Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-09-15
FIRTH ARRIVES IN CHESTER.
ALLEGED Abductor Has a Midnight bA-
amlnation-Released In s%'oVo ""''
His Uncle Becoming His surely

CneSJeT, L d.. wv -. -
eIoped with Ethel May Pierce, a 10
vear-oId Chester, Pa, girl, who sent a
bullet crashing into her brain when
Chief Goods called at their room in the
Hotel Rammel in this city Tuesday
evening. was taken from the 6:26
o'clock train at Chester last night and
locked in a cell at the city hall.
While a large crowd followed him
trainmep lifted heavy pine box from
the baggage car of the train Firth had
inst left. An unde; takers wagon
drove up and twenty minutes later the
family OF the dead girl were sobbing
over the body OF the child eloper.
No demonstration was made against
Firth, but he appeared excited and look
ed about him nervously as thepoliceman
hustled him along. 1t was announced
at the Chester city hall that Firth would
have a hearing this morning, but when
the crowd melted away Chief OF Police
McCarey passed the word to members
of the families that the hearing would
be held at IL O'Clock last night.
With only a few persons present
Firth was arraigned before Magistrate
Stockman, charged with abduction,
He was released in the sum OF $1,000,
his uncle becoming mis- bOndsman.
Shortly after he was taken to city
hall. Firth was allowed to see his father
William Firth, ST., Hello, old boy,
how are ?" exclaimed the father when
the two men met. The son extended
his arms, and the father caught him in
his. The silence that followed was
broken by the sobs Of the elder. Poor
boy, poor BOY" he said.
All day yesterday the mans father
had affected a cheerfulness he was far
from feeling. He tried to console hls
wife who suffers from heart disease and
who is confined to bed by the shock.
While waiting for the train that bore
his son and the body of the girl who
died for love OF him he joked with his
friends.
But when the tension broke he broke
down completely. After the police
separated him from the son he sat
Imply in a corner, weeping and refus-
ing to be consoled. Late last night he
recovered somewhat and declared that
he would stand by young Firth to the
end.
There is something back OF all
this" he cried. Il don't hold my son
blameless for leaving his wife and child
an running off with this girl, but |
don't hold her and hers blameless,
either We will see that he gets
Justice"
During the evening Firth was Snug
gled into an automobile and whisked
TO his home to see his mother, who was
reported to be dangerously i'll. There
was an affecting meeting when they
met and both wept
Yesterday William w. Pierce, father
of the dead girl, declared that he did
not believe his daughter had committed
suicide, and he expressed the belief
that she had been shot by Firth.
The pair slipped away from Chester
on the Baltimore and Ohio train leav-
ing at 4:30 O'Clock Tuesday morning.
Firth, who was employed as night
clerk at the Pennsylvania Railroad
Office, locked up the negro porter, he
said. so that his absence would not de-
tected until he had a fair start.
Monday night the girl went to bed as
usual, according to her parents, but
about midnight, while long coal train
was passing the house, she slipped from
bed and got out of the house. The
noise of the train drowned the creak-
ing of the stairs as she was leaving, and
her parents knew nothing of her dis
appearance until they awoke next
morning.
Miss Pierce was popularity known
in Chester. Her father said last night
that she had been keeping company"
with a young man and that he thought
they would eventually be married.
He said that Firth frequently called
at their home, but that he nearly al
ways brought his 6-year-old daughter
with him. IF / had thought that
he was interested in Ethel | would
have kicked him from the house" he
declared.
Firth was quoted in dispatches from
Alexandria as saying that Mrs. Pierce,
the girls mother, was with him and
the girl in Atlantic City on Sunday
and that the mother gave Ethel we'd
ding ring to keep up appearances.
This the father denied. He said that
Ethel and her mother had gone to
Atlantic City, but that they were not
with Firth. Persons at the station on
Sunday say that the three left together.
Pierce said that his wife and daugh-
ter frequently went out walking with
Firth and his daughter.
Mrs. Firth, wife of the prisoner,
would not talk last NIGH. Her father
in-law said, however, that she would
stick to her husband and see him
drought the trouble.
A dispatch from Chester today says
Firth returned TO that city with the air
of a man home from a frolic and not
the influence that sent misguided girl
of 10 to her death by suicide. From
his conversation with Chief McCarcy
the chief was sure that Firth in no way
realized his position. He looked upon
the affair as a frolic and apparently ac-
cepted no responsibility for the death
OF Miss Pierce.
ENTIRE CHANGE OF SHOW.
Ono ~ the eycellent features OF the