The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-25
NATHAN CAPLIN,
four CHILDREN !.
ARE REUNITED.


Mother Dies In Russia.
In the home Of Nathan Caplin
sos Sixth street, last week, was I'M
folded the final chapter In one Of
the most sensational tales Of human
life yet recorded. The denouemen.
came after Is years Of strife, tor
ture and poverty on the one hand
and love, faith, suspense and de-
termination on the other.
Nathan Caplin and his four chill
dren are reunited and they feel
amply compensated for having suf-
fered the long years of their sepa-
ration.
Pathos and tragedy are predomi-
mating elements woven into the
human drama which covered a per-
100 OF Is years. During that time
NJ Caplin's children were scat
tered over Russia and he was in
America. None knew the where
abouts of the others. For Is years
the father strove to get trace of
his children and have them come
to America. Failure beset him on
every hand. His efforts were
fraught with hardships. Well
meaning friends in America sought
to discourage him in what seemed
to be a hopeless task. Yet his
faith never dwindled. Even when
he was swindled repeatedly by Rus
sian officials the determined father
did not lose spirit, but saved more
money with which to continue the
search.
His reward came when Rosa
Caplin, Sam Caplin, Sol Caplin,
Dave Caplin, a friend of the family,
but not blood member of it; and
Mr.. and Mrs. Ben Mittner, Mr. Cap
Inns married daughter and her
husband, Joined hands in the Cap
lin home last week. The party
came from Russia together.
Search Is Costly.
Mr.. Caplin has been in the black
smith shop at the John Deere Pillow
works, Moline, since 1911. During
that time he has become an excel
lent smith, and his services are
highly priced by his employers. All
this time he has conducted his
search for his children, separated
in the Russian revolution in 1919
and 1920. He has spent thousands
of dollars and has paid back one
large loan, $4,000, in this search.
Mr.. Caplin left his family in their
home in the town of Kiev in 1907.
Then there were the mother and
the four children. All went well
with them. The father had en-
ployment and was succeeding in his
new home and the plan was that the
entire family should come to the
United States.
Then came the war and later the
uprisings in the Russian empire
Bands of maurauders swept over
the country, robbing the inhabit-
ants and smutilating stheir bodies,
One day they came to Kiev.
Sweeping through the town they
left blood and destruction in their
wake.
Shrieks of horror, means CT
pain accompanied them, greeting
them on every hand. At last they
came to the house next door to the
Caplin home.
In mutilating their victims these
desperadoes cut off ears, noses and
cut out tongues. The cries of the
tortured were too much for Mrs.
Caplin. She ran out of doors and
across the snow-covered roads and
fields. She was terror-stricken.
Miles and miles it seemed that she
ran until from terror and heart
failure she dropped dead by the
roadside.
The raid on kiev resulted in the
separation of the Caplin children,
the oldest of whom was II years of
age and the youngest, Sol, was T..
Then began long wanderings over
Russia, the details of which even
their father does not know. On the
whole they Jared we'll, compared
with the fate which befell many
others.
Children Located.
Early in 1920 Russian doctor
appeared in New York and adver-
tised to Russians in this country
that he would aid Russians in the
United States to get their relatives
in the old country across the bor-
ders of Russia and into America.
Mr.. Caplin, who had not heard from
his children for months and being
distracted by the rumors coming
out of the homeland, applied to the
Russian doctor.
Then followed a long series of
negotiations in which the cupidity
of the Russians became manifest.
After long investigation the four
children were located: Lena in a
village between Kiev and Odessa,
Sam in Vladivostok, Sol in odessa
and Rosa in a little village in the
Ukraine.
Then came the trouble of getting
them out of that country into Rou-
mania, where preparations for their
trip to this country might be made.
Time and again they were brought
to some provincial frontier where
some pettiny official had to be
bribed. In all the father has spent
81 900 in his quest. At one time,
drained of funds, he borrowed $500
against the advice Of all who knew
him. This he has paid back with
interest. -.
Finally the family, early this
wear. was collected. Mr.. Caplin
l;.b1,, 90 tho Russian who