The cops just found a guy who was on a trip repairing pianos with a kid that slightly looked like the one they were looking for. They arrested him and took the kid. Even when the mother came to town to attest that it was her kid, they gave her the run around and, since she was too poor to fight it in court, stole her kid. Those kids didn’t even look anything alike… People nowadays don’t seem too bright on average, but I think maybe people back then were extra stupid.