The San Francisco call., 1897-02-25
KIDNAPPED
OR DEAD =?
Mysterious Disappearance
of Little Douglass
Talbot.
SUSPICION RESTS UPON
HIS FATHER.
. His Mother and Stepfather En-.
tirely Discredit Such
a Theory.
DETECTIVES HARD AT WORK
0N SLENDER cLEWs.
Pacifc.Avenue School Teachers Much
Disturbed-Secoud Occurrence,
of the Kind.
DETECTIVES HARD AT WORK
oN SLENDER CLEWS.
Pacifc.Avenue School Teachers Much
Disturbed-Secoud Occurrence,
of the Kind.

Whistling merry tune, little Douglass
Talbot started for school from his home at
$3.50 Jackson street last Tuesday morning.
and now for any information concerning
his wherea bouts one might as we'll cues
ton the sphinx.
Has he voluntarily absented himself
from home? Has he been kidnapped? Or,
worse yet, is he dead? These are the
questions that are disturbing the quietude
of his stepfather's household and have
driven his invalid mother into a FRENZY of
suspense and grief,
Concerned with the boys mysterious
disappearance are many vague rumors,
more or less authentic, some to the effect
that he has at last followed a youthful
inclination to leave home and become a
modern Don Quixote. and others that he
has been stolen by his father, named La
mont. This latter theory is entirely dis
credited ar the Talbot residence as il is
there believed the father of the boy died
in Australia three or four years ago.
Little Douglase is the son of Mrs. Talbot.
wife of w. II. Talbot of the firm OF Pope &
Talbot, wealthy lum Der merchants with
offices at go California street. She was
divorced from the boys father some years
ago.
He was a pupil of the Pacific-avenue
School, located near the intersection of
Broderick street and Pacific avenue, and
was in The sixth grade. He had not at
tended school at all during the present
month owing to the illness of his mother.
Tuesday morning, however, he started
/ior school once more.
4 When 1 o'clock arrived and he had OF
come home for luncheon the Japanes Sc
Rutler was sent up to the school TO find
out the cause. To the parents wonder
and alarm 1t was discovered that neither
his teacher, Miss McCleary, nor any of
the pupils had seen anything of him.
Miss Shaw, the principal, was as ignorant
of his wherea bouts as the rest.
In the middle OF the afternoon the but
Ter was again sent up to the school, and
when the time came for dismlssing the
classes the coachman was also put on the
search, but nobody lad yet seen anything
OF the boy.
Then it was that the mothers alarm
grew so great that her husband deemed IT
wise TO com mmunicate with the police, and
detective Cody, with several assistants
was Immediately detailed on the case.
Meanwhile the parents drove out to
Golden Gate Park in carriage, and
secured all the country round about. The
homes of his intimate companions were
visited, and the region of the school thor
oughly gone over by the scouting parties,
but all TO no avail. Night closed in and
nothing of the boy had been seen.
From that time TO this nothing has been
learned at all. The suspense that reigns
in the Talbot home is awful, and new
theories are constantly appearing to ex-
PLAIN the boys absence.
The strongest theory is that the boy has
gone off with his father. In spite OF the
fact that it is com batted both by Mrs. Tai
bot ard her husband. There are many in.
cldents that give 1t ground for credence.
Mrs. Talbot was born in this City and is
the daughter OF Stephen Douglass, a sail
maker, now deceased. Her Christian
bame is Anna.
| When she was 1S years of age she mar
iried man named. Lamont, but some time
after she secured divorce from him.
Then she married W. II. Talbot of the
firm of Pope e. Talbot
For ten years their domestic happiness
has remained unmarried and the first dis
turbing factor j. the disappearance of the
boy, Douglass. News reached Mrs. Talbot
four or five years ago that Lamont had died
in Australia.
There are many who believe that he still
lives, and among them was the little boy