The San Francisco call., 1897-02-02
NJ. THRASHER Md,
MRS. M. HANCOCK,
MRS. NJ. L. RANKIN,
Witnesses.
(Signed),
i accept the conditions above.

dCCeDB inc COnUIbIOnH aDOVes
(Signed); MRS. LOU HOLsTROM.
The signature of the young girl who
signed this agreement with Mrs. Hol-
strom is purposely omitted, as she is now
happily married and is doing all in her
power TO make amends for the mistake
of her earlier life.
This quitclaim deed to the person of a
bright little girl now about four years old
is strange feature relative to the posses
sion of the human property in question.
Back of it lies a story with moral, the
moral being, Never adopt child with
out the fact being legally recorded
Early yesterday morning Secretary
Frank Kane of the Society for the Preven-
tion of Vice, accompanied by Police
Officer Tom Coleman, went to the resi-
dence of Mrs. Lou Holstrom. at 4761l
Eighth street, and .forcibly took and car
ried away little Effie r V. Holstrom, a
child that Mrs. Holstrom has cared for
and loved for the past four years. Later
in the day Mrs. Holstrom went to the
secretary for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children and made bitter complaint
against the secretary of the other society
Tor taking from her the little girl. In
substance she told the following story:
-Four years ago my husband was at
Empire City, Or, engaged In working
upon the Government ietty. One day
met DR.. Thrasher, who was then on
Twenty-tfth and Valencia streets, and
told him that L wanted to adopt little
girl. He said that he had one on his
hands that he would be glad to get rid of,
as the child was born out of wedlock.
saw the child aud took liking 10 it.
1.-The mother was at the doctors house,
and she freely gave up the little one to
mn NV hQf / i've
her $40. / agreed to her proposition, and
she asked me to send the money to DR..
Thrasher, as she was not likely 10 remain
there long. Then she gave me the child
and this writing, promising never to ask
me for :he child.
~ went to my husband at Empire City
with the child and sent the SIC TO DR..
Thrasher to be given to Etfie's mother.
Since then | have taken excellent care OF
the child, whom We all love dearly.
"A while ago, after my return to this
City, DR.. Tnrasher called on me and told
me that the mother of my little girl
wanted to get the child back again. He
said that the woman mad married we'll
and had induced her husband TO let her
adopt a little girl, as they were both very
iond of children. l refused to part with
little Etfie, telling him tnat [ loved the
child too we'll to part with her.
Several days later Mrs. Thrasher called
upon me on the same errand, and when
told her that | would not let the little one
go on any consideration she threatened to
take her from me by force and told me
that the paper l had was of no account.
Last Saturday woman called at my
house, saying that she was in search of
rooms, but no sooner did she see Effie
than she declared herself TO be Effie's
mother, and she made the same demand
upon me that DR.. Thrasher and his wife
did. l told the woman what thought of
her for selling the child to me in the first
place and for demanding its return in the
second place, and again | said that
would never part with the little one.
To-day the officers came to my house
and l let them in. No sooner were thew
inside than they opened the door and ad-
mltted that woman who had sold the child
TO me. Well, by showing their police stars
they took the child away from me by
force, not even giving me a chance to
wash or dress her. One of my family fol-
lowed them to the Youths Directory. I
will go to law. In some way | will get
the child back again."
Deputy Holbrook stated that the mother
of the child had called at the Office of the
society and complained that Mrs. HoI-
strom was not lit person to care for the
child. The officers had investigated the
woman's character and they could not
hnd anything wrong in the child 8 sur
roundings. There would have been but
little trouble, they said, if the Holstroms 8
had legally adopted the little one.
Secretary Kane of the other society
stated that the part he had played was to
see that the real mother got possession of
her child, as she had perfect right to do,
seeing that the writing held by Mrs.
Holstrom was not worth the paper on
which It was written. He too, maintaine d
that Mrs Holstrom was not fit to raise
little Ellie. Kane added that the child
had been given into the custody OF its true
mother. He positively declined 10 give
the name or address OF the mother, saying
that the mother mad married a worthy
her into notoriety would be to break mn
the family.