The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-11
Father Brings Four Little Ones
to Birmingham Under
Court Decree
MOTHER AT CULLMAN Is
WORKING FOR CUSTODY
She Has Appealed the Case and Also
SAYS She viii Charge Husband
With Kidnapping Boys
and Girls.

Four innocent children, knowing moth
ing of the domestic trouble existing be-
tween their father and mother, but
troubled only with a desire to sleep while
the father was trying to leave the state
and the mother to prevent it, furnished
chapter of a human interest tragedy I'M
surpassed at police headquarters last
night.
1t seems that law. cold and devoid of
all sentiment has declared that the chill
dren must become the property of the
father whether or not the children them
selves were willing, and has stepped be-
tween the love of a mother and the love
of her offsprings. Armed with the de-
crees of the law, the father was attempt
ing to leave the state, and take with him
the four children. The mother, armed
only with her love and desire to be with
her children. was endeavoring to stay the
cold processes of law.
Between the two contentious, the chill
dren, knowing little of all these tangles,
were found at police headquarters last
night between the hours of II and y
o'clock
The Father introduced.
J. NJ Wheeler having got the four chill
dren away from Mrs. Wheeler at Gull
man. where she lived, arrived in Birming-
ham yesterday, and took up quarters at
the Metropolitan. 1t was his intention
to leave Birmingham on the Pan-Ameri-
can for Jackson. He is employed by the
Hull Construction company, and his was
the hand that builded the interior of the
city hall. this city.
Chancellor A. e. Hewlett had granted
Mr. Wheeler the custody of the children
on account of some charges that had
been brought against the mother. While
waiting for the train to arrive the moth
er had not been idle.
She communicated with police headquar-
ters, Birmingham, and explained the case.
She stated that the decree had been
granted, but that she had taken an APP
peal to the supreme court, and that her
husband had no right to assume charge
of the children until that appeal had been
considered She stated, too, that she had
yesterday afternoon sworn out warrant
charging her husband with kidnapping the
children and desired the chief to arrest
him.
The Children Themselves.
The oldest of the children is a little girl
Is years old. There are two boys, one
Il and one 6, while the fourth, a girl
comes between them, aged TO- These are
the children, to care for whom, each es-
tranged parent is making frantic efforts.
In the suit the feelings and desires of
the children themselves are little con-
sidered and the four motherless ones last
night presented a pathetic picture. Last
night was the first time any of them
had remained away from the mother, and
they were naturally a trifie bewildered
They looked about them wonderingly,
eyed the braid on the officers uniforms
with interest and examined the pictures
on the walls They knew they were go
ing far away to leave behind their mother
but the reason for all this that caused
an ache at their hearts and a lump in
their threats, they knew not
In the meantime the father obtained
permission to return to the hotel. He
is accompanied by an officer
The Mother Comes.
Mrs. Wheeler. interviewed over the long
distance telephone last night by an Age
Herald representative stated that she
would arrive in Birmingham this morn
ing She stated that her children were
taken away from her by force, and that
they were broken hearted over the separ-
nected with q newspaper in Georgia, and
her brother Is on the staff of one of the
Atlanta papers.
In case she has made an appeal from
the decision of Chancellor Hewlett, It
might be that Mr.. Wheeler will be de-
layed in his departure. 1t is possible, too,
that he will have to answer the charges
made in the warrant Mrs. Wheeler mas
sworn out
He states that he has been awarded
the children by the courts, and shows
the official document to that effect. He
states that as soon as he can get COM
muncation with Chancellor Hewlett and
his attorneys he will be allowed to pro-
coed on his way unimpeded
Mr.. and Mrs. Wheeler were married
fifteen years ago. The court awarded the
father the four eldest of six children. The
two\ others are with the mother in Gull
mani