The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-17
USED : JIMMY GLASS;
TO BOOM THE TOWN
Oklahoma Boosters Made a Holiday
and Had Band to Greet Jersey
City Parents.
BIG IYNcHrNG PLANNED, TOO
Cobbler who Has Won Wealth Was
TO Died as a Kidnapper Had Boy
Been the One Sought.


New York, Ang. 1s.--Mr. and Mrs.
! Charles Glass returned to Jersey CITY
Yesterday and told of the fruftiess
"trip they had made to Norman, Okla,
| in quest of their lost boy, James.
According to Mr.. Glass. more tnan
| a week ago they received a letter from
Robernf n. Melior, in Norman, saying
he had read Governor Williams pro-
cIamation about the missing child. a
proclamation which every governor In
the country made at the request OF
! Mrs Glass and asserting that he hao
little Jimmy Glass at his house In
Norman. He inclosed pictures and
description which Tailed so closely
/ with the appearance of the boy that
Mr.. and Mrs. Glass felt that their long
search was to be rewarded.
Mr.. and Mrs Glass arrived in Nor
man last Wednesday morning. While
! on their way. the Jersey City police
| communicated with City Marshal
Pledger. OF Norman. and ne ana
Mayor Lindsay, of that town, went to
Mellor's house to see the child. But
Mellor refused to admit them. declar-
| ing that they had come to rob him
/ of the 1900 reward which Mrs. Glass
| had offered. Pledser then went to
County Judge Wolf and got writ of
| habeas corpus for the boy.
| Town Turns Out With Band.
When the father and mother got to
Norman they were met by the marshal
and escorted TO his house. where their
supposed son was in nominal custody
| of Sheriff Packard. To their surprise
| the entire town OF Norman was gath
cred about the door. flags were wav-
| ing. the fire department was there,
ar.i a band wah tuning Its instruments
| for a triumphal march.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Glass found a boy who
was indeed the image Of the missing
| James. except for a few marks. but
before they left they were made aeso-
| lutely positive that he was not their
son. The child had a birthmark on
| the right temple that little Jimmy
! Glass did not have. also his teeth were
set further apart. and there were other
/ marks which showed he was not the
| lost child
When questioned as to his identity,
| he replied only: II am Jimmy Glass.
I am Jimmy Glass" but would say
nothing farther.
/ When asked woh his father was, he
| said II have no father" He had
two mothers. he said. big one and
little one.
When Mr. and Mrs. Glass became
/ convinced that he was not their son,
| Mr.. Glass turned to a citizen and
asked why the people had all come
to the marshafs house.
| why" said the man, leading
merchant, 1.-THE day you were expected
10 identify your child was declared a
| legal holiday. We have prepared for
a great celebration with fireworks and
/ speeches Everybody in town con-
tributed something. l., myself gave
J 500 towards the festival. It's good for
/ the town"
j BY more questioning Mr.. Glass
| learned that even IL he had found
/ the boy to be his own. he would have
/ been eternally sorry IL he had identi-
! fled him then. Besides it's holiday,
/ the people had decided to lynch Mellor
as the kidnapper of the boy, according
| to the merchant. He even showed
| Mr.. Glass a tree wherein several sub
! yerters of the towns law and order
had been hung. and the people were
| becoming suspicious of Mellor.
! Robert Norman Mellor had come to
/ Norman twelve years ago with $40 In
his pocket and had taken up his resi-
dence In the town as a shoe cobhlef
Now he has two houses, $4,000 in the
bank and modern machinery in hts
shop. He'is married, but being child
less has at various times taken care
| of little boys. He has three besides
| the one WHO was tdhcH ioI JaAhSe
| Glass One of them died recently
of blood poisoning from a cut re-
ceived in fall. The other two. lad
of nine and one of five, are living
with Mellor.
/ Mellor said that a woman had
brought the boy, who he thought was
/ Jimmy Glass, to his house on July 4
/ and he produced a letter mailed a,
Wichita Falls. Tex. and dated August
4 ., purporting to be from Mrs. Al
1 baugh. The letter says the writer
had read in the papers of the Glass
trip to Norman, and she wanted 1t un-
derstood that the boy In question
is her son. His name is Karl. she de-
/ ciared. and she wanted him to be
legally adopted by the Mellors. She
promises to come to Norman as soon
as she has enough money and can
make the arrangements.
/ Town Suspicious OF MelIof.
The townspeopie say Mellor has
Il never legally adopted any Of the chill