Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-08-08
DAILY Nrnnebrt gonrnal.
A CASE FOR KING SOLOMON.

A case has iust been decided in the Su-
preme Court of New York, which will be
read with a good deal of interest. and is
in fact a somewhat remarkable story, as
narrated in the Tribune. 1t appears that
in 1870 Miss Harriet Evans, Git is said that
this is not her true or full name) became
a mother and intrusted her child, which
bore peculiar marks of depression on the
temples, to the care of Mrs. Fanny Wem-
BILE, paying for its keeping S25 per month.
Gradually this compensation was reduced,
with the consent of Mrs. Wemple, to $15
per month, clothing being sent, however,
as usual. At last maternal yearnings in
duced her to take back the child and rear
it herself Her surprise, according to her
own story, can be imagined, when, having
intimated her determination to Mrs. Wem-
pies mother, Mrs Ellen Wickens. the lat
ter replied, coollv: "You needn't bother
about the child. 1t isn't yours. That
child was left here in basket" The
alarmed woman went to Mrs. Wemple, and
asked her what mother meant; and Mrs.
Wemple said that one day the child was
actually put into basket by some one,
and left at the door as strange child, and
that ever since it had been joke with
them that the child was left there in bas-
ket. Miss Evans was unable, however, to
get back her child, and took legal meas
ures to recover it. Mrs. Wemple fed to
New JERSEY with the child and remained
hidden until brought to light by the police.
courts. and, as Mrs. Wemple chung to the
Eugene H. Pomeroy to find out which OF
a. hal cIa To ba no
Miss Evans told the story as given above.
On the other side, Mrs. Wemple admit
ted receiving an infant from Miss Evans
and the payment of S25 per month but
she maintained, nevertheless, that the
child in dispute did not belong to Miss
Evans. She accounted for the second
child by saying that Miss Evan child was
sickly (which was ADMITTEDLY, and that
some weeks after Mrs Wemple took it to
nurse some one left basket containing a
fine, healthy child at their door and ran
away that Mrs. Wickens thereupon took
Miss Evans child to the founding hos
pital in Washington square, pulled the
bell and ran away. and kept the more for
tunate child. This course the old lady
adopted because child OF Mrs. Wemple
died some time before, and it was not de-
taken from her by death. The flight to
New Jersey was admitted, but Mrs. Wem-
pie said she did it partly because she had
become greatly attached to the little stran-
ger and partly because she wanted Miss
Evans to pay up arrears.
An interesting link in the curious story
was applied by two men who testified in
regard to the basket. George Hedges
E-l al l. 81 -
that at her request he put the child (al-
legged to have been found at the door, in
q basket and gave it to an unknown man,
who for 81 left the child at the door. This
man, who it appears is Henry Chase, tes-
tilted that he was the person who got the
81 and left the child as stated. All the
witnesses remembered the peculiar mark
on the child's neck. Mrs. WIckens told
again the story of the finding of the child,
stating that it was in March, 1851. The
doctor who attended Miss Evans was ex-
amined, his testimony being pretty clearly
in favor of the identity of the two chill
dren, and Miss Evans herself, who saw
the child frequently, insisted that there
had been no change of babies. A woman
in New Jersey, who saw Mrs. Wemple
there, testified that she frequently heard
the latter say the child was Miss Evans's
and that she would not give it up unless
compelled to do so.
The referee in long report expressed
his disbelief in the basket story, and stated
that the testimony of the two men and
Mrs. Wickens was, in his opinion, rank
perjury Finally, he decided in favor of
Miss Evans. The application for the con-
firmation of this report was made to
Judge Pratt, in chambers of the supreme
court last week, by John 0. Mott, Gran
vile P. Halves opposing. Judge Pratt
has decided in favor of Miss Evans claim