The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-02-21

6E (. 1850 SI-Sg'Fj ;'|N>'
,,.or Mass.-'I opened my
,",, ord took the children under II,
S'o''l ~ zach side. From that time I'LL
T = woke We m everything is a blank
Twantv-fve trembling words spek
Nv djsheyeled, shaking woman,
%, behind them lies the Tragedy oi
~ cooked home, the remarkable dis,
s,nesrance of two human beings as IL
s ssp gronnd had opened to swallow
Nm and a mystery which has Dbl.
aeln, 80, ', loonpst detective minds OF
New England, o,horso
i mother calling at the schoolhouse
~, for her boy and girl, three ns-
S Sros disappearing into the WOODS
,rsoot storm cloak flung open to shei'ei
t tro email forms-a blank OF "a hours
On. then a disheveled, qulVerlns
motber.form being hurried 10 an ~
sane asylum. o,iod
What happeheu puit"e
Of mental death? T.
And where are the children! ~
On Monday DecemberG, soon q no1,
,iuo o'clock, Mrs. Mary R. G. Ban
r WHO Of John Ball, left her home a
& o "iI uoIhrook avenue, and walked hu'
,iodlv to the Winthrop school, Whei
hor children were engaged IN 'lel
stndies Mary Grace Ball, aged mn III.
IVA Tbbt,as Ball, aged seven, were e
S Snaod Nv their teachers at the reque
~ thpir mother, who was apparent
opite composed and natural IN IL
hearing They put on their We" a.,
coats and toques and mittens anu ~
tod down the schoolyard path one
49, ao side If the tall, cloaked figu
Children Went JoyfuI'y.
JOYOUS anticipations were aio -.
N their childish minds. Chris'n
was at hand. Perhaps they were
ing sbopping. Perhaps they wele
ipg to the woods to gather eVefs s,e,
AS to where they really went, ore ,s,
from. the schoolhouse, opinions u,l
This NAV have been because broch
had something else to thlnk q
dnripg the next few hours. me
home on Holbrook avenue was +
49, ~, u,os fire to be put
and to he discussed, and 1t was So
fortunate that it happened Wnile
Ball was away shopping!
However, since the tragedy MAJ
come the sole topic of conVeis'
in the little manufacturing ely
procl,ton one man recalls tina
saw the mother and her childre
gether about 2;3O o'clock thaI
noon Two children, who KneV
Ball family we'll, claim to nave ave
tbe mother without the chllule'
Brockton street at 4:3O of that
full Monday afternoon. &.
put the one tangible piece Q
j, aence is that Mrs. Ball. unaccoml
by her children, stopped at
cart for a mouthful Of food az
a little town just north OF BTU
on Tuesdav evening, Deem
alter that night she was fouht
nearby farmer, A. l.. Pinto, IN Il,
and was ordered away. inc q
were rot with her. PINTO u
know who she was and looN
some poor, drunken wretch
Instinct Led Woman Home.
Two nights later, on Thurse
cemher 5, Mrs. Ball staggered
home of Mrs. Baxter, VINO !
rectiy opposite the Bali he
Broekton. The Baxters were
BY the figure which stumbled
their threshold. Her clothes
disorder. Her fingers were u
torn as though she had oeeh
in the frozen earth, Acl'
throat were great bloody s.
All reason had fed. Her e'
Wild, her speech incoherent'
The next morning raVins
Mary Ball was taken 10 tn'
Tor the insane at Taunton,
But where we're the chiiar'
The distracted father asked
excited neighbors echoed MS
The county officials conSi
Their duty TO find OUT