The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-14

nothing could be learned from him re-
specting the mysterious girl who stated to
Sister Julia that if her child were to be
| born at the Sheterng Arms she would
| have DIR. GrIffith's attendance
| A relative of the doctor. however, who
was in his house when little Ph9oe was
| born was not so reticent. 81 do not be-
! lieve that he knows any more about the
girl than / do" said this lady. ut was
his kindness OF heart that brought him
into the trouble, though after all that has
| been said and written about him, any one
would laugh that idea to scorn.
ION Monday morning. nearly four weeks
ago, a carriage or hack, cannot say
which it was, drove up to the door Of 1850
| McAllister street al o'clock in the morn
! lug. The bell was RUG violently and after
awhile the doctor answered it. Then there
was noise of people running upstairs
and tramping about. till at last 1 ex-
claimed, why, what's the matter? Is
every one crazy down there?'
81 soon found that it was a girl, ayoung
| thing scarcely IL years old, who was about
to be confined. and her sister, who was
| some years older. They said that they
| had been referred to DR.. Griffith by a
| druggist 10 another part Of the town and
| told that he kept hosp ital for such
cases. We never had such case here
BEFORE [ exclaimed, when he told me
about 1t. why do not you send her to
the Receiving Hospital? These people
are strangers and we don't keep hotel
81 cannot turn out the poor young thing.
She is nothing but child and is not in
| fit state to be moved, was his reply. and
nothing that / could say would shake his
| determination.
''rhe child was born at o'clock that
morning. During the whole time she was
in the house l only spoke TO the mother
once To tell the truth. was provoked to
have her there, for we have no accoWmo-
daton for strangers, and the doctor had to
turn out of his room 10 make place for
| her. She had nurse and the sister helped
TO look after her. AS far as l could judge
by their dress they were not rich. They
gave Us names which / believe to be
fictitious ones. and they told us they came
from the country.
what l did believe was that the sister
was a married woman, who, although
poor, was doing her best to screen the I'M
| fortunate child. She told me that she re-
| GREETED so much that the young sister had
not told her of her condition before. as she
was childless and would have ARA nged to
palm off her sisters child as her own. As
she had not been told till the last moment
she was unable to 90 this. but still wante
TO adopt the baby, and in order to avoid
the possibility of her sisters being
branded with shame she had resolved to
wait for a few years. 1t was that she
might identify the baby as soon as she
considered it safe to claim it that she in
duced DR.. Griffith to tattoo it with an M"
Did the mother consent to this ?" was
asked.
'rhat l do not know. The aunt held
the little one In the Doctors office while
the pricking was being done, and she as
| sured me afterward that it had taken food
from its bottle the whole time. was In
the next room and can vouch for the fact
that it never cried. AS say | only spoke
to the mother once and that was when l
entered the room one day to look at the
baby. remember she was a fine, healthy
looking girl. AS / say / was disgusted at
the two young women quartering them
selves upon US in that manner. We did
! not know at first whether we should re-
ceve anything from them in return for
the expense Of boarding them and the
trouble they had caused, and / knew by
experience that the doctor often does at
tend poor people for nothing. Before the
two girls went away. however, they did
pay sum of money that barely paid for
their board and medical attendance. PEG.
| pie say now that the doctor is in the habit
of having such cases. If he is it Is strap ge
that he did not know where the Founding
Asylum was"
The speaker was a woman who has
| been known and respected in San Fran
! cisco for so many years that 1t was impos-
sble to doubt her good faith in making
the statement.
| When it was repeated to Sister Julia
however. that lady shook her head slo WY,
and then remained for some minutes
plunged in deep thought. If tie baby
did not cry when the tattooing was done,
there must have been a local application
OF cocaine or something of the sort. AS
| for the mother sanctioning such deed.
l don't believe it, but the sunt-well, that
is just possible"
And do you think DR.. Griffith knew
nothing of their coming?" was asked.
mo, do not believe that" replied the
sister, with her usual outspoken frank
ness. Though it is very possible that he
never told the ladies of his family to ex-
poet them. Ii is very possible, indeed, it
is most probable that that girl is the one
| who came to me three months ago and
wanted DR.. Griffith to attend her about the
date that the tattooed baby was bern. She
was a fine well-grown girl of not more than
| II, handsomely dressed, 1t is true, and GER
tainly refined. but those things do not in
dictate that she had high social position.
| have had girls come to me out of the CITY
and County Hospital who were better
dressed than the daughters of million
| aires"
The more Sister Julia pursued this train
| of thought the more she became con-
vinced that her girl and the child's
mother were one. 81 believe she was a
lady's maid in the home in the Western
Addition that / visited last night and
found closed. She came in the peoples
carriage. but who drove it?-yes, / should
very much like to know who drove that
| carriage; it might give me a clew. Well!
l keep my girls secrets. 1t is no breach
of confidence to say, though, that the
young lady told me she had already paid
DIR. Griffith his fee and feared be would
not refund the money. That may have
accounted for cher going to his home so
unceremo niously.
81 should like" added Sister Julia. "to
| seq TJr Griffith and oct him IN lat m nor