The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-20

Mrs. Peckham, II talked and sobbed
and prayed and shrielled of just my baby
boy.
There was nobody there that knew
me, except the consul; he didn't know
anything about my wee lad SO far away
or how one little bit of news from him
might have healed up the poor stricken
mothers heart and soothcd the throb-
blng of her brain, He was gentleness
and kindness itself, all that manly,
courteous gentleman should be; and Ill
never, never cease to be grateful TO him
for it,"
Here she patted her husbands shoul-
DER as he leaned over her chair and held
her hand in his, looking down ali the
while into her beautiful, melancholy
eyes of gray. So you were the consul,
my fine fellow, thought.
''The doctors quite gave me up this
time, and when did regain conscious
ness, they say had forgotten all about
baby and home and husband. i could
only sit on the long portico and look
out through the stone pilasters to tho
smiling bay.
s'It was October before was strong
enough to be moved, and when started
Tor Havre, the consul and mis- good, pa
tient sister, whom / had learned TO love,
went with me. TWAS they, too, sir. who
brought me back here to P, safe home
ogain. But not to baby-I have never
sren my boy since the Saturday morn
ing when Fanny Bartlett held him up,
in her arms, laughing and growing,
twenty years ago."
Mrs. Peclxham's voice broke into
sob, and, indeed, too was much af-
fected. Her husband, who now under
rtood, had resigned the consulship az
Milan to accompany her back TO tho
United States, took up the story here
for her.
"We found, sir" said he, slowly and dis
tinctly, "that the Bartletts had gone to
San Francisco to live. Not hearing from
the child's mother they had at first mar
yeled and fretted, and 6Eally made
what may have seemed to them proper
disposition of the child. Ny wife had no
near relatives living and no other close
friend here, for now, you see, we have
chosen our home not far away from
where she and the Bartletts then lived.
They had not written to her about the
hoy because they had never heard from
her. They could not know that she was
I'll among strangers, unable TO write,
broken down mentally and physically
under her intense sufferings. So they
placed the child in the Children's Indus
TRIAL home, highly respectable private
institution, as you know, and it is to
find out what became of him that this
suit you are now preparing for has been
brought. For when we reached here.
the boy also had disappeared.
"For eighteen years we have sought
him in vain. We followed the Bartletts
TO California and thence TO the Sand.
witch islands, and would have followed
them to the bottom of the sea If the gale
which wrecked their steamer had not
spared ours. We advertised and we
hired detectives and employed lawyers.
/ had no children, and longed to wei.
come the lost darling of my dear wife.
1t was not until last year that we found
that he had been placed by the Bartletts
in the Children's Industrial home just
before they started for San Francisco.
IT nearly broke my wife's heart when
the president of the home informed us
that by the advice of counsel he must
decline to tell us what had become of the
hoy. He acknowledged, however, that
soon after the Bartletts had entered
him, under Gn assumed name, the lad
had been removed from the home. BY
whom he refused to say. And that is the
history of the law suit which is to be
tried next month"
i went back to the Office of Potter &
Patterson wondering at the existence
of statutes which allowed such cruel
ties to be perpctrated in the name of the
law. Field a. Fanning, the attorneys
for the home, took the position that it
was for the boys own good that he
should not now be unsettled in "his
present family relations" having
grown up in absolute ignorance even
of his baptismal name. This was the
only hint we had had that the babe had
lived.
At the opening of The term the cali
endar, or.list of cases 10 be heard, was
formally called. Peokham versus Tic
Children's Home would probably be
reached the third day. Field & Fan
ming protested, through junior part
ner whom had not seen before, that
they could not be ready at that time,
but the judge declared that the case
must be tried when reached. took
this as an augury in our favor. Field
d. Fanning's junior left the courtroom
when did, and was filled with envy
when i heard that he was going TO try
the case himself for his firm. II seemed
he had just been admitted TO partner
ship and was very anxious 10 succeed
in this his first serious undertaking.
! was equally determined 10 relax no
effort in behalf of Mr.. Peckhnm. OF
course, Mr.. Patterson was 20 bear the
brunt Of our side Of the case.
When court opened on the day OF
trial neither old Mr.. Field nor Mr..
Eanninu WINS r,rreont. thev had left