Evening star., 1924-11-04
R0SHEKLADH HEARS
STARTLING TALES
Boy Becomes Grass Orphan
and Wonders What Has
Happened to Parents.
By Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
NEW YORK, November 4-Four-
teen-year-old Franklin Roshek. who
disappeared from his home here last
September, is turning into what
might be called a grass orphan" Out
of the happy family life which sur
rounded him until a few short weeks
ago has grown situation which
makes him feel as though he had no
parents at all.
His mother and father are alive. In
fact, he's living with his father, and
his mother comes to see him now and
then--she has left his fathers home.
But every day in court he. sits and
listens while his mother tells the
world that his father is no fit guar
dian for him-that he had : had
Franklin spirited away from home a
month ago and pretended the boy
had been kidnapped. while he looked
coldly on her aching mothers heart
and so she seeks a separation, ALI
mony and counsel fees
Listens in Court.
And every day in court he listens
to his father insist his mother is no
lit guardian for him-cha rging a tall
handsome man has been too friendly
with her for the past six months, and
so he wants divorce.
few weeks ago young FRANKLIN
used to kiss his mother and father
each morning before he went TO school
and watch them standing together In
The window as they waved him on his
way. At night he came home and
there was happy dinner and an eve
nlng talking, laughing and playing. as
they helped him with his studies.
Then one day he disappeared. ran
away or was kidnapped: he will not
tell outsiders which. Some members
of the police department who carried
on the search for him say that he ran
away, with little cash in his pocket,
10 seek thrills and adventure, and
that the telephone call from Wash
mgton to his father. which took his
rather there TO get him last week, was
inspired because he had grown weary
OF shifting for himself Others say
the theory Mr.. Roshek advanced all
me time the boy was gone--that he
had been stolen by a hunchback-fs
the correct one.
Search Seemed Vain.
The search was wide. For a month,
while she wondered if her boy were
dead, Mrs. RoShek bordered on COL
lapse, and Roshek himself made fran
tic excursions to police Headquarters
urging keener hunt
Now Franklin is home again His
father and mother hardly speak to
each over. The smiles they used to
snare are gone. They are making
cruel accusattons-makin them pub
lic1y in court
The other day, when Franklin went
TO court for the first time, detectives
prevented his mother from rushing to
ms side. Mrs. Roshek, who had not
seen her boy for more than a month
was apparently heartbroken-but H. o
mad heard what she said of his dad.
and shared none of her grief. When
asked to pose for a photograph with
her, he shrugged his shoulders and
walked away.
When his mother made her last
visit to the home, she emerged weep-
ing bitterly. My son was yery dis
tant,' she said. He would have moth
ing to do with me. He has been alien
ated His affection for me is gone.'
Franklin's father is being very Kind
to him. He showers him with com
forts of the kind he did not have that
month that he was gone from home.
He smiles at him and pats him on the
mead, and offers to help with his
studies. The boy loves him, he saws,
as he loves his mother-but he can
not understand what can possess
these two to be so bitter toward each
other. He cannot feel that they are
his parents.
And so he is grass orphan"
Wednesday, when Justice Davis de-
cides which parent shall be his
guardian, will tell the fuller tale.
Franklin would give $1,000, if he had
it, to have back the month he spent
away from home, before the trouble
came.