The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-23
WIFE GETS
Her CHILD
FROM AUNT
Little Margaret at Home
of Grandmother in
haCkenSaCk.
DIVORCE PAPERS SERVED
Aunt Had Them in Her Trunk
and Served Them on Steamer
Pier in New York While
Curious Crowd Looked
On.
DIVORCE PAPERS SERVED

HACKENSACK, Oct. 23.-Little Mar
garet Freer, 5 years old. is with heI
mother at the home of her grandma
Mrs. j. W. Berry, here, today, unmind-
full of the fact that her parents arc
battling for her possession. Nor does
she comprehend the meaning of a dra-
matte scene at the steamship pier al
West 10th street and the Hudson
River, New York, where the wits OF
two women enabled them to steal an
important march on each other.
Mrs. Freer, who is rs years old and
handsome, is the wife of a travelling
salesman, Garrett George Freer. She
had stood guard at the pier every even
ing for two weeks watching for the
coming of little Margaret, who was in
the care of Mr.. Freer's relatives at
Kingston, N. Y.
The mothers patience was rewarded
on Monday night, when her husbands
sister. Miss Freer, stepped from a
steamer leading the child.
That's my baby, n you can't have
her!'' cried Mrs. Freer, as she rushed
forward and seized her daughter, who
had sought refuge in her aunt's arms.
A crowd was attracted and a police
man ran up. Miss Freer appealed to
him to compel Mrs. Freer to give back
the child. The wife related her story
and the policeman told Miss Freer that
it would be impossible for him to in
terfere. The crowd sy~mpathized with
the mother, who cried bitterly as she
chung to Margaret.
well, I've got papers in my trunk
said Miss Freer, "that give me a right
to the child"
The policeman told her to produce
them and she opened her trunk on the
pier. Taking out a legal document she
handed it to Mrs. Freer.
"There!" said she. that is what my
brother wants you to have
The wife opened the paper. She found
that it was a m and complaint
in an action for divorce. Miss Freer
had been given the document to serve.
Mrs. Freer and her mother took the
child to Hackensack.
The Freers nave been married six
years. Margaret is their only child.
When Freer went on a trip in April
he left his family in a well-furnished
apartment at 1856 West 1920 street, New
York. He claims that before it was
time for him to return he received a
telegram from his mother-in-law, Mrs.
Berry, which read:
You better take the first train
home
Freer lost no time in getting to New
York. He alleges that when he reached
his apartment he found it deserted by
his wife and some of the furniture
packed up ready to be moved. His
daughter was in the hands of neigh
bors. The husband claims that he has
not seen his wife since his return tc
the city.
After taking charge of his apart
ment, Freer says that he lived two
weeks with his child at his mother
in-law's Hackensack home, and thai
she seemingly sympathized with hin
in his troubles. Finally he took Mar
Raret to his own mothers home, II
Kingston, where she remained all sum
mer.
Mrs. Freer said today that she hat
been with her mother since July ant
had made every effort to gain posses
sion of her child, but without avali
About two weeks ago she learned tina
her husbands sister intended bringing
Margaret down from Kingston on ont
of the steamboats, running from tina
city.
my husband has no grounds 10
divorce" said Mrs. Freer, land he VII
never obtain one"