The morning call., 1895-02-25

Henry's guardian, left the luxury of the
Pacific Club and drove in his fine carriage
up to the present little Potrero home OF
Mrs. McGregor and left word that Henry
should come and see him to-day about the
guardianship business AT the time Henry
was discussing his case with some of his
friends IN Hallinan's little grocery.
His mother, Claude Lee, whose check
cred career has been told many times, and
who told her story of shame for Henry on
the stand, is hostile to Henry now. Her
attorney, ]. D. Sullivan, is much inter
ested % the case, and will fight hard to
protect the money from Henry. 1t is said
that the mother wants to be appointed
guardian herself. She has been allowed
$25 a month out of the estate during the
boys minority, and now if the money is
all turned over to Henry he will do as he
pleases about allowances. 1t is charged
that Claude Lee and her wish to get some
thing more out of the money is at the
bottom OF the new campaign against the
| boy. If the guardianship is kept up her
allowance probably will be. Mother and
| son are bitterly arrayed against each other.
Another attorney interested is A. Comte
Jr., the School Director, who has been at
torney for the guardian, Mr.. Burke. There
was hot squabble over the guardianship
as well as the attorneys fees when the
compromise which gave Henry about
| $4,000 was effected, and then, as now, the
| boys moral welfare was highly important
| consideration. Comte has Just filed the
! first petition in the matter, alleging in
| competency and praying that the Union
| Safe Deposit and Trust Company be given
! jurisdiction over the boys money and
morals. NJ. J. Burke does not want to be
| guardian any longer and probably advised
| the course, but neither the boy nor the
mother want the bank to be a guardian,
| and people prominently concerned pleas
antly charge that Comte is trying to get
another job as the guardians attorney.
"He's a wild, bad boy" said ]. D. Sulli-
van, and if he got his money, he'd soon
run through with it. He lays around sa-
looms and gets drunk and he travels with
a lot of sure-thing fellows. There ought
to be somebody to take care of his money
| for him"
The mother, it is said, has been telling
all sorts OF stories about her estranged and
| Maynard son, saying that he is constantly
| drunk and beats his grandmother.
| Among those interested in the Potrero
| heir have been some of Morses detectives.
Guardian Burke had them shadow him
night and day for nearly week recently.
II didn't find that he was doing any
thing very bad beyond drinking a little
! beer" says Mr.. Burke. ''He is not bad
boy at all"
But the young man that so ma ny people
are making fuss about has his side of the
story to tell. HE can be found out in the
neighborhood of Potrero avenue most of
the time, and he is a bright, honest-look-
| ing fellow. He never would go to school,
but he works when he can, if he is worth
$4,000 In two years he has spent several
months as saloon boy on the steamer Ala
media, getting $50 month and tips, and
! he has worked at the rolling mills and in a
cannery. He likes the Potrero hills, where
ne went when baby; ana the friends he
! likes best are there. His big friends north
of Market don't approve of his running
around with the boys he grew up with.
| There is something picturesque in every
phase of Henry MacDonald's life. One
thing that characterizes him perhaps more
than anything else is his answering devo-
ton to his feeble and aged grandmother,
who has been the only mother he ever
knew He cares for her tenderly and
doesn't care who knows it. When he was
asked yesterday on Potrero avenue what
| he proposed to do with his money the first
thing he said was: "Well, l want to buy a
little home out here somewhere for my
grandmother and myself.
Gas to the rest [ don't know exactly
what [ would do with it except that I'd
! invest 1t in some property where it would
be safe enough, and perhaps if l found
little business that I'd like l might buy it.
| wouldn't waste dollar of it, and all this
while, and have been drunk in
my time, but nobody sees me
drink as a rule, l don't blow myself in, I
work whenever [ can, and | don't run
with anytough people. 1t hadn't ought
to be ranybody's business, anyway. As [
say, l want to do something for my grand
mother for if | don't look out for her no.
body will, and she's the only mother I
ever had. | think Judge Coffey will do
what's right, and when the case comes up
II have a lawyer there"
It's Mrs. McGregor that knows what
ls0r- IT,, IL !.
is touching, and it has been deep and con-
slant sfor twenty-one years, lacking
three weeks. Eighty years have bent her
slight form and deeply wrinkled her face,
and she talks with queer Scotch brogue
She has deeper interest in Henry's for
tunes than any of the lawyers, but she is
seldom heard of except about the Potrero.
Her rather severe expression softened
when she was asked about Henry yesterday
"Ah mister" she said, Pm going to
meet the Holy Cross every day and [
wouldn't belle myself, and the Good Lord
never gave better boy to poor lone old
woman like me. If he was here wouldn't
say it, but God Almighty himself couldn't
produce finer boy on this airth. But the
lies they do tell about him! Why, when [
went to see Father Flood the other day l
knew that woman had been tellin' him
that Henry beat and starved me, and, mis-
ter, no boy could be better to his mother.
| liz . OeSH d-llflu Will me since he was
six weeks old. Yes, sir. was SEWN skins
over at Mcdonald s tannery and Mr. Nib
lock says to me- There's a message from
up thereof, [ can't remember where,
now. Well, went up and the boys mother
was layin' in dark back room and there
/ was little baby in a dirty crib that was
blue with hungerin.' 4 says, Il think I'll
take that little girl home with me. She had
a little girl there that was older
THE clog dancer she had, says: sd
rather you'd take the baby 1 said, 'oh,
would you, now?' Well, the next day was
Thursday, and [ sewed skins, and Friday 1
thought I'd spring up there and see how
things were. l thought 1 would take the
girl with me, but as the good Lord would
have it, the babe was so blue and was
growing SO, Just grabbed him up in my
shawl and took him over the long bridge
out to the Potero. They said I'd never
raise that baby, but I put cruel that /
strained and sugar in his milk, and I'd
take him to rock up on that hill and let
him get the air, and bless the good Lord
he's here now.
mo, his mother didn't see him much,
sometimes three or fOur wears hut she