MISSING MOTHER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 202, 11 September 1937, Page 8

MISSING MOTHER

Our Own Correspondent.)

Left Six Children With Stranger EXCUSE TO BENEFACTOR

(From

LiUlNUUXN, nug. JO. A letter enclosing a 2/6 postal order was received one night this week by Mrs. Richard Ro&siter, of Percival road, Enfield, in.whose house six children were left by a woman, who later disappeared. Mrs. Eossiter kept the children for one night. Now they are in a home at Willesden. The letter she received. read: ' ' Dear Madam, — I am writing to apologise t'o enforcing my babies on to you yesterday, but you can rest assured it was no fault or our owit, and am askmg you to iiud a little sympathy for us if you can m the circumstances. "1 iiave written to my sister and told her everything, so i expect by the tnne you get this she will be over to see you,- and I am enclosing 2/6, all I have uutil to-morrow, when 1 will send you some more for the in .onvenience 1 have caused and food which l expect you have given my babies. "if you have ever had to part from your babies or home," concluded the letter, "I know you will not be too uard on me if you kuew what l am sufferiug. 5nce again I thank you aiid iiope to see you soon. — Mrs. Smith." Ernest, the oldest, aged eight, told Mrs. Rossiter a remarkable story. On Friday morning six men went to their house and took away all the furniture, hf. -said. Then their mother took them out into the road and put them into a red motor-car. They drove through the storm. They had nothing to eat and nowhere to go. "Muramy cried in the car," said Ernest, "but 1 don't know what she cried for." The story was taken u'p by Mrs. Rossiter. "A well-dressed, charming woman, about 34 years of age, calied on Friday afternoon and inquired for her father, who, she said, formerly lived here," said Mrs. Rossiter. ' ' She explained that her car had broken down, and that she had six children with her. Would 1 be good enough to look after them while it was being mended? 1 ' I was rather taken aback, but said that I would look after the children, and within a few minutes the woman had brought them round. "I was astonished to see six 6'f the loveiiest children, between the ages of two and eight. They seemed very well cared for. The mother brought them into the house and sat them on the sofa and said to Ernest: 'Now, be a good boy and look after them.' "Then she went away and said she would go to see how the car was getting on. That is the last I saw of her. Evening came, and I wondered what to do, so I fed the children, washed them, and put them to bed. "My own two children were thrilled to have these little playmates, and they willingly shared their toys and their beds with them. About 10 o'clock at night we reported the matter to the police. "The children slept all through the night while I sat up on the sofa. Four of them were in my bed." Their names are given as Ernest, aged eight, Joan, seven, Richard, six, Peter, five, Ronald, four, and Marjorie, two.