The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-12-26
TO GET HIS FORTUNE
District Messenger boy Is Placed in Re-
form school

form school
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-Francis Bar
rows. formerly district messenger boy
! whc had been confined IN the reform
| school for the past month, was released
yesterday by order of Chief Justice
| Bingham Colonel Cecil Clay. president
of the board OF trustees, had ordered
| BarrowS inca carceration upon application
OF Mrs. George E. Evans. who claims tt
| be the boys guardian under VIII lei
by Eugene Barrows. his foster father.
Superintendent Roger G. Callum, Of the
Mutual District Messenger company
brought a petition for a writ Of habeas
corpus under the belief that the boy was
being prosecuted by his guardian foI
some unknown reason. Barrows believes
he is heir to fortune. He is bright
straightforward talking boy, and Super
intendent Callum has never seen in his
behavior the slightest inclination to-
ward dishonesty.
Those who know his past concur in the
statement that he was adopted by Bar
rows from an orphan asylum, but VINO
his parents were is not known. He say
bis foster mother died when he was 6
years old, and his father two years later.
They lived in good style in the Rensse-
laer fats, in New York City. About a
month previous 10 his fathers death, he
says. from heart disease, and while mis-
father and he were living at the house
of Mrs. Evans Cthen Mrs. BarneS), the
elder Barrows one day showed him a
package, which he said was bonds that
would be his Francis) some day. He
has never seen those bonds since. After
his fathers death he lived with Mrs.
Barnes, who took him in charge, after
showing him the alleged will making her
IL u. &C. Il
contested in the New York courts by his
foster fathers brother, Napoleon Bar
rows. an Episcopal clergyman, but the
boy says he does not definitely know the
result. There was $4,000 insurance left
by Barrows also. but what became of it
Francis cannot say. He was too young
20 remember many details. By and by
they came back TO Washington. He
knew nothing about the property left by
his adopted father, he says, and lately he
has been living with Mrs. Evans, who
married George S. Evans some time ago.
The house is at 500 Twelfth street Bar
rows says the woman beat him, ard
finally sent him away 10 find another
home for himself. Then she sent Detec-
tive Sutton after him, because she want
ed to put him into the reform school.
Mrs. Evans, who is a woman of fine
figure and dashing appearance, tells a
different story. She said that ever since
she had known the boy he had been bad
worried his foster father, while he was
hated by his foster mother. After she
took him, at the request of Barrows, he
often stole money from her, once nearly
burned the house in New York in Gre
mating pet cat, and was continually
perpetrating tricks on the members of
the household. He associated with BOYS
of evil character here--messenger BOYS,
Mrs. Evans said-and ran away more
than once. That was when Detective
Sutton was sent after him. Mrs. Evans
accused a neghbors family Of taking
sides against her. She admitted whip
ping the boy.
A suggestion as to fhe will was met
with scorn by Mrs. Evans, who asserted
Indignantly that it was bona fide docu-
ment, and that the records of the Surro-
gates court in New York would show
that the contest against it had failed.
Mrs. Evans could not very well remem-
Der dates in connection with these things.
The life insurance money she had not
received a penny of, and 1t had gone to
Mrs. Page, Barrows' mother. The es-
tate had been settled, and because she
could not give s54, 900 bond another ad-
ministrator had been appointed. Very
little was gotten out of the estate. she
claimed. Mrs. Evans denied emphatical-
ly that any money was coming to young
Barrows.