The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-02
2-Weeks-Old Child Abandoned
at 21O Van Buren Street.
1t Was Left Crying in Small
PastebOard Box.
POLICE CAN find NO CLUE
Evident That Mother Watched
8 To See 1t Was Found.
1t Took Four Hours for Police
To Answer Call.

A tiny baby boy. evidently between
two and three weeks old, was aban-
doned early this morning under win
dow in the yard of the residence of
P. D. Mueller, pastor of the st. Johns
Lutheran church, 210 Van Buren,
street. The child, when found, was in
a pasteboard box and its clothing con-
tanned no mark or clue to its identity.
Faint cries-baby cries-awakened
Mueller shortly after 3 o'clock this
morning. Thinking that the disturb
ance was being made by his own baby,
Mueller investigated, but found his
own child slumbering quietly in its
crib. The minister went to the back
door and heard the tiny voice again.
This time he located it under the win
dow. He found the infant in the yard,
near a window, its little hands pulling
weakly at a piece of clothing. A bot
tie, containing a small amount of milk,
lay in the box beside the infant
Police Fail to Investigate.
Chances of bringing the person or
persons who abandoned the infant to
justice have apparently been lost ow-
ing to the failure of the police to in
vestigate the case promptly. Mueller,
Immediately upon discovery of the
child shortly after o'clock this morn
ing called the police station even be-
fore ne brought the tiny castavay into
| home. No investigation was made
at least no plain clothes man or po-
llicemen appeared at the Mueller home
until after o'clock this morning. The
Muellers cared for the baby until
that time.
Had the police answered the call
promptly. it is evident that some sue
cess would have resulted from their
efforts. After calling the station Muel-
Ter and the women folks in the home
carried the baby indoors. At that time
a shawl was noticed hanging on the
yard fence. A half hour later a light
tyas seen to flash near a window of the
! residence and around in the yard.
After that the shawl could not be
found. The police also failed to notify
the sheriff's office and ask for that
departments cooperation.
Some One Was Watching.
Some time after they had been no.
titled the police called Miss King, well
fare worker, and asked her to con-
duct an investigation. This she
promptly did, but her notification
came after the shawl was removed.
The persons who removed tie shawl
were evidently watching to see that
, the infant was safely found. Frank
S. Harbaugh, chief of police, said this
morning that he did not know the
reason for the investigation being I've
lated. 'I do not know if there was
no one here to do it or not" he said.
Miss King and members of the
Mueller family made minute eXa'nl-
nation of the child and its clothing.
The clothing was cheap but clean.
There was not a mark about tile box
or clothing to identify the baby or
it's parentage. Footprints in the yard
and around the place where the box
was left were too indistinct to tell
whether it was a man or woman who
abandoned the child according to Ed
Ransom, plain clothes man, who
visited the scene this morning.
Following her investigation, Miss
King took the child to the detention
home and placed it in the care of
Mrs. w. D. Bundy, matron.
The child needs clothing" said
Miss King. 1--WE would appreciate any
gift of baby clothes that anyone might
care to make"
The infant is pretty and in the best
of health. Altho cheap, the clothing
was found across the street, was
clean.
First Gift This Afternoon.
The plight of the little castaway
has aroused the widest sympathy from
, Topekans and others, since the story
of it's abandonment was printed in the
State Journals noon edition S. v.
Reeves, office manager for the west
1 ern lines of the Santa Fe railway at
| Amarillo. Tex, who is in Topeka to-
/ day, read the story with its plea from
! Miss King for clothing for the infant
! His own baby died about two weeks
ago and he lost but little time in buy
! ing considerable amount of baby
apparel. Then he called at the State
Journal office and asked the way to
he datn ion n