Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-26
KIDNAPPED FOE THREE YEARS.


Untiring Search for Little Maud Apgar ii
Last suceessfni.
Three years ago Mra A1ico Apgar was com.
PEELED TO leave her husband. Lewis ApRnr,
while they were residing at Plainfield, n. J., on
account ofill-treatment and neglect. She went
back to her fathers house in Phillipsburg N.
j., and brought herchild, Maud. with her, and
ever since then Mr.. James wilkins, her father.
has cared for and supported them. He wa
devoted to the grandchild. The father Of the
child oftentimes visited, and was always priv.
iledgcd to see her. On the 10th day of last Sep
| TENDER little Maud. who was attending the
sunnyside school in Union Square failed to re-
turn home. The mother entertained the belief
that the child had gone to Easton to spend the
night with a friend, but an investigation re-
vealed the fact that she had been kidnapped and
carried away by her father.
The mother and grandfather made many
fruitless attempts to recover the girl. and
several times nearly succeeded, but not until
Wednesday we're their efforts successful They
learned that the child was in the custody Of
an old couple named CoddGKton, near Mill
ington, y. J. The mother and an officer from
home OF the Coddingtons and ar thew drew
near. saw the child at q window She sud-
denly disappeared and, when they entered the
house, she was nowhere to DO found. The old
woman who had the keeping of the child re-
fused to dirulge where she was. but the mother.
undaurted by her threats, went through the
house. She could hear the cries of her child,
but IT was some time before she could be To-
Gated, and, when found. she was in a small,
aark room, seated on bag of dried apples,
CRYING Tor her mother, glimpse Of whom she
had obtained from the window. The mother
seized her balf clad child in her arms, rushed
to the carriage, and was then driven to Bound
Brook, where the train WAS taken for home.
Inc house where the child had been kept was
about seven miles for Millinrtou. and the
nearest house is about half mile distant.
The child tells the following story: ION the
day was kidnapped my father, in Company
with big, stout man. came to the school and
told the teacher they wanted to see me. When
! got into the hallway father told me to put my
hat on. as he wanted to take ME to Easton and
buy me cont. went with them, but thcy did
not take me to any store in Easton. They took
me to the Lehigh Valley depot and put me on
the train. commenced to cry, when my father
said he was only going to take me for short
ride, and would then bring me- home again;
but he didn't He took me to Lyons, from
where l was put into carriage and driven
to Elizabeth. was kept a few days there
then went to Pamrapo, New York and Troy.
At each place l was left In the care Of
strangers, and when l cried to come home
to my mother father would tell me that 1
could never come home again. He took me
from Troy back to Newark, and I was put in
the care of u man who kept saloon. / was
kept in the card room, and one day the man
who kept the place and my father said that
detectives were after me- They took hold
OF my arms, opened hole in the floor and
dropped me down into the bar room, where
was caught by big man and hurried of to
another house. was kept there several days,
and then father said the men were after us.
He then took me out of the window Of the
house and on to the roof Of barn. hole
was opened in the roof and 1 was dropped
down on the hay. and from there was taken
into dark room, where was kept until 1
o'clock at night, and WAS then taken in a cab
to Coddingtons, where my mother found
me.
MY father said that my name was no longer
Maud Apgar, but that it had been changed to
Eva Davis, and the people who kept me always
called me by that name. l had TO tend cows
out In the field, feed the horses and carry in
wood One day while tending COWS thought
would freeze to death. / was compelled to
sleep with an old woman who could not talk.
The people with whom stayed often whipped
me. always thought mother would come and
take me home" and the little one said this
she clasped her mother around the neck and
said: Now | am home; you won't let them
take me away again, will you? The child is
nine years old. There Is much rejoicing in
Phllipsburg by the friends of the little one at
her safe return.