The St. Louis Republic., 1902-12-21
THE HAT AND DRE55
SHE HAD ON WHEN HER
MOTHER FOUND HER
IN DUNLAP

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Clever and daring. full of self sacrifice
sAnd thousand unsuspected attributes. is
a mother love that converts simple coun-
f'try-bred woman into a Sherlock Holmes
That teaches frail woman'to cunningly
ssoutWit e strong man and discover the hid
Ing place OF her stolen child.
That discloses to mother ingenious
rway to keep in touch with her little one
fBStthout arousing suspicion
That gives to distracted parent the
Courage to work and pinch and save for
three years until she has boarded money
enough to take her across the continent.
That enables q mother to rescue her child
and fly with it back to the tiny shelter
called home
Through the instincts of her mother love
was Mrs Milletta Stiles of Morristown. ~
u able to match her wit against that of
her husband and succeed in regaining her
baby girl that was kidnapped three years
ago by the husband and father.
All MorTistown is congratulating this
clever and plucky woman on the happy ac-
complishnent of her deep-Iaid plans.
Few of the fr'~'ds and villagers realize
what torture of ad was endured by Mrs.
Stiles during the three years of her childs
captivity.
The Stiles family is we'll known in that
part Of New Jersey surrounding Norris
town, BrooksIde and New Haven
Ferdinand. who is more than fifty, mar
ffed woman several years younger than
himself and three children were born to the
happy pair.
They were Edith. who Is now IS: Guerin,
u. and Adelia, aged s
MIR. Stiles took his family to live In New
Vernon. where he had bought a large saw
mill
4 While riches never rewarded the efforts
Of Ferdinand, he was always able to keep
! his dear ones in comfort.
Il They were quite happy until few years
Ago. when he began to invest in various
business schemes.
hing with the help of three or four hands,"
seemed slow money-maker, and he de-
sided to open q cider mill
I Then he tried q sodawater factory, aban-
H0oning each in turn before it had a chance
to get a fair start
Each new enterprise meant a depleting of
Tfhe family funds, 30 the home was mort
gagged. living expenses were cut down. and
Mrs. Stiles was compelled to cook and work
mot only for her own flesh and blood. but
for the various mill hands.
RIFT GRADUALLY WIDENED
WITHIN THE Lutte
: Prosperity, begets good temper but ad-
Versity makes mankind grow Grabbed and
selfish.
When affairs were apparently very bad
and everything that Ferdinand Stiles tried
turned out to be q failure he began to ind
The little rift within the Lutte gradualIv
widened until 1t became an impassabls
chasm-
Husband and wife. though living under
the same roof. eating at the same table and
being constantly thrown together. at last
ceased to speak to each other.
This Uncomfortable state of affairs exist
ed for more than year.
During this period the affection of the
father, that had been withdrawn from his
wife, was bestowed upon their son, while
that of the mother was divided among her
three children. though the baby came in for
the largest share.
That his wife idolized Adelia the father
well knew. and II he desired to hurt his
wife no S1rer or more cruel way could be
found than through this child.
Therefore. with Machiaveiian cunning he
planned to nd himself of his unloved wife
and to punish her.
Mrs. Stiles, who can laugh now at the
tricks this man played on her. grows ser-
when she tells OF the time three years
ago, when her trouble began.
That wintry night In January the Stiles
family were seated around the fire after
supper.
The father sat and brooded over his af-
fairs. the mother did her mending and the
children were amusing themselves
Conversation intended for either husband
or wife had to be addressed to one of the
children. 49,
In this manner some remarks had beer,
made. when suddenly. and as though he
had, until then forgotten it, Ferdinand
Stiles said to his that the chldren's
grandmother-the mother of Mrs. Stiles
had fallen that day and broken her arm.
1t was u cruel and unfeeIing way to in
form his wife of the accident but this was
part of his well-laid plan.
lie felt sure that as soon as her work