The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-02-09
Multi-millionaire ScOrns >Ostracism for Youth
Adopted by Him as Son After Murder Trial
BY JOSEPHINE VAN DE GRIFT
NEA Service staff Writer !

i
! Convent, n. j., Feb. 9.-Monell
Sayre, 4S-year- old bachelor and many
times 4 millionaire, has just adopted
as his son and made heir to his mil
lions, a 16year- old boy upon whose
head two years ago rested the stig-
ma of murder.
ut may be the one thing | have
lived for" he says and thus does this
bachelor, millionaire, churchman
characterize his act in giving refuge
to boy whom his native city of
Madison, N. j., was prosecuting.
The boy is Francis Kluxen. Bird
henceforth to be known as Francis
kluxen Sayre. He is tall and awk-
ward with the Qngainliness of youth
but his mouth has an ingenious smile
and his eyes are an untroubled blue.
1t was two years ago that the little
city Of Madison, N. j., was stirred by
the brutal murder of 11-year- old
Janet Lawrence. Twenty knife
wounds were found on the child's
body, the deed, apparently, of man.
lac.
Accuse Francis
But tangible clues to the murderer
were lacking. The public rage, de-
termned to see punishment done,
finally settled on Francis Kluxen,
then Ia years old. These were the
counts against the lad:
The Kluxen home was near the
woods where Janet's body was found.
A handkerchief was found In the
woods which bore stitching similar
to that on Francis handkerchief.
The wounds on the childs body
might have been made with kl ife
similar to the Boy Scout knife which
Francis carried.
Presented with such evidence as
this two grand juries refused to in
dict the boy. Then gardener by
the name of Frank Jancarek was
arrested, tried and acquitted.
Following this Francis was arrest
ed. The jury acquitted him in 20
minutes.
II knew didn't do it and they
couldn't prove I did, SO why worry?"
said Francis, and after that all
should have gone we'll, But
Francis Kluxen's father, a>man in
humble circumstances, had used his
all to defend the boy. He is today
without a job.
School children gathered in little
groups and pointed their fingers at
Francis. There was no money to
send him to school outside the COM
munity.
People passed him with averted
faces.
One day when Francis was stand
ing with three companions on lawn
shots were fired at him from a pass
ing automobile.
That was when Mcneil Sayre, ex-
ecu(ive vice president of the Pension
Fund Of the Episcopal Church of
America and millionaire vestryman
of the Grace Episcopal Church of
Madison, entered upon the scene. He
invited the boy to spend few days
at his home in Convent which lies
just outside Of Madison.
'Thc boy was being prosecuted"
says Sayre, "and l took him into my
home to protect him.
The days heightened into 1S
months. The millionaire and his
cousins, Mr.. and Mrs. Friend Pitts,
learned to love the boy. Sayre took
him to England where Francis had
tea with the Archbishop of Canter-
bury and made friends with British
statesmen.
ScOrned At Church
|, Back home again Sayre took meas
urcs to adopt the boy. Probably three
lines in newspaper would have
been all that the world would. ever
Ehave known about it if it hadn't been
that Francis, who is Catholic, eject
ed to attend services couple of
Sundays ago at Grace Episcopal
Church, the church of his foster
father.