The San Francisco call., 1905-04-13
DR.. E. II. Porter, After Bitter
Struggle, Succeeds in Elud-
ing Pursuers and Retains
Possession of Daughter
CONTRACT SURGEON
GAINS HIS VICTORY
Despite Efforts of Dissolute
Mother Father Manages to
Get Girl on Transport
and Sails Away to Manila

After many trials and tribulations
DIR. Elias H. Porter, contract surgeon
u. S. A., has evidently managed to get
his little 12-year-old daughter out OF
this country and away from the hands
of it's mother. The fight for the child
has been bitter one. DR.. Porter, now
ever, has apparently come out vlctori-
Gus. as he sailed away with his little
girl for the Philippines on the transport
Thomas, which left this port March 81.
DR.. Porter, in his presentation OF MS
case here to the army officials, said
that when he returned last year from
the Philippines and went to his nome In
Cincinnati. Ohio. he found his wife con-
sorting with another man. The man IN
question, he said, was COOK, and
cook in a place of not the most savory
repute. He found his little girl there
in this same place. He Immediately
took the child away. He says he at
once began proceedings for divorce
and that when the presiding Judge
heard the conditions of the case he was
at once given a divorce. The court
awarded the custody of the child to
the father.
DR.. Porter says that a great fight en-
sued on the mothers part to regain
possession of the child. DIR. Porter came
to San Francisco early in FEBRUARY,
bringing his daughter with him. He
made an attempt to sail away to the
Philippines on the 28th Of that month.
In the meantime Mrs. Porter and her
partner had rushed out to the coast
to put stop to the proceedings. Porter
was afraid to make an attempt TO get
away on that date and with his little
daughter went to the discharge camp
at Angel Island, where they remained
L., Mrc in tho
time put detectives on the track. but
evidently the whereabouts of the hid
ing couple was not ascertained, as they
were not molested while on the
island. -
Mrs. Porter, it is reported, says that
DR.. Porter did not get divorce from
her, but that he took the child away
by main force.
When the transport Thomas sailed
on March 81 Dr. Porter decided he
would make a bold stroke. He knew If
he attempted to board the vessel the
morning that she was scheduled to sail
detectives would be on the dock
and with a writ of habeas corpus would
try to prevent him from taking the
child away with him. To circumvent
any such contingency it was arranged
that DR.. Porter and the child should
go on board the transport the evening
before This was done and the couple
quietly slowed themselves away some
where on the ship, where they were
hidden from view until the transport
had glided out through the Golden
Gate.
The couple were so carefully con-
cealed that the sergeant of the chief
of staff of the medical department
United States army could not locate
them when he visited the TRANSPORT the
morning she sailed. Colonel John D.
Hall, chief surgeon, Department of
California, in speaking of the case
said: IT don't know whether DR.. Por-
ter got divorce from his wife or not.
/ know that he bears an excellent
reputation, as he served under me in
the Philippines He was efficient in
his duties there. He stood in good
favor of his brother officers in the
islands The arrangements for his go
ing away were made prior to my being
In command of this Office here. I was
at the transport Thomas the day she
sailed, but did not see DIR. Porter or
his daughter on board. He was
scheduled to sail and his reservations
were made / suppose on account of
the conditions of affairs he kept In
hiding"
1t is reported that Mrs. Porter was
on the watch on the dock on the morn
ing of the sailing, accompanied by a
detective armed with papers to hold
her daughter here.
The Thomas is now on the way from
Honolulu to Manila. So the next step
to be taken by Mrs. Porter to recover
her child will have to be made when the
shin arrives at that port.