The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-02
Nathaniel Hughs Comes to Aid His WayWard Boy,
 Clarence
PARENT SOBBED ON THE
 SHOULDER OF HIS SON
An Effort Will Be Made to Save the Young Man From Jail and Carry Him Back to His
 Mother.

Nathaniel Hughs and Clarence Hughs, father and son. met yesterday afternoon in the office of Chief of Police wier, after being parted for nearly five years. One is an honored citizen of Georgia and the other charged with several crimes. The meeting was pathetic in the extreme. The aged and grey haired father. in company with William Neill, proprietor of the St. Nicholas hotel, called at headquarters and asked that his son be brought in.
 While waiting for an officer to bring the wayward boy to headquarters, the senior Hughs sat by the side of MT Neill, who is friend of thirty years standing Pres ently Policeman Nix arrived from the city jail with young Hughs. The junior Hughs stopped outside of the railing of the desk sargent's office and gazed into the room where his father was seated. He stopped only a moment and then with a fast step accompanied the officer.
 A moment later Clarence Hughs was ushered into the presence of his father. The emotion which had filled the heart of the parent since the arrest of the son could no longer be restrained At the sight of his boy, the father jumped up and pressed the youth to his bosom and both burst into tears. They were locked in each others arms as Chief Wier invited them into his private office. There they sat for few moments sobbing when the door leading from headquarters to the pri- vate office was closed.
 Fathers Statement.
 The senior Hughs and his son walked from the chiefs private office into head quarters and there MT. Hughs related the history of his boys life to the head of Brminghams police department.
 "Clarence was sent away from home by me nearly five years ago. he said. "The boy is bright and has an excellent mind, but with all this I believe that when money matters are considered that he is crazy It does not seem to me that a man with his sense could do what he has done and expect to evade arrest, if he has possession of his own mind. When sent my boy away from home it was done with the advice of friends who told me that change of climate and environ ments would make him a better man. l sent him to friend, dear old friend Of mine near Nashville. I gave him clothes and SIP in money. He stayed there awhile and the next thing I heard of him was in Florida. From what was told me l understood that he thought that he had become an artist with cards and had at the time over $5OO0 and was trying to make more. The friend who imparted this in- Corr, fal1 hot ha had cofd that he intended to make money. settle down and eliminate his bad habits. He was invited to send money home and re- piled to this request by saying that when he got what he needed he would come home and be good
 q heard of him in a number of places. Finally ascertained that he had gone to work in Boston for a tea and coffee firm. He wrote this to his mother. I then decided that 1t would be best to write and tell the firm employing him his his- tory and past life, as I did not believe 1t right that a boy who had acted as he had done should be employed by re- sponsible firm unless they knew him. Pre- vious to going to work for the Boston firm he wrote from that city for money. saying that he wanted to buy clothes. I wrote him that I would tell a firm to give him clothes and that I would send them a check to cover the purchase. It was after writing this letter that l learned that he was working for the tea firm. He learned that I had written the people by whom he was employed. and soon I re- ceived rebuke from him for doing as I had. Soon after the boy wrote his mother that he was drunk when he had written the letter and asked her to inter- cede in his behalf with me.
 "I had reports of his wrong doings in money matters from different parts of the country until I nearly lost my mind. When I ascertained that he was coming to Bir- mngham I wrote friends here warning them to be careful, as I thought that his desire for money would cause him to apply to them.
 "The James of Adrain Ga, are friends of mine, but I realize that matters have reached such a stage that they can no longer bear what has been going on. They