The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-03-03
THE CASE OF ROSA DOWDY.
THE SUPREME COURT HEARD AR.
GUMENT FRIDAY.
Decision Awaited With Interest. The
Child,Still at the Orphans
Home in Macon.
Home in Macon.

Home in Macon.
The case of Rosa Dowdy, in which
the child is claimed by Mrs. Hunter
Of Dawson as ner daughter, was ar
oued before the supreme court Fri
dav, The case attracted considerable
attention some months ago, whe
Mrs. Hunter tried to gain possession
Of the girl through the courts at Ma
con.
The evidence in the case showed
that about fourteen years ago the
child was lett at the house of negro
woman in Columbus. The negro wo.
man carried the child to Mrs. Dowdy,
woman who lived in that city, and
she cared fer it and raised it.
When the child was about four
years old, Mrs. DoHdy decided to
adopt the girl as her own, and this
was legally done, the child coming by
the name of Rosa Dowdy in this
way.
Shortly after this Mrs. Carrie White
came tor and claimed to be the moth
er of he child and attempted to get
possession OF it by habeas corpus pro-
ceedings, swearing that she was the
mother of the child. The case was
heard before Judge Martin, in the
superior court of lbe Chattahoochee
circuit Upon hearing the facts in
the case Judge Martin decided it
was for the best interest CT the child
to place it in the Orphans Home.
Last April Mrs. Hunter, a sister
Ct Carrie White, filed habeas corr
pus proceeding, alleging that she was
the mother OF the child, and gave the
following reasons why she had not
previously made her claims to it.
She stated that her sister had told
shortly after the birth of the child
that it was dead, and she had believ-
ed that it was true. She never knew
better until Carrie White swore that
the child was her own, and, there
tore was liable to prosecution tor per-
Jury, but she testified positively that
the child was hers and asked to have
her child restored to her.
This proceeding was brought
against Mrs. Dowdy and the Or
phanS Home because at tits time the
child was in the possession of the Or,
phan8' Home Mrs. Dowdy, on ace
count Of her devotion to the child,
had moved from Columbus to Macon
and was at that time living at the
Manchester Mills. Rev. j. g. Harri-
son permitted the child to visit Mrs.
DOwdy, and she made clothing for it
and gave it many little things, such
rs she could for its comfort and pleas
are.
The case cane up before Ordinary
Wiley of Bib county on April %,
1896. The petition was resisted on
several gror dis, and Judge Wiley
decided against the petitioner. and
she sued out a writ of certiorari, al
leging error in his decision, which APP
phcation was presented to Judge Eel.
ton, who, after reviewing the case,
refused to grant the writ, thereby
sustaining the decision of Judge Wi,
ley. The petitioner then appealed
from Judge Felton's decision to the
supreme court and the case was heard
Friday.
During the argument of the case,
olleF the facts had been presented by
The defendants, who were resisting the
application of the alleged mother, the
court lntimated that if the facts were
az claimed by the counsel of the de,
PENDANTS the court did not care to /
near further from that side. While
such an intimation to counsel does
not amount to decision, vet It is
3 5La d construed as indicating that
.u r. court our: Is strongly impressed with
particular view Of the case. ''--