Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-05-06

| re do LuOuSu SC1L ny bOu W Ill Ii'S
place of our dead boy. And now I an
called upon to give him up
But il you compel this woman who
claims to be the childs mother to sub
stantiate her claim in a Court of law il
is possible she may shrink as much
from the publicity as she evidently did
at is BIRTH l said.
Can | compel her to prove in Court
that the child is hers?" eagerly asked
Mrs. Hamilton.
You can refuse to give it up, and
| leave the woman to apply to the Magis-
trates for a summons against you, call
ing upon you to give up the child. II
she takes out such a summons, she will
nave 10 prove to the satisfaction Of the
| Magistrate that she is its mother be-
fore he will make any order against
| you. But in the meantime you mus,
not give the woman the slightest
chance to take possession Of the child,
! for in this case possession is truly nine
parts of the law, and if she got the boy
you would probably never see him
again, and, even if you did, your claim
! to him is not a very good one in law.
Mrs. Hamilton seemed very much re-
lieyed by my assurance that the claim
ant could not so to her house with e
| policeman and force her to part with
| BERTHE, as his supposed mother had de-
clared she would unless he were given
UP on the following day. Mr.. Hamilton
in h11oo =
on the business Of his firm, and would
be, his wife assured ne, as much
grieVed as herself if the child were lost
| to them.
On returning home the following even
ing l found a brief note from Mrs.
Hamilton, in which she informed me
that in order to renuer it next to i'm
possible for BERTHE to be taken from
her she had left Glasgow.
| wondered what the mother would
think, that is, if she really wished to
regain possession OF the little one she
had abandoned to the tender mercies of
the PoorhCuse SO soon after its birth
Several months had elapsed before [
heard any more of the case. and then
Mrs. Hamilton made her appearance at
my house, looking very i'll and miser-
able
"Oh, Mr.. Sharp, she has stolen the
Child. What shall I do?"
1t was some time before [ could get
her to tell me what had happened.
Thinking that BERTHE would be safer
if she left Glasgow, Mrs. Hamilton
went to the home of her childhood near
Ardrishaig, believing that in that out
OF the-way place she and the child
would be quite secure.
But the woman has tracked me-
and Berthe is gone" She soObad.
| suggested putting the affair into
the hands ot a subordinate Of mine,
clever yourg fellow, for the purpose
Of discovering BERTHE, and then taking
/ such steps as might seem advisable.
She eagerly acquiesced, ard l commits
stoned Tom FergU son to undertake the
sst CHI
Mrs. Hamilton settled down in Vic
t2ria Terrace once more there being
no longer a1.y necessity for remaining
in the Western Highlands But her
establishment may be conceived when
she received a visit week after her
arrival at home from the woman who
claimed the child, and who seemed
mere tLan ever determined to get poss-
esion Of her boy. She refused to credit
Mrs. Hamilton's assertion that the
child had been stolen, and asserted that
he was being kept ont of the wey until
she had become quiet.
I'll have the law on ye, that I will"
the woman shouted in her interview
with Mrs. Hamilton.
| thought Of the writing on the c2rd
left with the baby fOundling, and won
dered if this woman could be identified
with the writer Of the touching appeal
made when abandoning her child to
the pity Of the officials of a poorhouse.
Did the woman say she would visit
you again?" I asked.
NO but she is sure to do that-to-
morrow, probably"
"Then tell her to call in the evening
at seven; should like to see her"
But the woman called that night, and
Mrs. Hamilton sent one of the servants
in a cab to apprise me. I accompanied
the servant back, and was ushered into
the room where Mrs. Hamilton and her
lOud-tOngued visitor were seated.
''This gentleman is a friend of mine
Detective Sharp, of the City Police"
"a detective! Then he will tell you
that it's serious thing to keepmy child
that it's a serious thing to keep my boy
said the woman.
was morally certain this vulgar,
noisy woman was not the writer of the
card found in the hamper with the
founding, and suddenly asked her if
she could write.
ITO be sure I cam" she replied.
Will you oblige me with brief
specimen Of your handwriting?" and I
| placed pen, ink. and paper before her,
things I usually carried with me.
No; I'll not write for you she said
with a sullen air
| IF you wrote the card found with
the child you can write the same words
now. If you have forgotten them, Mrs.
Hamilton can dictate them to you, I
have no doubt, for she has never for
gotten them" I continued.
I'm not going to write, neither for
you nor Mrs. Hamilton"
Then you can leave the house, and
! if you come here again you will be
given into custody, and charged with a
breach of the peace