St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-05
Two Mothers Lay claim to the Same Baby
and the Case is Brought Into
the Courts.
Mother Griffin" Notorious Minneapo-
lis Female, and Mrs. Hughes are
the Claimants.
and Say They Can Prove Their
Claim.
Physicians and Attorneys Say that
Mrs. Hughes is Right Is it
Kidnapping Cases
aarrihIx mixea lin.

gazing llltenUly lnUO the WlnQOW, was pro-
mlscuous crowd of the curious, old and
young, and of both sexes. Inside were
three wonen-two of them claiming to be
motlers-and small, pale-faced baby boy
Which both mothers claimed for their own.
one OF the women, who carried the baby, up
and down and fed it SEINE milk from a
suck lng-bottle, was a pretty, red-faced
dame, with bleary blue eyes and two rows
her determination to hold the screaming
child. Her name is Annie Campbell, alias
Mother Griffin, alias Mrs. Wycks, alias
Mrs. Michaud, Minneapolis person of bad
reputation. Another woman was a nurse
OF spare form. sallow complexion, and her
right eye considerably smaller than the
left. The third lady sat in a chair, ex-
hansted from nervous excitement. She is
woman of delicate, refined appearance.
and her face was deathly PALE her eyes
being bloodshot with much weeping and
almost blinded with big tears, as she moaned
most piteously.
sit is my child; it is not her baby" declared
the woman with the big red face. aud she re-
peated it with emphasis and confidence Will e
sticking the rubber of the bottle into the
baby's mouth to stop it's screams.
"Oh. my baby!" the palid lady moaned
"Oh, give me my child. She will kill it; she
is killing it now! Oh, can't a woman have
her own flesh aud blood! That is my baby.
1t was b orn in the city hospital Oh, if the
doctor will come he will know it,"
Call the doctor; he'll say it's mine -
sharply retorted Miss Campbell alias Mother
Griffin.
Chief Clark came in and listened to the
two women's conflicting stories. CITY At
torney Murray came in also and the fat
faced woman began to tell her long story,
while the Office filled up with an interested
audience. DR.. Ancker was called by tele-
phone and soon he appeared. He looked at
the two mothers. then at the child, which
certainly resembled the refined lady. The
name OF the lady was given as Mrs. Maud
Hughes, and the circumstances of the
child's birth at the city hospital Feb. 25,
this year were recalled.
sOLoMON'S DECISION
THAT is this woman's child,'' positively as
serted the doctor, pointing to Mrs. Hughes,
II delivered it,
Mother Griffin would not yield, but chung
to the child
''Take the baby away from her." he d.
rected, land give IL to its mother" not deign-
ing gentleman's suggestion about bringing
in a Ratchet to divide the child and give half
to each mother. 81 know this woman he
continued. 'She has hard reputation, and
was in Saltwater"
Yes snapped Mrs. Michaud, land that S
just where l can prove that the child was
mine"
j. j. McCafferty. the attorney for Mrs.
Hughes was in the office.
II want that woman arrested for abduc-
ton he said to Chief Clark.
The baby was taken away from the
woman by force, and she and the nurse
were put under arrest and escorted to the
municipal court where complaint was
sworn out against both, and Judge Cory,
after reading the charge of abduction. con-
tinued both their cases until this morning,
fixing bail for each in the sum of $1,000.
Both were then lodged in the county Jail.
The nurse is named Christina Ash. and
she lives at $40 Wacouta street with a mid
wife named Frau Stensell. Mrs. Hughes
and her baby were taken to the city hospital
for safe keeping, so that Mother Grffiin's
''man'' could not get the child away from
her by force. She was the pretty young
daughter of well-connected parents when
she married young George Hughes,a brake
man. He deserted her. she said. about two
months before the baby was born. and he
is now somewhere in Michigan. She was
destitute and had to go to the city hospital
She lives now at No. sd Iglehart street.
MOTHER GRIFFIN
was born in Scotland, about fifty miles
from Glasgow, she says. and that her age is
81 years. In 1876 she married James
Griffin, a drayman a married man who is
living in Minneapolis now. They kept the
Rosabel house, and it became place of
bad repute. Her Character grew very bad,
and the places she conducted were bad re-
sorts. Griffin left her. and she fell in with
plasterer named Hub Wycks. A year
ago last June she married, SO she says, a
plasterer named David Michaud. She was
keeping house of ill-fame at 22S First
street, Minneapolis, and was bad char
acter, well known to the police About
year ago she was indicted for keeping a
house of ill-fame at No. 22S, and she was
sentenced to the Saltwater penitentiary for
10 months. She was discharged March Is,
and has been living at No. 1915 Twentieth
avenue South, Minneapolis Her story as
to the child is rather long.
IL was sent to prison for keeping a had
house. At the prison they saw that / was
about to have child and let me out before
my time, seeing that was about to become a
mother. The governor made out pardon
for me. came to st. Paul March 10.
I WAS so SICK
that I could not GO any further so stopped
Off the train here. AT the depot policeman
told me had better go to the city hospital. T
walked up street and met this lady (poiuting
to the nurse, who nodded assent.) She re-
ferred me to some lady friends and went to
her place and midwife there named Mrs
Stensel delivered me of my child. I have had
the child in my possession ever since. To-day
this woman MRS. Hughes) with lawyer and
an officer came to my house. She said
'How's the baby?', and 1 answered it was do
ing we'll She said Don't you recognize mel?
That is my baby, and she went out and
brought in lawyer. who said I'd better give
up the child aud come to St. Paul to get this
woman 1.-THE ntirse) to prove to whom it be-
longs. They took away .my child. My hus-
band asked if they had any papers. | told
him no. He said I'd better go after them. 1
came to st. Paul and this woman 1.-THE nurse)
says the baby is mine Why, I'll tell you
something if you don't tell the doctor-I can
prove that the child is
MINE BY AMARK
on the forehead-the bars-the prison bars
where had been looking through the bars in
the prison at Saltwater
Nurse Ash corroborated much that she
said regarding the pretended birth of the
child at her house and its delivery by Frau
Stensel.
Mrs. Hughes and DR.. Ancker confirm
each other in what they say. Their story
is this:
Mrs. Hughes came to the city hospital
sick, destitute and deserted. She was de-
livered of a child about Feb. 25. A week
after woman (Mother Griffin came to the
hospital, represented herself to be farm
ers' wife looking for child to adopt Mrs
Hughes was poor, and Supposing that the
alleged farmers wife would take good care
OF it, and communicate with her occasionally,
the baby was given to the woman. and
never afterward heard of until lately. Mrs.
Hughes learned from Willie Campbell, the
bartender, who is half-brother of Annie
Campbell, that her child was with the
woman at 1915 Twentieth avenue south,
Minneapolis. She went over with Mr..
McCaffetty and got the baby yesterday.
Mother Griffin followed her back to st.
Paul to her home at So Iglehart street,
where, it is said. she assaulted Mrs. Hughes
and knocked her down. She regained pos
session of the child, and started OIL the
-. q L.