| Show MOTHER FINDS SON YEAR S tf L pI y 4 2 T j i iV V 0 4 4 I MRS FANNIE HALSTEAD JOHN A AMES AtIES Mother and son who are reunited a fter separation of half a century MRS 1 t FANNIE HALSTEAD 74 years old of No 9 Morris court who for fourteen years has been con connected conn n with the tile Salvation Army In Salt Lake cried Hallelujah with Joyous zest at t j J street meeting of the army arm last night She Is without a doubt the I happiest woman In Salt Lake And I every mother In the city will agree that she has good and sufficient reason to tobe tobe tobe be happy i Fiftysix years ago in the then small smalltown smalltown smalltown town of Muscatine Ia la there was born to Mrs Halstead by her first husband a boy When the little fellow was 3 years old his father died TWO years later according to her story she mar married married ried ned R B James Roberts in the town ot of Riverside Ia la Shortly afterwards they disagreed Mrs Sirs Halstead who has since married for the third time says that through a conspiracy entered Into between her second husband and his brother Bert Monroe Roberts her little littleson littleson son John A Ames who was then 6 years old was and she has never seen her boy from that day to this I While soliciting funds for the Salva Salvation Salvation tion Army Arm home and foreign missions during week she accident accidentally accidentally accidentally ally heard of a John A Ames a pros prosperous prosperous prosperous Kansas City business man She I wrote a letter and to her great Joy found the man who Is now 56 years old to be her boy He is the senior member of the firm of the Ames Meredith Meredith Mer edith Carriage works 1319 East Fifteenth Fifteenth Fl street Kansas City Hears From Son SonA SonA SonA A few days ago she received re a letter and a photograph from her son In his letter he tells his mother of the many long and anxious years yearn he has spent in searching for her and of his everlasting belief that some day he would find her herand herand herand and closes by saying Surely God moves In a mysterious way Ever since I was converted at Park City fourteen years ears ago said Mrs Halstead I knew that God would di direct direct direct me In the way of ot finding my boy who was stolen fifty years ago I have always felt that I would find him a good upright Christian man such as his lila letter tells me he is isI isI IsI I cannot begin to tell teU the many days months and years of search T r have hae made for him and of ot my Intense suffer suffering suffering suffering ing because every effort proved futile I am frank to confess that I have hare not always been the Christian woman that I am today For thirty years I was wai I I steeped in sin I drank of ot the cup of bitterness and I suppose that the tak taking taking ing lug away of ot my darling boy was a visitation visitation tation upon me for my sinful life Ufe But God is good and when he knew that I had atoned for my past had become a Christian and was laboring In his vine vineyard vineyard vineyard yard He put me In the way of finding my child chUd that the evening of my life Ufe might be made happy and blessed Of course there was a motive for stealing my child fifty years ago His grandfather Morris W Roberts was a arich arich arich rich man and was passionately fond of John my son Roberts my second hus hun husband husband band feared that the old man might make my boy his heir and cut them off ot from a large share in the estate Child Vas AVns I was a young woman and If I do dosay dosay dosay say it was considered good looking and attractive After I married Roberts I had my son by my first husband at a boarding school at Muscatine One day dayI I was wal informed that the child while playing In the yard had been seized by two men who answered the description description tion of my husband and and an had been carried away I was almost frantic and for a year I searched to find the boy I Implored Roberts Roberta to tell teU me where the child had been taken but he lie answered me rue with abuse and kicks and cuffs t 1 despaired and went to Minnesota and for years I drifted In Inthe Inthe Inthe the early days of the mining stampede I went to the Black Hills It was there that I met my present husband Wo left the Black Hills in 1879 1819 and went to Leadville We spent fifteen years In Colorado and then came to Utah The story of my conversion and en entering entering entering the Salvation Army is directly traceable to longing for tor my lost boy bo I had a vision and was told that I must taunt give myself up to God and his hia work if I was ever to find my son I did as asI asI asI I was directed by the divine spirit and today I have hae my reward Ames the boy writes his hia mother In most endearing terms He states that he ho is prosperous and happy that he has a loving wife and a daugh daughter ter 18 IS years old who is attending school In Denver Demer Mrs Halstead tead expects to leave for Kansas City in a short time for a visit with her son He that he wants her to come and live lire with him but Mrs says that she loves the Salvation Army Arm and after what it has done clone for her she expects to todie todie todie die In the service |
