Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-07-03
A ROMANTIC SUIT.
EFFORTS OF A MOTHER 70 GAIN POS
SESSION OF A CHILD.
Not Certain whether Her Child Is Dead
or Kept by Another Woman.
Searching in Graveyard
for Proof.

Searching in a Graveyard
for Proof.
New York, June 26.-Miss Savila Borll-
lev, or, as sne cniis herself, HRS. Savilla
Downing, made application in the supreme
court before Judge Andrews for alimOny at
the rate OF So "a week and 500 for counsel
fees pending the SUIT for absolute divorce
agans 20 est >. Downing, a son OF one of
the members o. the firm OF Collins, Down
ing & Co., OF No. 46S Broadway This Miss
Berkeley Is the same tail fuir-haired girl who
created suca a sensation in the court, year
ago by claiming that child known as
Carlos Wilson was hers. Mr.. Downing, it
will he rcmembered admitted having been
the futncr of >avi.la Downng's child but
declares That 1t was dead: The whole story
was revived 10y the application.
Mr.. Downing AMI Miss Berkeley met for
the first time at u theatre, and their &C
quHintancesinp rip3ned into intimacy.
When Miss Berkeley was soon to become
mother Mr.. Downing placed her under the
care of DR.. Van Diemer, at No. rs West
1hirty-sixth street. There child was born
and given to Mrs. Martha Hannty, at No.
163 West Thirtv-first street, to nurse Mrs.
Hannity was nursing also at this time the
child Carlos Wilson One of the children
died. Miss Berkeley claimed that it was
Carlos Wilson and that Ger child was given
its name. The nurse swore otherwise and
! was corroborated by the doctor, but Miss
Berkeley, firmly believing that Carlos Will
son was her child, began suit for its re-
covery.
But this suit was not begun until two years
after the little one was dead. Mss Berkeley
said she had no money to begin the suit
earlier. How these two years were passed
| by her was told in her testimony. She said:
Il had no money; but something used tc
draw me continually up to Mrs. Hannity's
house. | don't know what it was, but was
always going there Mrs. Hannity told me
where the child was buried and described
the coffin in detail. She told me that the
screws were very big on the lid, and that it
had a black cloth rim around it. Then
something told me to go and SEQ the child in
the coffin.
II went to the graveyard and got dig
ger, and he began to dig up the collins He
took up first one coffin and then anOthe, out
Of plot seven feet long and Two feet wide.
He took up forty-fve cotiinS with babies in
them. / stool by his side and would say,
Not this one, until a coffin with a black
cloth rim was dug up"
WAS your baby III iti" Miss Berkeley was
asked
She answered: 81 was suspicious when
came into the cemetery, but more SO now.
l could not believe that my big, fat, chubby
baby was in the little coffin. A mothers
eyes can see further than other than oth5r
peoples 1t was a brown coffin with u
black band There were forty-lve collins
in the trench, and | selected til. ee as resem-
bling the description, but this particular one
was broken On the lead, and that was the
one descr.b,l This was not my child"
Another bit of testimony was like this:
Gould you give IA accurate description of
your child, having sen il only ouceP
YES, sir; | certainly could a mothers
eye sees fn". and that child has eyes like
mine"
Did you notice the child's toesf'
Eyes, sir. they are long toes like mine
and the third one is shorter. That's the way
mine are"
At this time everything was propitious for
Miss Berkeley, and 1t seemed certain that she
would be given the child But one day
! Lawyer William II. Secor, who was Goa,
Quoting the case tor Mr.. Downing, escorted
lady closely yelled into court.
) She took the witness stand and said her
name was Emma de Za.ra Wilson, and add
ed: Il am the mother of the child" The
child in di. pate was in court.
II VIII ask the witness to remove her veil,
said Mr.. Wagner Mr.. Secor argued agans,
such proceeding, Tut the referee ordered
the veil to be removed.
What do you know about that childr
she was asked and replied: That is Carlo
Wilson, the child gave birth to on the Stl
of May, 1882 1swear solemnly that is my
child
rs it your chidf"
YES it is my child"
Glow do you know it is your childf'
by the eyes-by the child itself; and il
has marks 10y which | can always identify
it,
What are they1"
"The third toe ON each foot is smaller thar
the others"
> "When did you observe this peculiarityf
"When the child was born. Mrs. Demel
washed the child and then told me about the
toes"
"But the child must have changed in ap
pearancep
"No; the only difference has been in the
child's hair The hair was originally dark
Some OF ii fell out, and then grew in Lighter
! again
.. ''How did you know the Child after you
: return from the summer vacation you spok,
aboutF
~ knew it just Us soon as l saw it, / knew
1t was my child"
The referee decided that Mrs. Wilson wa
the mother of the child.
Since tn time of this decision Miss Berk
ley has never rested, but has worked asSid
uously away endeavoring to find out whetheI
her child was dead or alive.
A few weeks ago she said to a reporter
''that child may not be mine, but 1 fee
5 that il is, S ill., l am searching all over fol
7 my baby. The child in the coffin was be
. You'd question not my child"
Some time ago Miss Berkeley began sui
against Dir Downing for breach of promis
Z and mt her DAMAGES Mt SD 900 Mr. Down