Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-11
FINDS HER BABY
after II YEARS
Mother Knows Daughter, Al
though They Parted When
Girl Was but a Tot.

West Frankfort, Ill, for her IL year
old daughter, Gertrude Bettras, who.
she says, was given secretly to fam
ily in Texas. ended at Union station
when the Missouri. Kansas & Texas
train from the southwest brought the
child to her mother.
Although the mother had not seen
her daughter since she was baby,
/ she recognized her instantly and gath
cred her up in her arms. The girl
! did not know she had a mother. She
said she had been told she was 10
wears old. and that her mother was
/ dead.
Mrs. Gibbs was separated from her
daughter and her two sons when they
were living at Norveau, Ala. IL years
ago. Leslie Bettras, her first hus-
{ band, was killed at that time In
mfne accident. He was a mine in
! spector The mother placed her two
sons and her daughter in an institu-
! ton and went to live with some rela-
/ tives at Evergreen, Ala. She return
/ ed in year for her children, as she
! had provided a home for them in the
meantime. She says she was told
/ the children had all been given away,
] but was refused permission to see
I the records.
| She then began nationwide
search for her child. Without money
she could do little, but she traveeld
from city to city, working in one
place and another to get money to
travel somewhere else in quest OF her
child. Four years later she met Will
liam Gibbs at Springfield, Ill, and
married him. She made him promise
before marrying him that he would
help her to the utmost to find her
children.
Gibbs had a general store at West
Frankfort and they went there to live.
Every time a travelling man came to
the store to sell goods Gibbs or Mrs.
Gibbs would make the travelling man
promise to help in the search for the
children. Descriptions were given.
These travelling men in turn gave
the information to the house they rep
resented and other travelling men
from the house would be asked to
search for the children. Their efforts
were in vain.
A year ago Mrs Gibbs went to Nor
veau and there found her two sons
attending high school. They had been
legally adopted by persons living
there under the supposition that their
mother was dead. They had been
in Norveau all the time, but on the
earlier visits of Mrs. Gibbs the chill
dren were small and kept at home,
so she did not see them or learn OF
them. Through the heads of the
families who had adopted her sons
she gained access to the records of
the children's institution. she says.
She said the records showed she
was dead and that her daughter had
been adopted by a Baptist minister. !
Rev. w. A. Parker Of Mount En- I,
terprise, Texas. Mr.. Parker was dead !
and the girl had been given home !
in several other families and finally
had disappeared from Mount Enter |
prise. MI Parker's son, William. |
touched by Mrs. Gibbs story of her
long search and helped her in the /
search. He finally found the girl at
the home of James York at Hanover, |
Texas.
He wrote to Mrs. Gibbs. Mrs.
Gibbs received the letter at West
Frankfort last Saturday. She wired
n ticket to Hanover for her daughter /
TO come to Union station. York took
her to the station and put her on a
train, telling her some good people in
st. Louis were going to give her
home. York did not understand from
the telegram that Mrs. Gibbs was
the mother of the child.
Mrs. Gibbs came to Union station
and asked permission to meet every
train coming in from the southwest.
She told Union station officials her
daughter had been kidnapped II years
before and they extended her every
aid in meeting the trains. When
there would be no trains from the
southwest for several hours she would
go to a hotel near the station and
sleep, but all her waking hours were
spent in the station.
Patrolmen Rich and Venverloh
heard the story She did not tell
them all her story and she was not
certain the child was coming. so the
patrolmen thought that perhaps she
might have trouble in recovering her
child
When the train did arrive bearing
Gertrude she was informed by train
men that a little girl from Hanover.
alone, was on the train. She
lUshed to meet the girl. and when she
saw her burst into tears of joy.
You are Gertrude, you are Ger
Lrude," she cried.
Eyes, I am Gertrude" said the girl,
4 am Gertrude Bettras Who are
you7"
I'm your mother" said the woman
as she gathered the child up in her
arms.
Whole Town Turns Out.
Gertrude was overcome with nerv- ,
BUS shock to learn her mother was ,
hive She cried and held her tight
Tor fear she would lose her A large
crowd gathered in the midway saw
he meeting and all the trainmen and
station men, who knew the story OF
he search. knew the mother had
.ound her child. They assisted the