Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-01-11
LONG-LOST BROTHER
Carl W. Sanderson and Sister Re
united in Houston, Texas
He Was "Baby Carl" When She Last Saw
Hm-ls Now Performer In a TRAVELLING
Theatrical Company.

'"SablSdl Company
John Calvin received letter from
Carl w. Sanderson who lived in Mr.
Galvin's household when lad, in
whlch he tells of the romantic re-
union between his sister and himself in
Houston, Texas, after a separation of 25
years. Mr.. Sanderson was travelling with
a theatrical company and was recognized
by his sister, though she had not seen
him since he was baby. He had never
seen her since he was old enough to re-
member her at all. She is now Mrs
Charles II. Tefts, wife of a prominent
contractor of Houston. The story of their
reunion as told in a Houston paper is
given below.
HE is my brother" excltedly eKclaim-
ed Mrs. Charles II. Tefts, wife of a prom
inent contractor, residing at the corner Of
Twenty-first avenue and Ashland street,
Houston Heights.
Il cannot be mistaken" she added with
growing agitation as she arose from her
chair, holding the Chronicle in one hand
and addressing her husband. There is
only one Carl w. Sanderson in all the
world. l named him myself. I know It's
little Carl-baby Carl"
why, Ida, what on earth?" queried
her husband, whose equanimity 1t was
more difficult to disturb.
Read this" she replied, tremblingly
pointing TO notice of the performance OF
Sanderson and Bowman at the Majestic
theatre this week 81 know this is Carl
feel that he is my baby brother, and yet
l haven't seen him since l left him in
swaddling clothes in old Vermont % years
ago. Something tells me he is my brother.
l am unstrung tonight" and the tears
came to her eyes, visibly moved by that
indefinable feeling which sometimes comes
into one s life and forecasts future events.
Her words were prophetic. Carl w.
Sanderson proved in reality to be her
brother. The story reads like fiction, but
it is founded on fact.
Mrs. Tefts is 81 years OF age. She
left her home in Milton, Vt, shortly after
her marriage and moved South. Her
brother Carl, was then four years OF
age. She had named and nursed him and
was devoted to him. Their parents died
later and Carl was adopted by a promi-
nent citizen. The years rolled by, and
with them came the estrangement of
separation. She often thought OF her
little brother in all the intervening time.
and wondered If he were dead or living,
and in what line of business he was en-
gagged. On the other hand, Carl grew to
manhood He had no personal recollec-
ton of his sister, but he knew that he had
sister. Ida. somewhere in the world If
she were still living.
He, too, moved to Texas, and. being
of an adventurous disposition, he took up
ranch life and punched cattle on the
Wagner ranch near Wichita Falls. When
the Spanish war broke out he went to the
front with the boys In blue, and drifted
back North, where he launched his ca
reer on the stage. He travelled with the
Quinlan & Wall Ministries for awhile and
appeared with them in Houston three
years ago. He then entered vaudeville,
in which sphere he is now making de-
cided hit.
The next morning after the incident in
the Tefts home Mrs. Tefts dressed and
determined to go in search of her long
lost brother, but her nerve failed her.
After all the great expectation, and the
long, sleepless night, she feared the man
would prove not TO be her brother. She
was filled with nervous dread. She dared
not go. She knew she would collapse II
she were disappointed, being naturally of
very nervous temperament. She sent
her husband to look at the pictures on
the street He brought back little conso-
lation. She telephoned Manager Sturgis
and he gave her all the information he
had-little enough to convince her that
she was correct. A meeting was arranged
and the actor and his sister met after a
| lapse of % years. The scene was very
affecting one. The sister was beside her
| self with joy She had found her baby
Carl under most peculiar circumstances.
The next day the actor and his wife
were rendered feast OF fat things in the
| Tefts home.
That night Mrs. Tefts attended the
Majestic theatre and saw her infant
brother do his humorous sketch, and,
| while others laughed, tears rolled down
her cheeks as memory played on her heart
| strings and conjured up scenes of other
days in far away Vermont.