The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-16
AVERY STRANGE CASE
REFoRMAToRY BOY. WHO FOR GOT HE HAD PARENTS
 LIVING.
Was Searched for All Over the Country, But Was All the
 Time at East Lake.

The Boys Banner, the monthly pubfi- cation of the Alabama Boys Industrial School at East Lake. tells the following story about one of the inmates of that institutions:
 About the middle of April, 1901, we were asked to take a boy, who had been pick cd up on the streets of Birmingham rag ged and dirty, and who claimed to have no relatives and no home, anywhere. We were crowded, but the case seemed such a pitiful one that we took the boy, clean ed him up, and enrolled him as one of our family. He developed into one of the most lovable of boys. Was cheerful and happy always and very loyal to his school and friends.
 He gave his name as Willie Higgins.
 He repeatedly told us he had no parents brothers or sisters.
 Told us of the death of his father in a saloon in Memphis. Went into details and always told the same story. Ills mother died of cancer (so he said) and she was buried in vault by the side of his father. When the mothers of diff ferent boys would visit here he would often wish he had a mother to visit him. He was one of the most faithful boys to do errands. He would go to Birm- ingham several times week, by him. self, with money to make certain pur- chases and always did his errands intel ligently and promptly.
 A few weeks ago we sent him to town Saturday afternoon for some bread. It was a rainy disagreeable day but Willie Gas we know him), always went cheer fully about his errands. He did not re- turn as promptly as usual, but we were not alarmed about 1t, as he had been our faithful errand boy for nearly two years. We were telephoned by Mir. Forsman. plumber who lives in East Lake, and who has done most of the plumbing for the school, asking if we had sent a boy to town after bread. We told him we had He said the boy had been forcibly taken from the car by an older boy, who claimed to be the boys brother The bread was left on the car. Of course we surmised, that the boy had been taken for no good purpose. And we immediately began a search | for him. For several days we kept it up. We could get rumors but nothing | definite Mr. Einbree finally found the
 boy and the family at Pratt City, and he | was convinced that the boy had been found by his people.
 The next day after Mir. Embree visited | at the home in Pratt City, the mother and brother brought Willie back to the
 school and after hearing the full par | ticulars we formally paroled the boy to | go to his home.
 | It seems the boys right name is Rosser Stuart and his people live at Pratt City,
 a suburb of Birmingham. Rosser left
 home a short time before he came here
 and disappe ired with a show" The ! pc Dple are poor but they have spent about
 $2,7Oo hunting for this boy. An older
 brother, the one who finally found him, has been kept on the road, travelling over
 the States of Mississippi, Florida, Georgia | and South Carolina.
 The parents economized in every way | to save money to prosecute the search.
 In the family Bible the date of Rosser's disappearance was recorded as if he had died on that day.
 l In the parlor a tablet adorned the wall
 as memorial to the lost boy. The I mothers health is almost gone on ac-
 count of the loss of the boy. On the day | of the discovery of the boy, the older boy
 was very restless at home, and finally
 the mother suggested a street car ride
 to Birmingham, which suggestion he fol- | lowed
 In Birmingham he was inspired to
 board an East Lake car, something he
 had never done before, as 1t would carry
 him in the opposite direction from his home.
 After being on the car a few moments
 he discovered his long lost brother He
 went to him, but the boy denied the re-
 lationship. The elder boy asked to see
 his ankle, on which was a scar. Rosser
 barred the wrong ankle. He insisted on
 seeing the other ankle, and the scar was
 discovered. The older boy forcibly talk | ing the younger boy off the car and re-
 marking he was going to take him to I
 day and night before he would acknowl-
 edge the home people as his. | He seemed to have lost all knowledge of his home people. One sister he re-
 membered after awhile by a scar on the | forehead.
 | He is very reticent about the escapade. Says he would not tell his right name, be- cause they" would kill him. The boy must have been injured by some blow so that he lost all memory of his home, or he may have been hypno-
 tized as some people suggested He was a very affectionate boy while here, and seemed to enjoy betting as If he had been used to 1t. His people seem
 to think everything of the boy, and they are at a loss to know why he should
 be so near them, with frequent opportun-
 ties of going home, with money in his
 pocket to pay his carfare. and yet seem
 to have forgotten everything pertaining
 to his home and his parents, brothers and sisters
 He worked in the shoe shop here and did good work wherever he was placed. l The mother remarked that he would probably be back with us before long, as | he thought more of us than he does of them. We miss our messenger boy very much. but, of course we are glad that
 he has a home and loving relatives to care for him.