Show I ITHE THE TILE INCUBATOR BABY Story of How Two Women Struggled led 01 or Its Possession I The tiny little infant who reposed in the tha Incubator at the St St. Louis Loula Fair has since the close of that exposition attracted more attention than it did during the entire time that it was the object of interest of the sightseers At the close of the Exposition two women omen sought possession of the child I each claiming it to bo e her own Each I secured a writ giving her the custody of the child through decrees of different differS differ eat ent courts but Mrs Bleakley who badat had bad at first been awarded the care of the infant through the ruling of the law at Moline Illinois took the law into her own hands when the court at Lawrence Lawrence Law Law- rence Kansas decided against her According to his own story Senator Fred D D. Smith of Kinsley played an important role in the case when tho the mother of or the Incubator baby recently recently re ro re- re disappeared suddenly with the baby from Lawrence d I When Mrs Bleakley left leCt the court courtroom courtroom courtroom room at Lawrence after aCter tho the decision against her he stated and returned to her mothers mother's house she was nearly frantic In mere desperation she fled from the back door and sought refuge In a collego college fraternity house nearby and begged the boys to help her It was then nearly 6 G o'clock and the tho parents of or one of tho the boys a n redheaded red headed frat fiat youngster were expected expect expect- ed cd to be bo on Santa Fe train No G 6 en route to Kansas City and this boy had a hack in readiness to drive drivEl him to the train The boys promptly raised p. p purse of or 26 25 2 to get set some clothes for ter submitted the matter to him of how r horto to get Mrs and the baby across from the Santa Fe to the Rock Island train which might be late without with with- without out observation The Sheriff promptly prompt prompt- ly overruled that plan and It was agreed that Mrs should remain remain re re- main In the Pullman drawing room while in Kansas City and go through to the Sheriffs Sheriff's home town where he would put her on the train for Moline As a precaution the Sheriff added Mrs in front of the name on a bench warrant with which he had been on a fruitless errand to Colorado and placed Mrs under arrest technically technically technically cally at least When the train reached Kansas City the frat boys boy's father went out and bought a nursing bottle and hot milk and other necessaries for the baby which had been left leCt behind in the hurry of departure while the Sheriff stood guard at the door of or the drawIng drawing draw draw- Ing room a massive and satisfying pro No one appeared and the woman and baby went on without hindrance She stopped one night at the Sheriffs Sheriff's home cared for by his wife and on Saturday was in Moline under the protection protection pro pro- of ot that courts court's decree The whole thing was ludicrously simple and yet was sas woven of ot some Curious cu Cu- curious rious coincidences each helping to carry through the escape and each playing playing play play- ing its unpremeditated but important part in the tho final Anal success The red-headed red college fraternity boy was Eustice Smith son on of or Senator Smith I Mrs and the baby bundled her into the hack and took her to the Santa Fe train They were compelled to wait walt a few minutes and while they I sat in the hack Judge Smart who had awarded the baby to the other woman passed it on his way to the Ottawa train When the train came in Mrs ley was placed on the Pullman without with out attracting any attention and put In charge of ot the frat boys boy's parents The parents were simply ordered to see Mrs through Kansas City safely safey and like good modern parents they obeyed The difficulty lay in the Union depot depoi at Kansas City where it was expected a detention telegram would be awaiting awaiting await await- ing them The Sheriff of ot one of the largest counties In Illinois J J H. H Ray Wills county was on the train a man manas manas manas as big in proportion as his own county big of body and big of heart He made the acquaintance of the father of the frat trat boy and in his dilemma the lat lat- |