The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-02
SENT TO THE PEN
SWIFT JUSTICE DEALT CUT BY
SUMNER COUNTY'S COURT.
IRIS Shroyer Given Three Years for Desert
ing Her Babe in a Cyclone Cellar at
WellingtOn--The Crime Committed and
the Criminal Detected, Tried and Sent
enced All in the Space of Four Days--It
is Alleged That She Sought to Hide Her
Shame to Save Her Legitimate Children
From Disgrace.

| Justice seems to be quick acting II
Sumner county. a week ago yesterday
| Mrs. Shroyer deserted her baby there
| leaving it in a cyclone cellar 10 die
/ In five day sshe was arrested, identi.
| fed, found guilty and sentenced tc
| three years in the penitentiary. Some
regard the sentence too severe. but
the majority of people agree that II
| is all right. 1t is argued that the wo-
man committed the deed to shield her
shame and thus avoid disgracing her
grown daughters, but that is not a
valid excuse for what might be the
death of an innocent child who was
not responsible for its being.
This is the quickest disposition Of a
criminal case noticed in the west for a
long time. The crime was committed.
and the criminal apprehended, found
guilty and sentenced, all within the
space of four days. The history of the
case is as follows:
About six O'Clock Saturday afternoon
of last week some boys playing in the
vicinity of the Fifth ward school house
of Wellington, found q little baby girl
not over two or three weeks old in the
cyclone cellar Of an abandoned dwell
ing. 1t was taken to ]. NJ. Clayton s
house near by and given the food and at
tention it needed The little one was
nearly dead from exhaustion and hung
er and had evidently been in the cellar
for a considerable time. Mr.. Clayton
and others had heard the baby's cries
the night before but suppOsing ii be-
longed to some neighbor, had paid no
attention to the matter.
AS soon as the fact of the baby S
desertion was made known 10 the Off
GERS a search was at once commenced
for the inhuman parent or parents that
had thus cruelty abandoned their Off
spring. Suspicion was soon directed
to a woman who had arrived in town
the day before on the Southern Kansas
train from the east. She had baby
in her arms when she alighted, with
which she went south from the depot
on Washington avenue and returned
sometime later without the child. On
Saturday morning she came back to
the depot again and inquired the price
Of a ticket TO different points west.
She had only money enough TO take her
as far as Argonia and a ticket TO that
place was sold her She informed Mr..
Purdy that she was book agent and
expected to make enough money there
TO take her where she wanted 10 go.
Feeling certain that she was the
mother of the deserted babe, Marshal
Shawver secured a warrant and going
out TO Argonld Monday morning Iouhu
and arrested her there. She was i'm
mediately brought back and placed in
the county jail.
After being a short time in jail she
concluded to plead guilty and did so at
the converting Of court in the morning.
Some people thought that a sentence
of three years was too severe as there
were alleged mitigating circumstances.
Her husband was killed some time
ago in a land contest claim in Oklahoma
A few years ago she was well off, but
hard times and the betrayal of young
man who promised and failed 10 marry
her, wrecked her financially Her claim
was that she could not support the baby
but the real cause of the abandonment
il is thought was the fact that she
had several grown-up daughters whom
she desired to shield from disgrace by
her shame.
She first said that she thought the
house near the cyclone cellar was in
habited and that the baby would be
taken care of, but she knew better as
was evidenced by the fact that she left
the baby there in the afternoon and at
dark came back and nursed il after
which she deserted it permanently and
tried TO make her escape out of the
country. She is A wears of age.