The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-05-05
To
KIDNAP CHILD
Parent Hires Automobile, a
Negro and Another
Woman for Raid.


cult court, which may result in the loss
OF the custody of her child, Mrs. Bessie
O'Dsll. with many aliases. made q. des-
perate attempt to steal her child from
the home Of Mr.. and Mrs. e. Braddock,
who reside on Borman boulevard, in
ToIleston The thrilling scene was en-
acted at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon
when the woman dashed up to the
house in a large touring car, and as
sisted by a cofored man and woman
struggled with the foster parents for
possession of the child.
The story of the attempted stealing
possessed all OF the thrills Of the ia
nous Lincoln Carter dramas. and was
enacted In real life. The attempt yes
terday was the elimination of three
distinct efforts on the part of Mrs.
| O'Del to steal her own child. once
| Mr.. paddock states she even went so
| far as to place ladders against their
house Monday night for the purpose of
| spiriting way the child. Several times
| they have called at the school house
/ where the child attended school to in
tercept it on its way home.
! Child Given IN Custody of BraddOclCs.
The excitement. created over the mat
! ter yesterday also led to the disclosure
| OF the secret of the raid on William
Piper's alleged house of ilI-fame. 1t
was in this raid that 1t was discovered
positively that the mother of the child
was an inmate Of the place, and for
that reason the Braddocks are making
a desperate effort by physical strength
and legal process to retain possession
of the little 10-year-old daughter.
The story of the trouble from it's In
cept is interesting in the extreme. and
the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Braddock to
save the innocent child from the in
huence of its mother are being greatly
| commended. Macy, as the child is
called. was given to the Braddocks in
Tolleston about four months ago by a
woman who called herself Mrs. O'Dell.
She stated that she was working in
Gary. and that she desired, a good home
for the girl during the time that she
was employed there. Mr.. and Mrs,
Braddock were glad to take in the lit
tie girl and agreed to keep her.
Piper's Place Raided.
The trouble began when the discov-
cry Of the character Of the woman was
made Steps were then taken imme-
diately to have the child taken from Its
mother on the grounds that she was
not a fit person to care for 1t. II
order to secure more information as tC
her character, Mr.. Braddock caused the
warrant to be sworn out for the arrest
OF Piper and the raid resulted. This
! was done on the advise of Prosecuting
Attorney Charles Greenwald, whom he
4 consulted
The decision as to who shall have
I custody Of the child will be made to
day by Judge McMahan of the circui
court It is believed that Mrs. O'Del
feeling that she was about to lose he
child was melted to take the drasti
steps she did, to get it away from tn
i home where she had placed It. # sh
] had succeeded in getting it into I'LL
, nois yesterday nothing could have bee
done'to get it away from her again.
Mothers Plan Failed.
In the last effort to steal the chill
Mrs. O'Den secured the automobile an
{ with the colored porter In the Pipe
= place and another of alleged bad repu
tatfon, swooped down upon the Brad
dock residence. Mr.. Braddock SAL
them. coming and heded them Off tenn
porarily. They then waited until tim
for the noon recess and dashing up t
tn school demanded the child Of on
of the teachers. Macy, however, ha
not been allowed to attend school ths
afternoon, and the mother was foiie
again.
Finally, however, he drove directl
up to the house, entered it and strug
gled with the foster parents. The pla
was to have tn colored man whip NJ
Braddock, have the woman down Mr.
Braddock. while Mrs. O'Den took tn
! child. Mr.. and Mrs. Braddock prove
too strong for them, however, and the
resisted the invaders until Marsha
Frank Martin could be notified an
). forced them to leve the premises.
,. II the decision of the court toda
takes the child away from its mothe
It will be adopted and raised by tn
Braddocks, who have become much a.
tached to 1t. As far as the child
X seems content to remain where it is.
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