The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-09
A Justice Called Upon to Issue Il
Search Warrant for the Re-
cOvery Of n Child.
The Story of a Poor Ignorant Girl
With Decidedly Evil
Tendencies.
Big Silver Mines Shutting Down
The White Metal Cannot BE
PrOftabIy Mined.
RECLAIMED HER BABY.

-
a Young Mother Invokes the AID of Law
To Obtain Her Offspring.
p,.-~rr Anr;n yo,+or5o, J,,.;oo
,, p
Muloooh was caiieo upon aho issued one
OF the most remarkable search warrants
that was ever issued in this city. II
~ 20 MR. ro,,,lor :, -, m NOS
lectiy iegal anu Justiliapie uhoer the law
yet the circumstances which led up to it
have a melancholy interest and NAV. in
tho ond nrovo dramatic =, tho oro ho;n,
s
the most ''taily concerned.
The warrant was issued upon the oath
Of Mary j. Dwan and commanded the
sheriff to search, in the day time, the
house of - situated - for the fol
lowing property: One female child of
the age OF 9 months, and ii found, or any
part thereof. produce the same before the
justice. The warrant was given Deputy
Sheriff Richards to serve. and the officer
performed his duty, but when it was
done he regretted that 1t had fallen to
his lot to act in so disagreeable and dis
tasteful a task.
That the drama may be understood
the story from its incipiency to the
present is given. as follows:
Something less than a year ago there
was considerable or a stir IN police and
philanthropic circles over the arrest of
an aged mar named j. Douglass upon
the charge of having committed rape on
a child named Dwan. After the arrest
of the man 1t was discovered that the
girl was %enciente, and it was further dis
covered that she was older than she
looked and was over the age OF consent.
The man at the time offered to marry
her, but to this she would not consent
and the matter was dropped.
The girl was OF good physical proper
tons, but ignorant and uncouth, the
apparent tendency or her inclination
being toward ne bad. In due time a
girl baby was born to her and the
authorities again TOOK the matter in hand
n Douglass was arrested on the charge
OF bastardy. AS he was unable to give
bonds for the support OF the child he
was kept IN jail for several months and
finally discharged. Since that time the
matter has dropped out OF sight. only to
bc revived by the application OF he
child mother for the warrant yesterday.
From the statements made 1t appears
that several months agoshe decided that
she was united Tor the task OF rearing
the little one n applied to Father van
de Ven to secure some suitable family
into which II could be adopted. This he
promised to do and told the girl that
when he found the proper person he
would send the lady to her and she
should deliver up the child. The story
That II mother was wiling TO surrender
the child for adoption must have been
nolsed around. for In o little while a
lady called at h Dwan house and told
the mother That n a come for the
infant. The mother states that she
asked the lady whether she had been
sent by Father Van de Ven, and to this
the reply was. "Give me the child and
ask no questions"
This was about SIX weeks ago, and the
child was handed her and taken away by
the visitor. Three weeks ago another
lady called and stated that she had been
sent by the priest, and this led to the
discovery that the lady who had OBJ
tanned the little one had done so without
any authority and had virtually prac-
tlccd a deception to secure it. A search
was at once instituted to discover who
she was and her whereabouts, and she
was located yesterday and the warrant
issued as stated above.
The lady in whose custody the child
was is the childless wife of a well-known
mechanic in Butte. They are in com
Portable circumstances and are highly
esteemed and respected by all who know
them. The lot of the little one had
certainly fallen in pleasant places. and,
judged by the present, she had a happy
future assured. This was all pointed
out to the mother and she was urged to
allow the child to remain where it was,
but her only and very remarkable an
was: The lady is not a Catholic