Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-03-08
THE
FOUNDING
By ELINOR MARSH

| childless. Mrs. Redmond especiaiiy
longed for a little one to care for ana
/ TO love. anh her husband, whose active
life did not seem to require it. was dis
/ appointed on his wife's account.
One evening there was ring at the
| Redmond bell. Mrs. Redmond went to
/ the door and there found a basket. Un-
/ der a soft. warm blanket lay baby
l boy fast asleep. Taking up the bas-
| ket, she carried it into the house. re-
| moved the child and made an exami-
| nation of everything that might fur
| nish a clew to it's identity. But there
/ was no clew
For seven years the Redmonds gave
>the little fellow everything to make
him comfortable and happy. Then one
day he disappeared.
Frank-they had named him Fran
/ cis-was playing on the sidewalk when
| gentleman approached him and,
after asking him where he lived and
| the name of his parents, told him that
if he would go with him around the
l corner he would buy him some candy.
Frank consented. and as soon as they
were out of sight OF Franks home he
was put into carriage and driven
away.
When the boy was missed his foster
parents believed that he had been kid
naped by some one who would apply
for ransom. They had saved some
money and expected to pay it over for
the boy but no demand was ever made.
nor was lie returned to them.
Frank was taken to the home of the
man who had kidnapped him and from
there to an Office in big building
The boy noticed on the door of the
office the word Surrogate" but he did
not know what it meant.
This is Thomas Barton Clarke"
said the kidnaper. 'sole heir-at-law to
the estate of his grandfather. William
Cook"
Frank heard the man beside the desk
say to the kidnaper that he was ap-
pointed guardian. and $1,000 year
would be paid from the income Of the
estate for the child's maintenance.
Frank grew to manhood under the
care of this guardian. who pocketed
the sum put aside for the boys sup
port. When Frank came of age he
suspected that his guardian. who was
now dead, had doubtless kidnapped him
and kept him in his possession to Sc
cure this income. Frank had a dim
remembrance of his foster father and
mother. but had no idea who they
were. He learned that his possession
of the estate he had Inherited had been
disputed and that the evidence of his
identity, trumped up by his guardian,
was very thin and would have been
contested by other claimants had they
had means to do so.
But now that the estate was about
ants dubbed together and brought suit
to prevent his having it OH the ground
that he was not Thomas Barton Clarke.
Meanwhile an evil fortune Defell Ed
ward Redmond. He lost his savings
by an unfortunate investment and was
taken i'll. Doctors bills and cutting
Off of income through being laid up
impoverished him, and he and his wife
were on the border of starvation.
One morning Mrs. Redmond Cook up
a newspaper to examine the advertise
ments. hoping to find something that
l she could do TO earn money. though
she was really too old to ill any but
light position. when her eyes fell
upon one asking for information con
| cerning IL couple who had brought up
from habyhood to about seven years of
| age Thomas Barton Clarke.
Mrs. Redmond had never heard Of
/ Thomas Barton Clarke but it occurred
l to her that he and the baby who had
been lett at her door and whom she
had called Frank might be one and the
same person. She told her husband of
her suspicion. but he poo-poOhed her
l for her rainbow hope. However, she
wrote an answer to the advertisement.
The next morning Frank drew up be.
| fore the house where he had lived as
child. The street looked familiar
He rang the Redmond bell. aud an old
woman came to the door. 1t seemed
to Frank that he had seen her before
somewhere i'll the dim past. She was
gazing upon him as in dream.
Il have il note in answer to an ad.
| vertiSement for
Frank" exclaimed the woman then
fell into his arms
From that moment it all came back
to Frank. He WAS taken to his foster
father. whom lie remembered dimIy
But he remembered his play room and
just where he had kept his rocking
horse and other articles of amusement
His foster mother had kept the basket
in which he had been left at the house
with its contents of bedding and cloth
ing, and she brought it out for Frank
inspection
BY means of these articles Frank sue
ceeded in establishing his identitv as
Thomas Barton Clarke, but only as d
link in other evidence and after q
/ great deal of searching Tho h.ska,