The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-21
All Facts of Unnatural Act In
His Possession.
"FOr Humanity's Sake" How
ever, He VIII Not Talk.
SOME ONE FACES JUSTICE
Abandonment A Is a Serious
Crime i'm This State.
Little Lady Found on Roadside
Wanted by Many.


abandoned baby girl found on the Sill
yer Lake road Wednesday is known
and something is going TO happen
Up to the present time the identity
of the mother and the facts surround-
ing the abandonment are known only
to Hugh Larimer, sheriff and two 9TH
ers. Everyone is sworn to secrecy for
the present and Larimer is standing
pat.
Il have all the facts in my possess
sion, said the sheriff today. II am
not trying to protect anybody and shall
not, but for the present l refuse alb
solutely to divulge the name of the
baby's mother or to tell any other
facts that would lead to her identity
or that of the baby
Nor would Larimer explain why he
refused to tell, other than that it 10
for the sake of humanity
The information came to the sheriff
as result of the story of the finding
of the baby told in Thursdays State
Journal. woman called him by tele-
phone and asked to make an appoint
ment with him, stating that she pos
sessed information he should have.
Il met her by appointment" said
LaTlmer today, and she gave me the
| lnformation-aH of it. That's aI I
| am going to say now
Withholds All Information.
Mr. Larimer refused to tell whether
or not the mother and child belong in
| topeka, whether or not the mother is
| married or to answer any other ques-
ton that would clear the matter up.
"FH tell you this much additional."
he said. THE people 1 have COM
municated with want the baby. 1 am
| not going to give it to them. 1 re-
| fused, pointblank and am going to
turn it over to the probate court to
do with as it sees fit. I'll add also.
that the baby comes from a decent.
respectable family. And that's all I
| will tell, absolutely
/ Somebody placed the baby where
| il was found with all its baby clothes
| whether the mother or someone else.
| Intent to abandon" is a crime in
Kansas. The persons who were i'm
plicated in the abandonment are clear
ly guilty of intent to abandon" and
under the Kansas statutes that is pun
ishable by a fine of not less than $3.50
| or imprisonment for not less than one
year or both fine and imprisonment.
| No recent development in or around
Topeka has stirred the people of the
city as has the desertion of the inno-
cent little girl baby. Thursday even
ing following the publication of the
| story in the State Journal the te1e-
phone at the sheriff's residence rang
constantly and practically every call
| was relative to the baby.
| Many to See Child.
There were eleven people at the sher-
ifrs residence at one time during the
evening wanting to see the child and
wanting to know all about it. Prob
4 ably twenty-five called during the
evening.
i At 10 o'clock Thursday evening ten
applications for the baby had been re-
ceived-ten people had asked that
they be considered as prospective fos-
ter parents. Several names on the list
hn first 70 mil Of To
peka.
The first person who called with
adoption in mind was a man who had
lost a little daughter.
| II haven't been home and haven't
talked with my Wife, he said over the
telephone. but 1 wanted to be early.
1 want that little girl and il my wife
will agree we want to adopt her
I'VE lost our little girl several years
ago and 1 never have gotten over IT,
To this day / get out her little play
| things every few days and look them
over. Don't give that little baby away
until 1 have had chance TO see her
and talk with you
That man is a business man in To-
peka.
There were numerous other applica-
tions for the little unknown but none
: touched the same chord as that ap-
peal from heart-broken father. Sew
eral of the applicants were young mar
ried women with no children. But
half a dozen of them were women
} who have families of their own ana
want the little girl merely because OF
her apparent cold-blooded desertion
by the natural parents.
Little Girl Doing Well
/, Maybe there were extenuating cir
cumstances in connection with the
. abandonment on the roadside but the
natural mother would have a difficult
time explaining herself to the matrons
| who have cudd1ed the baby and sought
. its adoption from the sheriff. She.
, its father or anyone who might have
been connected with the dessrtion
would fare badly at their hands
, The little unnamed and unknown
girl is doing well today. Mrs. Larf-
: mer. altho she already has three
, youngsters of her own, has found time
and place for her She is experiment.
j ing with different foods to take the
place of the natural nourishment the
child was undoubtedly accustomed to
before the abandonment. Mrs. Larf-
mer isn't at all anxious to have the
matter cleared up and the baby taken
away.
4