The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-23
SHEPARDS COMBED
1000 CITIES FOR
PARENTS OF BOY
Foster Parents Took No
Chances Before Adopting
Cathedral Waif.
FEEL PROTECTED NOW
AGAINST IMPOSTORS

Ee,c,Itions were made yesterday Of
4 nstionv Ide search conducted under
the authorization of Mr.. and Mrs.
FINLEY !. Shepart for some trace of the
parentsg &c of John Doe 104. alias AUS
lin Mctleary," the f~our-year-old found
ing the legal formalities of whose adop-
ron by them was completed Thursday.
The search lasted several months, dur
ing which Mr.. and Mrs. Shepard were
given opportunity to study the boy and
his ways. and it resulted in failure. 1t
Sas only after these exhaustive pre-
cautions that the final step of the adop-
ton was take.
In this city the search Mas in charge
OF Walter X. Walker OF Leonard &
walker. the lawyers who represented
the Shcpards in the adoption proceed
!ngs. with him was working Joseph
NacGrcgor Mltcheson of Philadelphia,
IA general charge of the work elsewhere
In the country. A story of the nature
OF the work was given out in Philadel-
phia yesterday evening by Hampton G.
silcoN, a detective who was hired in
January to take 1t up.
school Teachers Gave Aid.
With the Shepard forces were work.
luks ds as ~ bC dbItl kdliltu. liz
Dolice forces OF the entire country. A
press campaign was instituted in many
cities and school teachers In most Of
the States were called in to aid. The
boz, when found in ST. Fatrick's Cathe-
dral. had mentioned '6S or 6S4 Broad
street and had said something about
Philadelphia as the place where he
nved. Consequently Philadelphia WAS
made tho centre OF the search. In add
ditlon "A collection was made OF all the
cities In the country. according to De-
tec,i'e Silcox's statement. where there
Vas a Broad or II sixth street and
careful canvass was carried on In each
OF these streets and surrounding blocks.
There we're over l,00V such cities.
One clue which the detectives thought
a. the time would prove successful car
ried them to California. then East. and
Anally back to California again. in the
end to prove fruitless.
I'VE have made every effort TO find
the boys parents" said Mr.. Shepard
when spoken 10 of the search yesterday.
and have been unsuccessful. Did you
ever prospect for gold? 1t has been like
thSt-panning. banning. panning-oncc in
q while a hope OF the metal. but In the
end nothing left but rock. That is what
such a search meant. What has been
done in Philadelphia and over the u
~ IL substantially, I assume what has
been done In New York. Notices have
from time to time appeared ia the
Papers. Mr.. Walker has. however. been
n charge Of the details. l do no, knov
about them"
Mr.. Wake when called Up last eve
aing refused TO discuss the New York
campaign. Everything had been done
that i, usually done IN such a s." he
said, and ! can only say that l m very
aell pleased with the results"
Bar tGainss IinpOstors.
Detective SilcoN in his statement in
Philadelphia ventured the opinion that
after so thorough and long continued an
Investigation any persons who might APP
pear pretending TO lie the boys parents
or brothers or sisters must be impostors,
Meanwhile the blue eyed. blond little
boy who does not realize the importance
Of III" papers that lay made him Finley
J. Shepard. Jr.. has been closely watched
b. the Shepards. He first came into the
shepard household on the visit which
auarautined him there with chickenpox
oy q chdnce which. Mr.. Shepard said
yesterday. did not have to be told.
we felt It was Il serious thing-it is
a scriris thing" said Mr.. Shepard in
the Missouri Pacific offices yesterday
afternoon. TO take a child into our
home and mako him BUR own. and this
vas rot done until we had tried the boz
n every way. We did our best TO find
lis parents and were unsuccessful We
nave had him examined and found him
~ be physically in rood condition. His
mind is unusually keen. We have salts
ned ourselves that he is healthy and
normal. We expect great things OF him,
lie II Called "%SOnny."
Yesterday morning little Finley J.
Shepard, Jr,. was seen leaving the bath
house on the estate at L~yndhurst. IT.
vington-on-Hudson. with Il governess
and one of Mrs. Frank Gould's children.
HIS eyes and hair, together with a very
attractive way Of talking. make him
entirely as lovable as he has been pic
tured by all those who came IN contact
with him when he was still John Doe l0t.
Following him from the b%athhouse
4 few minutes later came Mrs. Shepard,
who called him Sonny" and took him
~ the hand to walk with him to the
house, She begged to be excused from
any further comment, saying the papers
Gad 4 fair account of all there was to
u" t.id az this time.