Arizona republican., 1908-11-06
STOLEN SONS STRANGE HUNT He Knows Neither His Age
 Nor His Name
 EXTREMELY SLENDER CLUE The Story of William H. Wilcox Who Had Been Arrested for the Mixing Up of the Property of Three People.
EXTREMELY SLENDER CLUE

The trial yesterday before Justice Johnstone of William H. WillcoS charged with hiring a bicycle from H. Griswold, trading it for pony and selling the pony at the Ambrose corral for S7, brought out a strange and pitt ful story. Wilcox. who is nineteen years of age, though younger in ap- pearance and conduct said that this was the first time he had ever been arrested and the first time that he had ever wrongfully appropriated the property of another. He begged that he be not sent to jail again. It was moreover shown, that the money had been returned intact to the man who had bought the pony; that that ani mai was again in the hands of the rightful owner and that the Griswold wheel was again in its accustomed place
 There are few people in this world who know less about themselves than Wilcox does of himself. He does not know his name and he can only guess at his age. He has learned by hearsay that he was born in a suburb of Boston and that when he was seven months old he was stolen from his mother by a woman by the name of Jennie Baker. She afterward put him into a charity institution at Chelsea. He was left there for some time and then was re- moved by a sister of the Baker woman. The sister was married to a negro. This woman gave him the name he now bears.
 He lived there for several years and intermittently attended the schools of Boston He did not for a long time take a great deal of interest in his past. He knew that the woman with whom he lived was not his mother: other boys had mothers and so, at last he began to inquire about his. Neither Jennie Baker nor her sister would sat isfy his inquiries, but once he was more persistent than usual Jennie Baker told him that his mother was still living; she would not tell him where, but said it would be better for him and better for his mother that he should not know.
 But all the time the longing to see the mother whom he could not remem- ber, grew stronger and little more than a year ago he set out on as hope less a quest as was ever undertaken Since then he has visited every large city in the northern part of the United States and in each, if he could raise the money has advertised for this un- known mother, setting forth in the ad- vertisement such facts as had come to his knowledge and which he hoped might bring back to her her stolen babe. He has told his story frequently in the column Of the War Cry devoted to lost persons.
 He has made his way about the country as best he could. At the be- ginning of the last season he attached himself to Buffalo Bills show which covers a greater area than any other aggregation, but not a word of en- couragement has his search brought him.
 It is inconceivable to him that mother and son should be separated for ever. and he fully believes that the time will come when he and his mother will be restored to each other.
 Wilcox was discharged by Justice Johnstone. Nobody had lost anything but time on his account. His story was heard with interest and it aroused a great deal of sympathy. Some one present found him work for couple of days and arrangements were under taken to provide him with means which will probably be used by him for con- tinuing his strange hunt for mother