MOTHER'S ROMANCE UNTANGLED BY SON June 30, 1904 news

His mother's romance of twenty years ago—this is the mystery that Franklin Kidwell, a sixteen-year –old Chicago boy, has just solved in Cincinnati. Several days ago young Kidwell came in Cincinnati and went to the office of the Associated Charities, 304 Broadway. He asked the aid of Mr. L. H. Weir in helping him to determine who he is, and in finding out the story of his life. "I think," said the young boy to Mr. Weir, "that my right name is Kidwell." He then told Mr. Weir a remarkable story. "My mother is living in Chicago. But she refuses to tell me anything about my father, or about some stepbrothers and a stepsister, who, I have gathered from her conversation, belong to me. For a long time I have begged my mother to tell me about my relatives, either those kin to her or to my father, but she has steadily refused. As long as I can remember, my mother has left me at intervals and gone off on journeys. As soon as I began to support myself I determined to save up enough money to learn about myself. As soon as I had enough money saved up I secured some old photographs that I had been led to believe were pictures of relatives. One picture I knew to be the picture of my father, for my mother had one day told me so. Other pictures of myself as a little child, taken in Cincinnati with the picture of my father are all I have by which to find out my past."

Young Kidwell told the small part of his own story that he knew. He said: "I can first remember being in Salt Lake City, in charge of a strange woman, when I was a little child. About four years old I think I was at that time. My mother went to China and was gone eight years. When she returned she placed me in the Notre Dame convent at South Bend, Ind. I was there four years, and then my mother took me to Chicago, and I was there with her for four years. Recently she tried again to place me so that she could go away from me again (unreadable) have now determined, if possible to locate my family by means of (unreadable) pictures."

For several days Mr. Weir and young Kidwell scoured Cincinnati photograph galleries. But in no (unreadable) those visited was any success ?ant at first in locating any information regarding pictures taken at places ten and twenty years ago. It was not until Mr. Weir and Kidwell found Louis Schaetzle of 2206 Central avenue that a clue was secured to the identity of the boy and the romance in his mother's life. When the picture of the boy's father was shown Mr. Schaetzle, he immediately recognized in the face of the picture of an old friend he had photographed years ago. "Jim Kidwell is the name of that man," he told the eagerly listening boy, "he was married twice, and his second marriage to your mother was quite a romance, and one of the strangest affairs I have heard of. Your mother was quite a beauty, and was quite young when she was married to Jim Kidwell, who was an old man, with three children by his first marriage. After the second Mrs. Kidwell had been married about a year and half, she suddenly disappeared and took her little baby with her. As far as I know, the names and places of residence of the children by the first marriage whom you desire to locate, are Lula Kidwell, who is married and living in Lexington, Ky.; George Kidwell, who is a baker and lives in Louisville, Ky., and James Kidwell who I think, lives in Cincinnati."

Young Kidwell greatly pleased at the solution of his life history left Cincinnati for Louisville, to learn from his step-brother any other parts of his father's history available. After learning his life story he will return to Chicago, where he is now supporting himself.