The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-11-09
hist A WAIF OUT OF
THE GREAT NOWHERE
on UNKNOWN PARENTAGE BABE
MADE HEIR TO ONE OF AMER
ICA's GREAT FORTUNES.
fOlIND ON CATHEDRAL STEPS

!. lust a Blue-Eyed WIsP of Human
ity. But Fills Big Void in Big
sopIed Woman's Heart, the Former
Miss Helen Gould.
If is one of the tragedies OF life
shot many a great hearted woman
-.bose arms are empty and whose
boort vearns for the tiny morsel of
bumanity on which to outpour her
mother love, is denied the priceless
gift.
II is one of the bright spots of life
,.bon a sweet, winsome, healthful
child coming into the world and find
irg the heart that should open warm
at toward him closed with a stony
conference, comes into his rightful
heritage of some one to love him.
so it is with Helen Gould Shepard
ord little John Doe, "204." Helen
Could we know. Born to a heritage
. princess might envy, daughter OF
law Gould, whose railroad deals made
him one of the richest and most fear
al Of the fnanciers of the last gener-
aton. heiress of millions, whose sway
over railroad securities is we'll nigh
countrywide, she is the best loved
Of American philanthropists. Wealth
failed to spoil her and make her 9TH
or than a gracious woman. Forever
Giving of her wealth and of her love
for humanity her name is connected
with noble works and without num-
her, for it is only the greater of her
Gifts that become known. Silence
conceaIs the mum berless lesser gifts
she makes.
John Doe, "1O4," we have not had
+he Measure of knowing heretofore.
Now we shall know him as Finley j.
4 Shapard. Jr. He is the son on whom
& the great hearted Helen Gould may
lavish her affections. Until a few
n DAYS ago he was a nameless waif,
inst founding. known by his num-
Der "1O4." A policeman picked him
ND on the steps of st. Patrick's Cattle
81 draI in New York, a shapeless, sleep
"a ing bundle of humanity, September
12th 1914. He was then evidently
between 3 and years old. In his
baby prattle he told the officers of
81 the police station that he came from
Philadelphia, that his name was Aus
Ri tin NcCleary, and that he Lived at
6S4 or 6S Broad street in Penn
VI city. He told a rambling, changing
story of living amid COWS and chick
s. ems and then amid automobiles and
q Davements. Facts and fancy inter-
mingled so in the baby story that It
was useless. He said a bad boy had
stolen him and brought him to New
81 York but they never were able to
connect with his parents. They seem
& to be a mystery
In February John Doe, "1G4, was
guest of the Shepards, having been
taken from an institution at Dob0s
~ Ferry to visit them. While there he
had chicken-pox, just a slight attack,
but it was a fortunate sickness, be
cause it was while caring for him
that the great mother heart opened to
s the sunny-haired, good-natured child
& and this led finally to his legal adop-
y lion few days ago.
0, mercy, yes. They tried and
tried to find his folks. Learned law
Eers, the Gould lawyers, the men VINO
know all about railroad bonds and
kou0ons and transportation laws and
Z Interstate commerce, the wise law
ers with fine clothes and impressive
glasses and ponderOus wisdOm-1n
Zine, some of the best lawyers in New
ork-went to Philadelphia and
nade every effort to find folks who
ftted John Doe, "104." But every
ffOrt failed The men who could tell
he Shepards all about Missouri-Pa-
&iic bonds and coupons and things
couldn't solve the question OF the orr
4 N OF John Doe, "1O4.'
He is just a blue-eyed, light-haired
aft out of the nowhere come from
Pc somewhere, a mystery dropped
E Pom the clouds and left on church
cps the same as they leave them in
Nt tory books, and in the three reel
lovie melodrama. He is just heav-
n-sent ray of sunshine, almost as
Pod as if a stork and not a police
pan had brought him. He is as
onentity concealed beneath a num-
er becomes an entity; an heir to the
Would millions.
We took him. said Mrs. Sehpard,
because he's such lovable, teacha-
boy and because we have such
place up at IrvingtOn that it seem
to me, every time l looked about
as though children should be run
lg all over it all the time.
Yes there's been a big vacant
#ace at Irvington And there's been
big vacant space in a woman's
Bart
II Finley J. Shepard Jr., lives up