; but the sharks were SC
fierce that they tossed the body quite out
out of the water, and so terrified the
men on the yacht that they were obliged
to wait till the water police arrived be-
fore they could secure the body. Then
a horrible sight was witnessed. AS the
remains were being lifted into the boat
the sharks tiercely attacked them and
tore away nearly all the left side. The
remains were eventually removed to the
Circular Quay mOrCue.