The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-08-05
A BABY BOY IN PAWN
Mrs Catherine Smith Sues
on Habeas Corpus
OFFSPRING Of UNNAMED PARENTS
A Mothers Trouble in Doing
for Her Own
CUPID UNDER THE ROSE
Makes Over Her Baby to Her Friend
for Safe Keeping
Attempt to Make Use OF Its Innocence to
Work Blackmail Scheme
The Parents Now Married AM Occupying a
Prominent Position /, San Diego.
The natter to Come Up In Colrt
Tcday-Tte F.cts Wi Out

Since "Adam delved ard Eve span"
there has been twist In public morality;
that is, according to our modern stand
ard. Stern censors of public morals
have Numbered. and the female portion
of the community, as arbiters of the
inner circle of the elect known as
society, have sought remedy for what
is known as social wrong doing by turn
ing the women on to the streets, and
giving the man a tongue lashing But
success does not seem to have conspicu-
ously perched on the banners of either
party, and education with its quicken
Ing sense of moral obligation is doing
more than the forces of either the legal
or social world is able to enforce.
But today the old story will be again
eXploited-but with a variation. "Wom-
ems weakness and mans perfidy,' Is
the common phrase. but in the present
instance it is the story of woman's
confidence crowned by her marriage to
the man she loved, and is living happily
with today. But, if the facts as elected
so far are correct, and there is no reason
to suppose otherwise. there are those
edge of young girls indiscretion in the
leu uoIJ 9lnqIll u9plo5 Su!IM OF lsBd
husband and herself as the price of their
silence. That, at least. is as it appears
on its face. The facts in the case are
these.
CUPID UNDER THE ROSE
During the year of 1898 young bust
ness man of San Diego fixed his af-
fections on pretty girl without, prob
a h1N pithar trOnhlinp nIICh bnJlt
the future or what it might hold for
them. But the day of reckoning came
and on January II, 1894, the simple girl
found herself mother, albeit no wife
that is, as the outward world reckons
it. Strange, perhaps, to say the little
mother was proud of her offspring and
what troubled her was how to avoid
bringing trouble on the father.
She had sought a refuge in her time of
trouble at the lying-in hospital, on
Bellevue avenue, in this city, kept by
Mrs. Catherine Smith.
When she got strong she placed the
baby out to nurse, and when assured it
was safely placed. returned to San Diego.
But times We're hard and money scarce
The father of the child was in almost
as bad Il fix, for although his family is
is a wealthy one he was only a COM
parative youngster. and could not COM
mand much himself in the way of world
ly wealth.
After the child had been out to nurse
for several months the mother wrote
the following letter to Mrs. Smith and.
as it will cut considerable figure in the
case it is herewith produced:
SAN DIEGO, June 4. 1894.
Dear Mrs. Smith, enclose s. today.
If you can possibly get baby in the home
for that amount please endeavor to do
so. AS soon as | can / will pay you for
your trouble l am perfectly honest
when | say | have no money 1t would
be great comfort for me to know that
you have my baby. Rest assured /
would not take him from you for I have
had too much trouble to ever attempt
10 Keep him again, so if you decide to
keep him yourself do not be uneasy re-
Garding my interfering with you Do
not think / am trying to urge you to
keep baby; I want you to do entirely as
you wish about the matter If YOU can
not keep him please send him to the
nome FOR the present, and l will pay you
for your trouble as soon as can do SO.
l am ever yours sincerely,
A good many hard things have been
said about Mrs. Catherine Smith, but
these are. perhaps, incident almost to
the conduct of a lying in hospital when
carried on on an unorganized basis. Be
that as 1t may Mrs. Smith determined
to aid the girl who had won her SYM
pathy, both for her own sake and also
because the baby boy was, in face and
feature, curiously like a boy of her own
that she had lost
HERS BY ADOPTION.
She went and got the child from the
people who had been caring for it and
kept it with her until it got good and
strong, about two months in all,and then
placed it with Mrs. Judd who lives on
Sand street q nt V,,1,r
The baby had been named Malcolm
Smith and grew to be lusty little fell
low. So much so that Mrs. Smith de-
ternined to bring the child back to
Bellevue avenue She had, possibly,
another reason for this beyond her affec-
tion for the child. The father and moth
er mad been married in the interim and if
IL could be contrived without scandal,
wanted TO gain possession of their own
by adoption. Mrs. Smith stands ready
TO AID the mother in this desire, and since
May she mas had the little one subject at
all times to the parents wishes. Before
removing 1T from the care of Mrs Judd
however, Mrs. Smith paid the board bill
que ana obtained the following receipt:
LOS ANGELES, Cal, May rs, 1886.
Received, $75, from Mrs. c. Smith for
board OF baby. Balance due, S25.
JULIETTE JUDD.
MIR. and Mrs. DObson, the parents Of
Mrs. Judd, and with whom she resided
were, also fond of the boy and Mr.. Dob
son, who runs the corral on Also street
on several occasions came UP to Mrs
Smiths and took the boy out for a ride
Last Friday Mrs. Dobson said they were
going to the ranch and would take the
baby, promising to bring it back before
nightfall They didn't bring il back a
all. About o'clock in the evening Mrs
Smith went to see why little Malcolm
had not been brought home and was told
that 1t was in bed and asleep. Since then
the Dobsons and Mrs. Judd have re-
fused peremptorily to yield up the baby
boy, and Mrs. Smith has applied for a
writ Of habeas corpus and the matter
will be gone into today.
Inasmuch as on the showing so far
made the Dobsons have neither legal or
moral claim on the baby the insinua-
ton that has been made that they desire
to use 1t as a profitable investmen has
an ugly look, to say the least.