The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-16
DESERTED A BABY.
Little BIue-Eyed GIRL Left With the Franc s.
Priests.

Little Blue-Eyed GIRL Left With the Franc s.
eau Priests.
With cautious step two young women,
| sty!lshly dressed. approached the door of
the home of the Franciscan order of priests
| on Ohio street, at 10 o'clock night before
| last, laid down a basket on the door step
and departed They were seen by people
| across the street who were sitting out on a
| dark porch.
! Twenty minutes after they had gone the
| cry OF an infant WAS heard, which attract
ed the al tention of Father. Athsnasius. The
| reverend gentleman came out of
| his house and TO his astonishment
! found basket with deserted infant
! baby in it. He tenderly took up the little
babe. folded it in his arms and took it into
/ the house with him where he was fondlibg
| it when Mrs Ed Shaw, the wife of a
/ nelg hbor, who heard the infant cry also,
1 came in and rendered her services to take
( care of the baby, forever If necessary, and
| if not that at least till the priests could
| make some other disposition of the little
| one. who WAS "a blue-eyed little girl about
| a month old.
The basket in which the baby was found
contained an adequate supply of good
clothing, and In addition IA paper which
read rs follows:
please take care of this little girl and
| place her under the care OF Sisters OF
Mercy. Her name is Clara Wilson. She
comes from good family, and / would
not leave her except l have no way OF
support"
As there is no Sister of Mercy Founding
hospital in this diocese vet the priests
have not made up their minds yet what to
do with the baby, but will, of course, do
all they possibly can 10 dispose Of it for its
best interests under the existing circum
stances.
There is a mystery connected with the
affair which promises to rival that of the
affair of the yelled women who caused 50
much interest here three months ago.
y reporter for the EAGLE investigated
the matter last night caTeiuIy and found
not only good but almost positive clue 10
the identity of the mother. She Is proba-
bly, from Woodward, O. Z.
Several weeks ago rather good looking
blonde young woman called and engaged
board with n family on Ohio street near
where the baby was left, and this fact
probably was what caused the baby to be
left at the place mentioned.
While At this house the woman gave
birth to the baby in question.
Last Wednesday or Thursday a young
woman from Woodward called AT
the house in carriage and es-
corted the mother and baby away,
saying they were going 10 hotel.
On that very day two women called a.
Mrs. Litchtield's, on South lawrence ave
nue., and engaged room. Mrs. Lltchheld
questioned them about their asso Citations
and they assured her they were members
of the Presbyterian church and were quite
as anxious as she was that The surround
ings would be entirely respectable. Oh
this understanding the room was rented
to them
AT o'clock night before last they or
dered vehicle and sent their trunks 60 the
Santa Fe depot, where they were checked
To Emporia.
When woman No , arrived a week ago
she sent for baggage man to get
her baggage. lt was shipped, she
said. from Woodward, Oklahoma.
aud had gone astray somewhere.
She thought possibly IL might have gone
10 Caldwell She had Travelled from Wood
ward on pass and said that her husband
worked there for the Santa F. Railway
company. She was good looking young
woman with a round face and very bright
eyes. When these two women arrived at
the train night before last they were
without the baby. They had sent their
baggage, including their small yaiises to
the depot In advance Of them and when
they arrived at the depot they showed
signs of coming in haste from some place.
II is thought hat these were the women
who lett the child with tie priest aui JAst
they went directly TO the depot IN time 10
catch the train going north.
The woman, wto was supposed 10 have
come from Woodward, went by the name
OF Mrs. Sjanhope. Another circumstance
Is hat While at Mrs. Litchiielu' they We're
making baby Clothes such as the ones
found in the basket with the baby.
Women wac generally come from that
country down there usually think they are
slick, but they leave foot prints after them
which are easily tracked, aud inside %
three dsys the entire truth OF this aGaic
VIII be ascertainei aud the parties located
Their work has been very coarse froIa
beginning 10 end.