Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1867-08-21
A. NOVEL SUIT.
A Child Claimed by two Women--How
the Judge Decided Question--AHecting
Incident in Court.

In the Circuit Court in Baltimore, on
the 3lst, upon the petition of Georgi II,
Perry and Elizabeth Perry, writ of ha-
beas corpus was issued, directed to Edward
Landers and Margaret Farrell, requiring
respondents to produce in court the body
of Hester Louisa Bartling, aged eight years,
(alleged to be the daughter of Mrs Perry,
one of the petitioners, before marriage,)
who is detainee from its mother by respon-
dents. The answer of Edw. Landers, one of
the respondents, alleges that the child is
the daughter of his wife, Margaret Landers,
by former husband, whose name was
Ferrell, and that the name of the child is
Margaret Ferrell,
Mrs. Perry testified that the child was
born in the almshouse before her marriage;
that being unable to take care of it. she
left it with woman named Mrs. Loughlin,
who was to support it for Sc per month,
and that So was paid her on account; that
she shortly after went to Frederick, and on
her return found her child in possession of
Mr.. Ferrcll, at whose house she was mar
ried for the first time in July, 1866, to ifr.
Perry /; it was in evidence, also, that Mrs.
Loughlin, with whom the child was left
with her for over six months, attempted to
place it in some asylum, but failed; she
then gave it to Mrs. Ferrell, who adopted
it, gave it her name, and fixed upoL it GER
tain property in Philadelphia. 1t wa, also
in evidence that the child was claimed to
be the daughter of Mrs. Ferrell before her
present marriage, and that its name was
Margaret Ferrell. The evidence was con-
ficting. After the examination of one or
two witnesses. the respondents, asked that
the case be posponed to enable them to
produce certain witnesses, and the court
granted the postponement, The counsel
for petitioners asked that the child, in the
meantime, might be kept in the custody of
the sheriff, to prevent its being carried be-
yond the jurisdiction of the court.
At this point Judge Elexander directed
two chairs to be placed at one end of the
court room. He then requested Mrs. Per
ry, one of the petitioners, to take one of
the seats, and Mrs. Ferrell, one of the re-
spondents, the other. The child, during
the hearing had been standing upon the
platform, at the side of the Judge. Judge
Alexender then turned to the child and
told it to go to its mother. The child star
ted down and then turned around and ask
ed the Judge, "Can 60 to the mother l
want 7" The Judge said 'Yes child" when
she sprang forward, and threw herself into
the arms of Mrs. Ferrel, exclaiming -
"This is the mother want" She was re-
ceived with passionate kisses. During
these proceedings. the eyes of the large
number of women as we'll as men present,
were directed to the movements of the
child, and when her choice was made, the
the women rose to their feet, and gave
vent to their feelings, in exclamations of
delight. "The darling child" says ONE
"She knows her MOTHER" says another
Sobs and tears accompanied the demon
stration. The countenances of men were
not without emotion, and it was sometime
before quiet of the court room was restored.
While this scene was being enacted, Mrs.
Perry, the petitioner, looked on, and soon
after left her seat and took chair beside
her counsel, at the trial table, Judge
Alexander then directed Mrs. Ferrel to
take charge ofthe child, and produce her
in court on Saturday. He also told coun-
sci that the child was in the custody of the
court, and refused the application to place
her in charge of the sheriff.