Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-07
DIES MONIES POLICE HEAD FOlIS
HIS OFFICER IN PECULIAR
EPISODE.
MOTHER SOUGHT FOR
KIDNAPPING OWN CHILD
Chief Crawford Aids Her to Escape to
St. Joseph, Mo-, Where She Is Safe
From Iowa Observation-Disclosures
Between Father, Mother and Grand
parents Over ChiId's Custody.

Des Moines, Oct Mrs. Grace M.
Wilkins is safe in ST. Joseph, Mo, to-
day with her 6-year- old son Gail.
A warran. charging Mrs. Wilkins
with kidnapping her own child lies on
the captains desk at police headquar-
tiers here No one will touch it.
E. G. Wilkins, the boys father, his
attorney, {. H. Miller, and his mother,
Mrs. c. Dawson, of 1911 Eighth street,
are trying TO figure out just what hap
pened in the wild scene in which they
figured yesterday when the mother
took her little boy from them by force
and fed.
Working Against Each Other.
Most of all the police and detec-
tievs are puzzled and chagrined. For
while detectives We're trying TO guard
the mother the police were guarding
the railroad stations TO stop her
and
Chief Crawford, unknown to any OF
them. vas quietly slipping her out Of
the city.
II began at 1880 O'Clock yesterday
morning. Mr.. and Mrs. Dawson were
eating thei, lunch. They are the grand
parents of Gail Wilkins, the wide-eNeo
boy over whom the struggle ragged yes
rerday.
The boys mother and father are not
living together Mrs. Wilkins is max
ing her home with her father in st.
Joseph. He is said to have consider
able property.
Divorce Suit Pending
Mrs. Dawson the grandmother, con-
tends she has legally adopted Gail. Al
any rate, Mrs Wilkins now has suit
for divorce from Wilkins pending IN
the Missouri court.
Last May Wilkins went to st Joseph
10 borrow their son. Mrs. Wilkins
was i'll. The father swore he would
keep the lad only three or four days,
Mrs. Wilkins said yesterday.
But the mother did not see her boy
again until yesterday when the Daw-
sons were at lunch and then she
started the nelodrama.
Mr.. and Mrs. Dawson heard knock
at the door. A cab stood in the street
in front of the house. Before either
could answer the knock. woman.
! thickly yelled, entered the room WIN
| a strange man. The man started 10
/ presen. bit Of paper on which some
/ thing was scrubbed to Dawson.
| snatches Boy and Runs.
I Suddenly the yelled wonan-Mrs
| w;lkins-snatched up Gail and ran
| from the house, followed by her mEs-
\ terious companion and the Dawsons.
i Mrs. wilkins and the boy dashed
to police headquarters. Chief of De-
/ tecttves Macdonald said he would not
interfere with her leaving. With De-
| tective Tom Petit she went into Chle1
! Crawford's office.
Crawford telephoned to the Great
{ Western train dispatcher that WON
/ an and a little boy would board the
| noon train in the South Des Moines
| yards.
1 see that the conductor gets her
! on all right" instructed the chief Then
| he sent Petit with the woman in the
4 taxicab to the yards at the outskirts
| Of the city. Later Petit put her safe
| lv on the train and babe her gooc
/ journey.
! Try to Stop Her.
| While this was happening Mrs. DaW-
| son was not resting. She telephoned
her son Wilkins, and Wilkins and his
! tore THaaiy to- the Union sra
| ton to head his family off
| Then Mrs. Dawson telephoned the
police.
1t was noon. Train time was but
few minutes off. Captain Brownsor
| ignorant of the part the chief was
playing in the drama and not know
| ing either the disposition of the Chief
| Of detectives, hastily put his mer
on watch at the railroad stations with
descriptions of the mother and chile
I but without result,
Even then they did not give up. Mrs
Dawson went to police headquarters
and tried to swear out warrant
against Mrs Wilkins charging her witt
kidnapping.
The police court clerk would no
swear it out without seeing the adop'
ton papers. Wilkins left and came
back an hour later with what APP
1TT1nX~T~