The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-08
JUDGE DRILLS ORDER TO MRS.
CAROLINE INGALLS, WAS
FRUITLESS,
CHILDREN HAD DISAPPEARED,
SO THE GRANDMOTHER OF THE
TWO LITTLE ONES TOLD THE
COURT.
THE JUDGE THINKING 1T OVER,
Mother of the Missing Again Loses
Sight of Her OFF,
spring.

Judge Brill heard the arguments and
testimony in habeas corpus case yes
terday without the presence of the
bodies" which were ordered to be
had" in court. The case was that
of Mrs. Clara Ingalls, against her
mother-in-law to recover possession of
the two children of the petitioner, Ruby
and Guy ingalls,, aged respectively
eight and eleven years. The reason the
children were not in court was be-
cause of the denial of Mrs. Caroline
ingalls,, the mother-in-law, that they
We're in her possession, or that she
had any knowledge of their where
abouts, but the stories told on the
witness stand were those Of such a
remarkable disappearance that the
court concluded to take the matter un-
der advisement.
Mrs. Clara ingalls,. as told in the
G o b Of Tuesday, is seeking to Sc
cure the possession of her two children
in accordance with a decree of divorce
which she received at the hands of
the Hennepin county district court
from her husband, Charles ingalls,, a
son Of the respondent in yesterdays
proceedings, in April, 1893. At that
time stay in the divorce proceed
ings was granted for two weeks, DUR
ing. which time Mrs. ingalls, claims
her husband spirited the children away,
and that for nearly two years and a
half she has been unable to locate
them. Recently they were found liv-
ing with their grandmother at st. An
thony Park, and the habeas corpus
proceedings were brought by the moth
er to secure their possession.
When the writ of Judge Brill was
served on her, Mrs. Ingalls,, the grand
mother, filed an answer, in which she
claimed she did not have the children
and did not know where they were.
She said she had gone out walking
T Tuesday noon, accompanied by the
children, but that in a moment, when
her attention was attracted elsewhere
they had suddenly disappeared.
Mrs. ingalls,, the grandmother Of the
children, Is sixty-four years of age and
something Of an invalid, but she vigor-
ously resented the imputation Of the
counsel of her daughter-in-law that
she had engaged in a conspiracy to
spirit away the children and stuck to
her original story that she knew
nothing about them" even when close
ly questioned by the court.
IL developed from the testimony that
two Of Mrs. Ingalls, grown sons had
driven up to her and the children dur
ing the walk Tuesday afternoon, and
counsel argued that with their assist
ance the grandmother had contrived
to place the children in hiding. Dep
uty Sheriff Frank Picha also testified
that when he served the writ of habeas
corpus on Mrs. Caroline ingalls, that
she told him the children would be in
court according to the order yesterday,
when 1t was returnable, but no amount
OF crosS-examination could get the
grandmother to admit that she had
said this, as she claimed that the chill
dren had disappeared before she had
been served with the papers, and that
she did not then know anything about
them.
Mrs. Caroline ingalls, is now living in
Minneapolis with her four grown sons,
who conduct the Eureka laundry,
though until last Monday she lived
with the two grandchildren in dispute
at st. Anthony Park.
. Attorney Samuel T.. Barker, counsel
for the mother Of the children, was
very angry over what he alleged to be
perjury on the part Of the grandmoth-
er, and declared the court should issue
an order to compel her to produce the
children within twenty -four hours, as
he claimed 1t was plain that she was
aware Of their whereabouts
Judge Brill refused to take such
course, as there had been nothing in
the evidence which, in the eyes of
the law. would allow the issuance of
such an order.