from the Eastern Argus
(Portland, Maine)
October 22, 1896
THE SEARCH FOR A KIDNAPPED CHILD
A GUNFIGHT ON THE SHEEPSCOTT
NEW MYSTERY!
READERS ARE ASKED TO HELP
by Peter Mall
Shore dwellers in Wiscasset and Edgecomb were certainly wakened one night last week when a series of gunshots rang out over the otherwise quiet waters of the Sheepscott Riverof the Sheepscott Riverof the Sheepscott River—gunshots that marked the end of a strange and fearsome pursuit.
Readers may recall a small item in this journal, nearly two weeks ago, which related the disappearance of a boy of about four years. As it happened, other events, including the search for the schooner Loala, eclipsed the news of the child, the more so since little was known about him and no relations came forward to play the part of the bereaved and anxious family.
It is perhaps a mark upon our own selves that any tale of a lost innocent could so quickly and completely vanish from the public consciousness, and certainly a double badge of honor to those who have taken it upon themselves to secure that child from the brutal circle into which he had fallen.
First among these is Wyckford o’ Hearn, known to Port-landers as the Hybernian Titan for his exploits upon the baseball field. It was Mr. o’ Hearn who rescued the child, known now only as Bird, from bad company in an ancient cellar hole beneath Commercial Street.
Since then several people have acquitted themselves gallantly by taking on the boy’s guardianship, though criminal elements gave every indication of wanting the child back among themselves. In particular Mr. Matthew Ephram, Mr. Christopher Eagleton, and Mr. Joseph Thump, who are known to our readers as the charter members of the recently formed Moosepath League, jeopardized their own safety by disdaining the gang’s nefarious intent and whisking the boy from harm’s way.
Many adventures, which may someday be described, followed fast upon the heels of this flight, culminating in the kidnapping of the child and a gunfight upon the Sheepscott River during the night of the 14th. Sheriff Piper of Lincoln County and Colonel Taverner of the United States Customs Agency led the final pursuit, which was punctuated with exchanged shots. One Adam Tweed, known among the denizens of the waterfront as something of a thug, was apprehended after he deliberately and with malice aforethought threw the child into the cold night waters of the Sheepscott.
The child, as has been mentioned, was rescued anew, and Tweed himself was brought down by a very timely shot from Mister Tobias Walton of Portland, who is also the chairman of the aforementioned league. Tweed’s wounds were not fatal, however, and he is now in the custody of Wiscasset’s jailer, pending trial.
Mr. O’ Hearn was among the wounded as well, but after some worrisome moments, he appears to be on the path to recovery, and patrons of the game in Portland can look forward to hearing the crack of his bat once again.
The authorities still have an interest in speaking to a man named Eustace Pembleton, who is greatly involved in this matter and who is believed to have escaped from their net on Wednesday night. One Tom Bull, something of an instrument to Pembleton, was captured on the morning of the 15th, along the eastern shore of the Sheepscott near the Boothbay town line. Bull, who was perhaps not born with that name but acquired it by dint of his size, gave a fearsome struggle, and ten men were required to subdue him.
Those involved on the law’s side of the chase are simply glad to have the little boy back in the arms of safety.
In securing the child from his kidnappers, however, a new mystery has been discovered. Among a thieves’ cache found near the fort on Davis Island in Edgecomb was a portrait of a young woman who bore so strong a resemblance to the little boy, that no one who looked at the two together could deny a relationship between them. Indeed, Mister Walton is sure that the portrait is a likeness of Bird’s mother, and he has, at his own expense, commissioned an etching based on that picture, the results of which the reader will find printed in conjunction with the present article.
It is hoped that by disseminating the unfortunate lady’s likeness in this manner, some soul will recognize her and come forward with information regarding Bird’s parentage and birthright. Any such intelligence will be kindly forwarded to the editor of the Eastern Argus, and a happy sequel may yet be added to this child’s curious and harrowing tale.