Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-12
HER POUND OF FLESH.
iShylocE in Modern Dress and Feminine
Gender.
[San Francisco Call

[San Francisco Call
A most disgusting exhibition of inhu-
mainly and grasplng love of money was
displayed in Judge Hunts court yester-
day afternoon, during the hearing Of a
ha5eas corpus case to obtain possession of
little Adam Cohn. 1t seems that the
child had been forcibly kept away from
his dying mother, Notwithstanding her
pleadings, and Rabbi Messing, touched
with the poor woman's tale, had sworn
out the writ. The bailiff of the court was
sent with an order for Annie Hickert's ar
rest. In an hour or so. he returned with a
tall, raw boned woman, clad in an old
time plaid silk dress, that had probably
not seen the light of day for score of
years. A dilapidated red shawl COM
pleted the attire, and made the tall, gaunt
figure seem gigantic. In her arms,
squeezed tightly to her, was a pretty lit
She was mad. Every nerve was in ire
NOR, and her head jerked from side to
side as if on pivot. Her eyes snapped
and her mouth worked convulsively. The
first question asked was if she refused to
give up the child. eyes, she did, unless
she had money-money." Rabbi Messing
was placed upon the stand to
make out a case. He, in graphic
manner, told how Lena Cohn, beauti-
full young Jewess, lay, deserted by her
husband, upon her eath-bed, expecting
almost any minute to cross over the dark
river; how she continuously cried for her
little one, that she might fondle it once
again to her bosom before taking last
farewell, and how this woman refused to
let the child pass for one instant from her
care, unless $500, claimed to be due for
nursing the sick woman, were paid her.
She had, she said, agreed to assume the
guardianship of the child and to see to
its religious training, while on the other
hand, the captor of the child threatened
to ALLEVIATE the child from its people.
The woman was then made to take the
stand, which she did, still clutching the
child.
"Don't you know" questioned the
Judge, "that this poor mother wishes to
see her child?"
eyes, muttered the woman.
"Why don't you let her have it them"
because Pm a widow and have no
time to waste with her." she snapped.
"But why keep the child?"
because the mother wants me to. l
spent 800 on her."
"But," said the judge, elf you knew the
mother was dying and that she yearned
to see her child, would you not allow
her tor"
The woman pondered moment, then
sulkily answered emo"
"WhyG" asked his honor.
Because" said the woman, ''she owes
me money"
els that the only reasong" persisted
the judge.
eyes, want my meney," shrieked the
woman.
"But, my good woman,' asked the
Judge, "you must have some affection for
the child that leads you to wish to keep
itY''
"No; only like my money"
The bystanders were Mortified at the at
tempt Of the woman to hold the child for
debt against dying woman, especially
after she had sued and been beaten in
the courts, and more especially at the
hard heartedness displayed. The Judge
made out an order to deliver the child
into the Rabbits custody, and when she
understood that her sweet revenge was
baked, she became fury.
"And won't anybody pay meS" she