Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-03
WARD Of SOLONS
DESERTS FRIENDS
Peculiar Case of Harry Shears,
Des Moines Pop Corn Seller
Given a Home
GOES BACK TO povERr'
Rescued From Couple Not His Parents
and Given Home by Representa-
tive Hanna, Boy is Induced to Re-
turn to People Who Abused Him
Legislative Friends Disappointed.
spec,a, to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 3.-Filal affection,
strong in the face Of abuse and cruel
treatment, has caused Herbert Shears,
the brightest page ever seen at
Legislative session In Iowa, to leave
new found friends and chance OF
good home and liberal education
and return to the people, who tho
brutally inhuman to him, have stood
to him in the relation of parents.
Herbert Shears was popcorn boy
about the streets of Des Moines for
the past five years or more. Els nat
ural bright disposition and unusual In.
telligence attracted attention in every
office building In Des Moines where he
went to sell popcorn. Smarting under
the abuse of the man and woman who
represented to him that they were
his father and mother, Herbert ran
away from home and sought protection
from cruel treatment at the police sta
ton in Des Moines.
An investigation disclosed the fact
that Jim Shears and his wife were
not the boys parents but that he was
born in St Benedict's home in this city.
The juvenile court took charge OF the
matter and a law suit followed in
which it was shown that Shears had
never adopted the boy. Judge Jesse
A. Miller of the district court took
an interest in the matter and with
other friends Of the boy they fitted
him with new clothes, gave him
bath, burned his old clothes and de-
stroyed tie vermin that infested the
body Of the boy from the hovel in
which he had lived. He was then
taken in by Representative Hanna.
of Benton county, who had become
friend of the boy during the last ses-
sion of the legislature when Herbert
was a page.
Where Herbert is now no one knows.
Jim Shears and his wife, who had
lived in Des Moines for five years.
largely off the earnings of Herbert
selling popcorn since he was or 1O
years old, were loath to see the means
of their easy support slip from them
They sold their belongings and fitting
up prairie scshooner went to Ben
ton county. They hung about Repre-
sentative Hanna's farm and managed
to see Herbert. Fear and dread at
the cruel beatings he had received at
! their hands and yet moved by hlial
affection for the only people he had
ever known as parents and the only
place he had ever known as home.
moved the boy and Representative
Hanna was finally forced to allow him
to return to Des Moines. From here
it was not long before he disappeared
with Jim Shears and his wife. and to-
day no one knows where they are.
| During the court proceedings here
when it was discovered that the boy
was abused and that the Shears We're
not his parents, Judge Miller caused
| Probation Officer Young to be appoint
| ed as his guardian. Officer Young is
now the boys legal guardian and is
searching for the boy. When he heard
that Shears had left the Hanna farm
and had come to Des Moines he made
dilligent search but was unable to find
him.
| Representative Hanna offered to
he one of four to send the boy to a
military academy or some institution
for bows. It would cost about $500 a
year to send him to one of the best
and Representative Hanna promised
$50. Before the boys friends could
be seen to raise the balance, the boy
had disappeared. Judge Jesse A. Miller
of this city offered to be one of the
contributors of the fund and the mon
ey would have been quickly raised.
Postal card descriptions of the boy
have been sent over the country and
it is believed that he will be found
Probation Officer Young is the boys
legal guardian and the Shears family
have no legal right to him. Many a
prominent wealthy business man mas
been attracted to the youth because OF
his evident natural ability and kindly
disposition They recognize that the
natural filial instinct, strong even in
the face Of cruel treatment, caused
him to leave the fine home of Repre-
sentative Hanna and return to the peo-
ple who had mistreated him. 1t is
quite likely that considerable amount
of fear fostered by the memory OF
brutal whippings and stirred up by
Jim Shears and his wife hanging about
the outskirts of the Hanna farm had
considerable to do with his returning
| to them also.
| At any rate the friends Of the boy
feel that he is most too young to be
accused Of acting in bad faith in re-
turning to the Shears family. he is
too young to be guided by the wisdom
of experience. They are determined
| to find him and will see to 1t the next
time that he is placed where he will
not be bothered by Jim Shears and
wife and where he will have an op-
portunity to gain an education and
/ hecorne worthy citizen.