The herald., 1893-06-11
A STOLEN CHILD FOUND.
A PECULIAR STORY WHICH COMES
FROM SAN DIEGO.
An Anaheim Man who Found His Long
Lost Baby at n House In
San Disgo-The
Details.

A strange story was made known yes
terday morning by the officials OF the
sheriff's Office, says the San Diego Union
of yesterday. The day before, A. M.
Strong OF Aneheim, and Steve Stroud OF
Los Angeles arrived and confded to
Sheriff Hill that they had come to San
Diego In search OF Mr.. Strong's baby,
which had been stoled from its parents
year ago, when ii was but few hours
old. The nurse at the time OF the birth
was Q Mrs. Smith, and che was suspect
ed Of having stolen the child, but in the
absence OF any proof and upon the
woman'a emphatic denial Of the accusa-
ton and statement that the baby's die
appearance was TO her as great a mystery
as it could be to the parents, she was
not prosecuted. A still hunt was begun,
however, by the distracted parents, and
their friends, and although starting with
not single clue, the search has at last,
at the end of a weary twelve months
proven successful.
Steve Stroud undertook to do little
detective work in Los Angeles, where
Dir. and Mrs. Strong lived at the time
their baby disappeared, and he sue
ceeded in gaining the friendship OF Mrs.
Smith, the nurse. She one day showed
him picture OF baby to which she
seemed greatly attached, but whose
identity she seemed 10th 10 disclose.
Willy questioning on the part OF Mr.
Stroud, however. resulted in a confession
by Mrs. Smith that the child WAS the
lost baby and that she had sold Ii few
hours after its birth to Mrs. Alipaz OF
San Diego.
This startling but agreeable informa-
ton was at once impaired to Mr.. and
Mrs. Strong, who now reside at Ana.
heim, and Mepsrs. Stroud and Strong
Immediately came to San Diego to find
Mrs. Alipaz. The assistance of the sher-
if and his deputies was first secured,
and Mr.. Stroud and Deputy Sheriff Will
son went to the Alipaz home on the cor
ner OF Fifteenth and X streets. About
the first person they saw there was o
little child that looked wonderfully like
the one whose photograph Stroud had
obtained from Mrs. Smith.
Mrs. Alipaz was seen by the two men
few minutes later, and in answer to
questions said that the child was her
own. The men we're inclined to the be-
lief, however. that the woman was falei-
flying, and they showed her the photo
graph and said that the real parents of
the child we're Mr.. and Mrs. Strong, for
merly OF Los Angeles. The truth OF The
statement was at once hysterioally ad-
mitted by Mrs. Alipaz, who snatched up
the baby and began kissing and hugging
it in a violent manner.
After she had regsined her composure
she related to the men that she had
bought the baby from Mrs. Smith, the
nurse, a few days after its birth, thus
corroborating the latter woman's story.
The little one, she said, had been re-
ferred to by Mrs. Smith as No. 90. and
this fact indicates that it is not the fret
child stolen by the Smith woman.
Deputy Sheriff Wilson signified his in
tention OF taking the child to the father.
who was waiting at the courthouse, but
the woman begged to be allowed to go
along and give the child to it's father
with her own hands. This was granted,
and the party soon appeared at the
courthouse. The father, pale and
wrought up by nervous excitement over
realization that the long search was at
an end. took his child in 0 his arms for
the first time. .,
Mrs. Alipaz seemed as much attached
to the baby as though che were its
mother, and wept continually. She
wished to be allowed to accompany the
child to it's mother at Anaheim, and the
father consented. sg
The party repaired to the Albemarle
hotel to pass the night. While there the
husband OF Mrs. Aipaz, a journeymsn
tailor, appeared and asked to see his
wife. They withdrew from the others,
and while engaged in conversation he
was observed by Office Wilson to
hand bottle to his wife. 1t was
Immediately taken possession of by
Officer Wilson, who saw that it con-
tanned morphine. Alipaz was directed
to remain away from the hotel, and q
strict watch was set upon the woman,
lest she should do harm to the child.
She slept with the little one over night,
but Mr.. Strong sat the whole night
through in another room, his chair SO
placed that he could have full view oil
the woman's bed. In the room with
him was Mr.. Stroud.
Yesterday morning at 40 O'Clock the
party left for Anaheim, where doubtless
the true mother of the lost baby now
claana him in her arms