The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1916-02-10

states that a man apparently
day, and having very young bohy
hey gave her a room where she
Gould care for it until the evening
train to Wahpeton on the Milwau-
gee. This man, when he engaged
taxi from w. H. Doyle to send
the woman to the Children's Home
told him he was ''brother of the
young woman" He did not come
to the Home. She represented to
me that her husband was killed
when her baby was two days old
Just the same story the report
er got, except that her brother"
who was coming on the Milwau-
kee freight, was seventeen years
ofd. She told Captain Buyer he
was ten years old. She did not
come to the Home to give her baby
away, but said she desired to have
us board it so she could work out.
She was informed that the Homo
has no room for boarding child
rem for private parties, as all our
aSailable dormitory space is used
for children who are here for ad.
option or as wards of the juve.
1ale courts of the state. l told her.
however, that there were several
licensed baby boarding houses in
tnwn. and directed her to inquire
Of Mrs. Simon Fraser. l also told
her that if she found herself un-
able to secure private board for
the child, and fell obliged to give
it away for adoption, to come back
and I would gladly assist her in
fining a good home for it.
In telling me of the death of
her husband only a little over two
weeks previous, she showed not a
trace of grief, and even smiled.
which aroused my curiosity.
aSked her where her child was
horn and what doctor attended
her, and she replied, ''Dr. Devine,
at his hospital i'm Wahpeton. and
he also took care of my husband
when he died there when my baby
was only two days old" asked if
she was willing to have me call
hsi44s by phone, and she replied,
l"Not SO far as I am concerned"
startedIto do so, when she sud
denly remembered that the taxi
was waiting for her, and that she
had to meet her brother at the
train in a few moments, but that
+, if she Gid not get board for the
baby at Mrs. Fraser's she and her
brother would call after supper.
She took the infant with her.
Mr.. Doyle informs me that his
driver took her directly to the
Milwaukee depot, where the ga
year-old brother" was waiting
for her, and: that they and thn
baby went south on the Milwau-
kee, as they had told the clerk at
The Gardner they intended to do.
] called up the Fargo police de-
partment and Desk Sergeant Tiet..
gems phoned the Wahpeton police
who sent an officer to the Milwau-
kee train to trail them. He follow
ed them to the Merchants hotel
where they registered as Mr.. and
Mrs. Sinclair. My inquiries ended
there.
You can draw your own conclu-
Sions as to the truth of her state
ments. Had the woman desired to
place the baby in the Home for
adoption, | would have made an
emergency arrangement with her,
but she distinctly stated she dia
not desire to give the child away,
hut wished to board it. My OWL
belief is that she thought she
could get il off her hands i'm that
way, and skip out with the ''bro-
ther" who brought her To the
Gardner.
In my fourteen years as super
imtendent, no case that consid-
cred worthy of assistance has
been turned down here, and never
will be, though it may be neces-
sary to proviGk for the child in
some other institution or regular
hospital, where there would be n"
danger of infection to our, wards.
Owing to lack of accommoda-
tions for boarding babies, we must
almost daily refer such inquiries
to the various licensed baby board
ing houses in Fargo or to St.
Johns Orphanage. We endeavor
to find somewhere and somehow
a satisfactory solution for every
case of children in need that
comes before us. But We do not
propose to sit still and have the
Home criticised unjustly. This
story could have been told very
differently had any attempt been
made to verify it through us.
There are always two siCes to ev-
cry story, and il is easy to believe
sensational stories. when a more
just method would be to hear all
sides.
F. D. HALL,
Snpt. North Dakota Children
Home Society.
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