The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-09
BABY THAT WASN'T STOLEN.
Little Liar of Ten Said 1t Was and
Later Got Sorry.

the east side yesterday afternoon. Abra-
nam reads the newspapers and while he
doesn't envy Barrow. the kidnapper. the
long term in prison that he got he did
envy him up to yesterday afternoon the
amount of newspaper notoriety that fell
to his lot. A thorough application of the
material slipper then took oil the desire
FOR fame out of him.
1t all happened like this: Mrs Isaac
Shinefelt of 70 Ridge street has a plump
and pretty 9-month-old baby. christened
Eddie. She left Eddie in his carriage in
front of the door at noon Yesterday and
went inside with her husband who had
come home to his dinner Mr.. Shinefelt
works in Third avenue tailor shop. He
ate his dinner hurriedly and then came
out to go back to work.
Now, Mr. Shifefelt is very proud of Ed
die, and 1t occurred 10 him that 1t was
an excellent opportunity to take him
around to the store and show him off to
the other tailors Accordingly he lifted
Nun out of the carriage and went away.
The Wollman boy stood by and saw II ALL
but few minutes later when Mrs Shine
felt came out and saw the empty car
riage, Abraham sat down on the sidewalk
and made a great pretense of grief and
pain
What's the matter, Abbey? Where's
Eddie" asked Mrs Shlnefelt.
Boo hoo, boo hoo" walled little Abra-
ham, who is an excellent actor for "A LAD
of 10.
Where's the baby" screamed Mrs.
Shinefelt.
"Oh, I don't know" sobbed Abraham.
Il tried to save him, but he's kidnap-
ped"
Kidnapped" shr.eked Mrs Shinefeft.
and then she began running around wildly,
shouting at the top of her lungs for her
chUd.
OF course the neighbors crowded around
and demanded to know what was the mat
ter. Abraham, between his sobs, inform
ed them of the situation, and in a minute
mothers were running in every direction,
gathering up their children and hustng
them safely indoors. There was. enough
excitement already to satisfy any boy of
10, but Abraham wasn't satisfied.
Il was a-standsng here playing with the
baby" he said, when a man came along
and pushed me away Then he grabbed the
baby, and when l tried 70 stop him he
punched me in the head and knocked me
down He got the baby and ran around the
corner 1 tried to save Eddie, honest L
did"
Loving hands stroked Abrahams head
and kind voices told him he was a good
boy and brave one The neighbors coun-
selled the distracted mother to go to the
police station and take Abraham along to
put the police in possession of the facts,
and, followed by "A crowd of POO people,
Mrs. Shinefelt and Abraham, hand I'm
hand, went to the Delaney street police
and told the story of the kidnapping. 1t
never occurred to the police TO doubt Abra-
hams word. With what wes apparently
a genuine case of abduction on their hands
they went to work with will. A des-
crption of the child was sent to every po-
Hceman on duty in the precinct, also an
U -T-I..~ lrerg Nfgavn latE
wretch who stole It, the description being
furnished by Abraham. Through police
headquarters a general alarm was sent
out, and a dozen detectives started out In
different directions to round up the kdnap-
per and his victim
In the meantime the news had spread ell
over the lower east side, and the excite
ment was intense. A thousand people gath
cred around the Shinefelt house, aud the
neighbors organized searching parties. The
parties went through every tenement in
the neighborhood, searching every room
from roof to cellar. A hundred friends
stood around Mrs Shinefelt and told her
how sorry they We're; also how very sure
they were that Eddie would turn UP all
| right
AS for Abraham, with a complacent smile
on his youthful face, he stood in front of
the house, surrounded by admiring boys
OF the neighboThood. He told the story of
| his defense of little Eddie a score of times
and the other boys looked on admirngly.
| He got three drinks of vauIa soda water
| and two pretzels from some who wanted
| 10 hear the story over again and were Will
/ ing 10 pay for it. He was the hero of the
minute and the idol of the youth of the
/ ncighborhood.
The end came suddenly. A policeman on
Third avenue stopped at the store where
/ F,ddie's father works and gently broke the
I u f1ll
Hey, shinefelt, somebody swiDed your
/ kid"
stop foolln'," remarked shlnefelt; the
1 baby's here with me"
! Gee whizP exclaimed the policeman.
| "Say, Shinefelt, the whole East Side Is
| looking for your baby They think its
/ been Kidnapped.
! shinefelt put on his hat and coat, ana
/ taking Eddie in his arms walked to Grand
| street and across to Ridge street When
he was discovered at the corner shout
went up that shook the houses. ire
mendous crowd surrounded father and
chi.d and escorted them to the house
where Mrs Shlnefelt took the little one
| in her arms and smothered il with kisses.
In the midst OF all this joy an idea sud
! denly occurred to a man in the crowd and
he called out:
! where's Abey Wollman?'
yes where's Abey?" cried a dozen 9TH
/
! discreety retired 90 his home, leaving mis-
! late admiring friends who had bought him
! soda water and pretzels to gnash their
teeth with rage. But Alleys mother, VINO
had been the proudest mother east of the
Bowery a few minutes before, shut her
self in her room with Abey. and wild are
the tales told of the next few minutes by
the sinai. boys who stood outside Of the
door and listened
Standing in a corner of the room, his
! hands behind him and pressed tightly
against that part of his anatomy that had
come in contact with the maternal slip
per Abraham said later that he had long
ed TO get his name in the paper and that
he had concocted the whole tale of the
kidnapping for that purpose.
There are said to be still a couple of
lickings coming to Abraham from the
youth OF the neghborhood who were bum
coed into treating him under the impress
sion that he was a real hero.
Placing the blame.