Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-11-04
IDENTITY OF JOHN DOE
NO. 1O4 UNSOLyED
Closest Search United States
Has Ever Known Fails to
Reveal Trace Of Identity.


Finley Jay Shepard, Jr., four. before
he was adopted last week by Finley
J. Shepard and Mrs. Helen Gould
Shepard. when he became the pre-
sumptive heir to $50, 1000. 1000?
Not since the epoch Of the iron
mask has such impenetrable mystery
surrounded the identity Of human
being.
Mr.. Shepard doesn't know who the
boy was-or, If he does, he stead
tasty refuses'to tell.
Helen Gould Shepard doesn't know
who he was-or, If she does, she
likewise refuses any light.
Hampton G. Silcox. the Philadel-
phia detective who, backed by the
Gould millions, conducted world
wide search for the boys parents
that exceeded in scope the historic
hunts for Charlie Ross, Dorothy Ar
mold or Jimmie Glass, doesn't know
who he was. James MacGreg-
or Mitcheson, the Philadelphia at
torney, who acted for the Shepards,
and who secretly employed Silcox to
conduct the extensive search, doesn't
know who he was.
BOYS PAST is SECRET.
To-day every event behind the au-
tumn evening when the boy was
found on the steps of st. Patric's ca
thedral, bundled in rags, is shroud-
ed in uncertainty as silent as the
tomb.
THAT boy simply dropped from
Itthe Clouds" detective Silcox declar-
]ed in Philadelphia. He's like Tops
sy-he just growed." Then SilcoI
told the enhancing story of the part
he had played in the destiny Of the
newly-made little millionaire.
after John Doe. No. 104,' as he
was designated at the New York
children's society, had been found at
the cathedral door," Silcox said. "he
was closely questioned. He men,
toned either No. 60 Sixth street. or
No. 684 Broad street. This fact
caused the search for his parents to
radiate from Philadelphia. We COM
menced by making systematic
search Of Broad street. Philadelphia.
and when this yielded nothing.
searched every house on the side
streets for five miles off Broad.
A NATIONWIDE SEARCH.
calling here, we obtained the
names of every town in America in
which there was Broad street or a
Sixth street. Our list exceeded a
thousand and our men combed every
Broad and Sixth street in America
with the utmost care. Circulars
bearing the boys description and
history of his finding was posted in
every schoolhouse in the eastern part
of the United States. The lad had
told officers at the children's society
that he was Austin McCleary,' so
we saw that every school child in the
country heard this name.
1.-The postal department, through
mail carriers, rural delivery men and
inspectors conducted systematic
search to discover a home that would
answer the description of the one
that John Doe, No. 1884, told about
Never in the history of The Ameri-
can police was such a search made.
We were backed by unlimi' ed funds
although at the time | did not
know that our FORTUNES purse was
the Gould millions nd had in, trl :
tions to spend any amount of money
necessary.
1T was evident from the first that
ne had been brought up alone. Toys
Of all sorts did not seem new to him
" although they amused him might
lily. But with human playmates it
was different. Boys and girls his
own age were marvels to him. And
icy delighted him more than the
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