The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-21
1S-Year-Old Mother Tells Pitt
full Story to Officers.
AS Child She Learned To Trust
Alleged Betrayer.
SHE BARES LIFE'S TRAGEDY
Lived in Kansas City, Kan,
With Father of Infant.
Little Tot Brought Here at His
Direction, She Says.

Betrayed, she says. by her uncle,
disgraced at her home and apparently
fr1endless, Edna Waldren, mother of
the pretty blue-eyed baby left in the
Union Pacific station Tuesday after
noon broke into tears in the sheriff's
office today and told the whole sordid
story of her life. Her uncle is the
father of the baby, she declared, and
she came to Topeka from Kansas City
to rid herself of the child at his di-
rectioL.
The girl is only IS years of age
Her father is w. r. Waldren, a miner
living on rural route No. 1, Gladstone
MO For more than a year she has
been living with her uncle, Robert
Caldwell, her mothers brother, un-
der an assumed name at ~ James
street, Kansas City, Kan, according to
the story told to Hugh Larimer, sher-
iff, and Hugh Fisher, county attorney.
The sheriff has wired to Kansas
City and to Gladstone to verify her
story. Meantime. she will be held at
the county Jail and until her case is
settled the unfortunate child will be
kept at the county detention home.
The girl stuck to her first story
until this morning Confronted with
ability to prove any statement, she
broke into tears and told the story of
betrayal by her uncle. The girl is
pretty and fairly well dressed.
Her Story a Sad One.
Il lived at home with my folks all
! my life until fourteen months ago."
she said. My father lived just out
| lived just a short distance from US
and my uncle, who is 33 years of age,
| lived with my grandmother.
| Il can remember him ever since l
was a little girl. In those days L
played on his knees and he brought
and 1 learned to trust him as / would
my own parents and felt that every
thing he did for me was for my own
good.
| threw myself in his arms. About two
years ago things changed. We kept
| the disgraceful affair from my par
ents / had no difficulty in going to
my grandmother's home.
| Finally I was in trouble. We de-
/ cided to leave home He left first and
| in short time I was gone. We lived
as man and wife in Kansas City. He
went under the name of Robert James
and was a motorman for the street
railway company
Seven months ago our baby was
| born. I never wrote home. So far as
1 know they have never heard of the
| baby. We were always afraid some
| one some time would see US and we
would get into trouble.
Last Monday morning he left home
the same as usual. In two hours one
| of his friends knocked at the door
! and handed me a note 1t was from
| him He wrote that he had been ar
rested for his treatment of me and
| asked for some of his clothes
Advised Her to Abandon Baby.
i He also advised me to come to
| Topeka and leave the baby some
place. All my life 1 had obeyed his
| every command He ruled my every
action and / didn't hesitate minute
to obey him this time
| .'I sent out the clothes and packed
a suitcase, put the baby in my arms
and was in Topeka Monday night
registered at the Fifth Avenue hotel
that night as Mrs. A Berns. The
next day, Tuesday. l wandered aoou'
the streets, not knowing What TO &c
with the baby
II thought of going back to Kansas
City. At the same instant the idea
of leaving the child in the depot
| where it would be sure to be found 1T
a short time struck me. l inquired
about trains to Kansas City went
over to North Topeka and stopped al
a hotel across from the depot.
at rented a room. In the room, ]
opened my suitcase and took al the
baby's things out of 1t and put then
in a pillow case I found on the bed.
..Then 1 walked over to the station
land waited for the train Just as II
nulled in l walked into the waiting
room. laid the baby down. kissed 1t
pIaced its things by its side and rar
for the train
| '.The train had no more than pulled
out than I regretted it all and cried
nearly all the way to Kansas City. Bu'
1 didn't know what to do and deter
mined to go on and carry out my Other
plans, which were to obtain work ane
take care for myself as best I could
Still Loves Baby.
. She cried bitterly when Larimel
asked her if she still loved the chile
and wanted to see it.
| "Of course 1 love it, she said
What mother doesn't love her OWL
child?'
She was taken back to the count,
Jail A few hours are all Larimer be
Iieyes will be necessary to learn i
this last story is true
The police placed the baby in thu
/, hands of Mrs w. d. Bundy, matroI
at the detention home. and it will re
main there until a complaint is filet
with Probate Judge Ralph H. Cav
and he makes some ruling concernin,
. the baby's future home
Visits Her Baby
. After dinner, the girl began cryin
and insisted that she be taken to he
baby Consent was given by the sher
/ iff and his wife and Mrs. Abbott ma
tron at the Jail took the gir1-mothe
to the detention home.
When she saw the baby in the arm
of Mrs. Bundy the girl leaped fror
: the side of her guard" and grabbe
the child in her arms, covering it wit