Waterbury Democrat., 1900-10-31
DUNNE GIRL HOME
Through Efforts of Friends Was
 Returned to Her Mother.
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Hesltated About Letting the Girl Go
 Were Finally Made to See the Error
 of Their Way-Money and Attorneys
 Were at the Disposal of the Girls
 Friends.
 Little Agnes Dunne, the. nine years oid daughter of Mrs Norah Dunne, who was what one might term kidnapped the other day by Sheriff Rigney and Superintendent Matthews of the New Haven county home, acting under in- StuctIOn of the board of county con- mlSSionerS, was returned to the GUS. tody of her mother last night by R. N. BlakeSlee and Superintendent Combel- lack of the Boys club, who met the county commissioners ill New Haven yesterday and after a long chat re SardlnG the feeling the conduct of the officials had stirred up in Waterbury it was decided to turn the girl over to them and the trio, Blakeslee, Com- bellack and Agnes returned home in triumph on the evening train. The meeting between the mother and child was very affecting and moved those who witnessed it to tears. Probably all the facts in the case will never be known. but enough has leaked out to
  mined attitude of Father Slocum and some of the other clergymen about town to push the case had something to do ill prompting the authorities to return the girl to her natural parent and it is hoped that no such infamous game will ever again be played in Wa | terbury, for it aroused feeling of in- | dignation in the breast of every man l and woman in town and especially of 1 IhnSa " hn f.hi nr. hn in any way responsible for the care of the youth of the city. It was a | high handed piece of business, after | tie court deciding that the girl be re- l turned to her mother. to have two men l come along and take her into custody | and hustle her off to the county home | without saying a word to anyone about | it. It shows the kind of law we have l ill Waterbury when three men. who are absolutely independent of the peo- | pie so far as their appointment goes. can send officers into the city armed with authority to invade the sacred 1 precincts of the home and carry off children with as little ceremony as if | they were common property and be- longed to any one who wanted to take l hold of them.
 This talk about the authorities being able to find better homes for children | than their own parents can give them | Is all we'll enough in it's own way, but | it would apply to many others as well l as to Agnes Dunne, and if the pfepos- | terouS idea should be carried out, as many would wish to see it. the poor would be robbed of their offspring the | same as they are stripped of almost Sall other things of the world. Because man and woman who have no chil- | dren happen to have more means than 1 people who are blessed with large fam | flies is no reason why they should be l given the right to seize the children l of their neighborS whenever they take a notion that they would like to see l little ones around the house. There are enough destitute children in the world for the accommodation of those | who have none of their own without | proving upon those who have some i one to care for them and the kidnap- l ping of girls or boys who are being i cared for by their natural parents should be stopped forthwith.
 MT Blakeslee and Superintendent 1 Combellack deserve great credit for the | kindly feeling that pHompted them to | look up the girl and turn her over to I the tender care of her mother.
 The excitement incidental to the re- moval of the child and her return has resulted in prostrating the mother. She was so i'll this morning that it was | found necessary to call in a physician and Dr Kilmartin was sent for. He found Mrs Dunne in a bad condition. | She has lost the power of her neither limbs. but Dr Kilmartin thinks that with a few days rest and proper care l and medicine she will recover. Mrs | Dunue lives at 400 West Main street.