The Afro-American., 1897-03-27

" ~%@A~AA AA4sss @@@FV w bE&Vt
a Term in the "Pea" for Loving
MOT Wisely but too Well, Her
1oycr colored Man.
The attempt of Mrs. Johanna'Catliu
| Daugherty, pretty young woman OF
/ tEenty-fhTee to have john f. Kellar
a eolored man. with whom Sht. has
| been living, arrested for ilI-treatment
! LED 10 her own arrest last Tuesday,
and the resurrection of law By ] Juk-
tlce Grammar which may cOnsiEn her
| 90 the penltentlary for a long term
! Of years. La making her CON plant to
this justice, the woman disclosed the
fac that she is the mother of d child
b9rn on October 81 last, of Wnicn
iAeIlar i liz reputed father. UDder
Statue, article 27, seJEi, II 9IS says that
any WnlGe woman WHO shall become
the mother OF 4 cOlored chi shall be
guilty OF a crime. and upon cunv,c-
Ulon, shad br sent tn the penil entiary
Tor not more than five years or less
than eighteen lnouGns. This law,
WhIlc on lie statue books, has practl
cally been a dead letter If violated,
for there has never been an instance
OF Is enforceuen, liz thr city, ant
only once in the tate of Mary land.
justice Grammar, hOwer~r, knew OF
II, aud proceeded, according to his
duty, to put it INTO executions, ! he
woman was at once arrested, aud
maue o 18th that kellar Was the fa1 her
Of The child. A warrant was issued
tor his arrest, and tie was required to
furnish bOUds for the maintenance of
the infant for seven years. This he
could not do, aud was committed IN
default. kellar tain ed away in the
courtroom when appfis-d of what
wOIid be done to him and his para
mOur, while the woman, with wOebe
gone cOnntenauce, but with traces of
beauty lingering ABOUT her pale feat
.ures, alnalically eXctaimeu: All |
have to say Is; l love him, and I'll lay
down my lite Tor him"
she apparently had no thought Of
Ter 0iIeuse against moral Law, and
was densrly ignorant OF all save the
fact that krllar was in trouble. and
that her b4by might be taken from
her.
Justice Grannan held her in 81 600
bail, Wnicu she could not furnish.
he baby. blup-eyed girl with teat-
urps singularIyI her mothers. and
witE but the faiu est trace of cOiOr ~
stow her Ethiopian origin, lal
A. sf4-f fFIs, tfSsf
/ SllOlauU Of the scene about her.
Justice Grammar asked the mOLher its
name. Listlessly she replied: Bertha
.ackinley hellar" The Justice in
formed her that the innocent cause |
of iC all must be taken IRON her, aud |
he proceeded 10 commit it to ST. |
Eliz4b tbs Home for cnlored children |
Listles,iy the woman haI stood |
during the ordeal, but when threat !
ened with separation fIom her child |
all the mother in her was aroused, !
an ! she vailed on: Don't taHe my |
BABY from ms; l love IT." She was !
IolI 1t was best for the child, where
upon she declared, with absolute |
earnestuess. that if separated frOM it |
she won d Kill herself at the first Op-
portunity. Justice Grauan believed |
her ard she was permitted to take
The clIld With hof 10 Jail
The woman halls Iryn CEl3held, |
Nd, Five years ago she WAS M@rs
red to man named Daughtrty
Three years ago ehe came t. Balti-
more 10 live, securing service as
domestic on Eutaw Place. For the
For the past two years she has been
living with KeIar, who is mulHtto,
abour thirty years OF age, aud while
1 florist by occupation, has lately
oeen a waiter aU hotel. He comes
rom Mechanicsville, Carroll County.
rbeir home in the city was at $40
pcirce street;
The woman, though poorly clad,
ooknd neat She could not realiz9
he fact that she bad done wrong,
declared th4U she loved kriiar better
han her life. though promising if
,iyen her uaby she would give him
ID.
The law IN er which this woman
vas sent to jail is an old one, and,
ike the old Bastardy Law, is Of no
@rca, from the fact that it discrimi
ates against one class of citizens
'he old Bastardy Law Was declared
moons, itutional by the supreme
1ourt of Baltimore City, just on the
ame grounds. Lawyer Waring ar
.ued the case.