Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1916 — LITTLE McCARTY BOY RECOVERED AT LAST [ARTICLE]

LITTLE McCARTY BOY RECOVERED AT LAST

Legal Battle at Huntington Decided In Favor of Father—Boy Was Brought Here Saturday.

Little Merl McCarty, aged 5 years, who has been in the possession of his mother, now Mrs. Hattie Poorman, at Huntington since she obtained a divorce from Len McCarty about a year ago, is to be his father’s charge from this time 7>n. The father works on the Sternberg dredge. About two years ago Mrs. McCarty suddenly disappeared, leaving little Merl and a younger child here. The younger child died but little Merl was taken to the home of Mrs. Belle Sayler, where he was kept at the father’s expense. About a year ago an officer from the court at Huntington came here with papers showing that the court had given the mother a divorce and awarded the child to the mother. The boy was taken away. Then McCarty took the case up with the local charity board who interested themselves in his behalf. The divorce case was opened up, it was shown that no notice of the pending action had been served on the defendant and last week the court awarded the boy to the father. Attorney Dunlap co-oper-ated with a Huntington lawyer in the case. Mrs. John I. Gwin went to Huntington Saturday and brought the little fellow back home and he will again be with Mrs. Sayler.