The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-14
The Little WATTS Origin
Still a Mystery.
SISTER JULIA'S VAIN QUEST.
Admission of a Near Relative of
DIR. Griffith.
ARE THE PARENTS AFFLUENT !?
Two Conflicting Theories Advanced
Concerning the Unconscious
Marked Infant.

Little Phoebe, the branded babe who was
forsaken by her mother and is unclaimed
by her father. is gradually gaining breath
and strength and shows signs OF coming
baby smiles under the tender care OF
Sister Julia at the Sheltering Arms Home.
Out in the Western Addition, in the
neighborhood bounded by Haight. Grove,
Webster and Laguna streets. an elegant
mansion has recently become untenanteo
and the front doors have been boarded up
as il those WHO lately dwelt within had
gone away on long journey.
It may be asked, What has the recently
vacated mansion to do with the nameless
little waif. whose true name and lineage is
hidden in the mysterious letter NJ branded
on one of its puny little limbs? The fact
of the recently vacated mansion may have
direct connection with the Dameless child,
aud, again. it may have none at all. But
combination of curious circumstances like
those in this instance cannot be wholly
Ignored. The elegant eQupage with the
richly embossed monogram which brought
ayoung lady 10 the ShelteriDg Arms three
months ago, as related in yesterdays
CALL, belonged to the people who occu-
pied the mansion which is now closed,
silent and deserted for a time. And there
are good reasons for believing that the
young lady who called at the Sheltering
Arms and sought accommodations during
her coming time of trouble and who
wanted the babe-brander, DIR. Griffith, to
attend her during her illness, is the mother
of little Phoebe. the branded wait.
Sister Julia, the good angel of the
Sheltering Arms, has had no cause to
change her opinion concerning the infants
parentage, as published yesterday. On
the contrary, she has cause to feel strength
ened in her original surmise. Sister Julia
stated on Friday that she would go TO
certain elegant residence in the Western
Addition the following evening for the
purpose of finding the infants mother if
possible. The good sister kept her word
so far as making the effort was concerned.
Shortly after nightfall on Friday she went
to the residence in question, but she met
with an unpleasant surprise. But the fact
that faced her strengthened her belief that
in that house or from those who had been
its inmates she could have ascertained the
name and identity of the heartless mother
who had left her offspring to the uncertain
mercies of the outer world.
81 kept nv word" said Sister Julia yes
terday. Il told you l would make an ef-
fort to find the baby's mother Well. thus
far / have failed. When / went to the
house of which / spoke yesterday found
it deserted, apparently. The front doors
had been boarded up and there was no
sign of life within. / went to the back
door and rang the bell several times, but
received no answer. There is no doubt
but that the occupants have gone away on
a long journey. either to the Eastern
States or TO Europe"
How long had the doors been closed
and boarded up?" was asked.
Not Tonga day or two. perhaps The
carpenters shavings were still lying
around. and the boards had an appearance
of newness which indicated that they had
been In place only short time. 1t is not
long since saw the carriage and some of
the family driving along the Streets"
The Louis HalP' connection with the
mysterious case made itself heard In
words of anger and Teproach yesterday
through the medium of the trans-bay tele-
phone line. This is another indication
that something more than bare suspicion
connects the elegantly dressed lady of the
monogrammed carriage with little Phoebe
the branded. Louis Hall is an incognito
sort of a character in this drama. He is
an urcblD four years old, who is known as
Louis Hall only to Sister Julia, his
mother and two or three reliable and un-
communicative friends. He lives with his
foster mother" who is his natural
mother as well, and his foster father In
Oakland. 1t was this foster mother who
recommended the elegantly dressed young
lady 10 the Sheltering Arms, but who did
not become an inmate there, because SIS
Ter Julia would not permit DR.. Griffith to
attend the case. 1t was the ''fos,er
mother" of Louis Hall who sent the
words of anger over the wires under the
waters of San Francisco Bay to Sister
Julia at an early hour yesterday-in fact,
as soon as tho foster mother" aforesaid
had read the branded baby article in THE
CALL.
The telephone message upbraided Sis
ter Julia for having ''glven things away"
and charged her with having unduly
given information to the press.
1t was string of seedlings from begin
ming to end" said Sister Julia. 81 listened
to 1t awhile and finally hung up the phone
and refused TO connect my ear with it any
more. Why, l didn't tell much of any,
thing. did L? didn't mention any names
other than Louis Hall, and that could do
DO harm. L am bothered nearly out of nv
senses by all sorts of things connected with
this poor little baby. The reporters are
here at ali hours of the day. They con-
tinue to come and l promptly turn them
back at the front door. Then there ara ALI
sorts of other visitors-lnen and women
who want to see the baby. Everybody
asks foolish questions about it-who is its
mother and who is its father Pas if 7
knew. / wish / knew who the father is.
tell you | would find him, and I guaran.
tee that be wouldn't go and get another
young girl into trouble in hurry.
'The newspapers are never quite fair in
these Matters" she went on. "They al
ways expose the poor woman, if they can
find her. and then they proceed to hound
her to des pair, or deeper shame, or death.
But they never trouble the men who cause
all this misery-not they. I'll wager that
if / could point out the man who is re-
sponsible for the pain and sorrow in this
case not one line would the newspapers
print against him. No, sir! It's all
against the poor, weak woman. She must
bear the pain and the shame and all the
obloquy ii she is found out am anxious
to find the mother of the abandoned child.
not because / want to expose her sin to
the scorn of men and women, but because
am more than ordinarily in terested in the
Iifffa nna