Birmingham state herald., 1897-07-10
 DR DRENKEN'S STATEMENT As to the Much Talked of MyS-
 terious Baby. HE INVITES INVESTIGATION And Denies Offering Recompense for the Baby's Care-Mizel's Statement.
 Two Jurors Talk.

out the following statement in reference to the much talked of mysterious baby:
 q am perfectly willing to tell all know about the matter except to reveal the parentage of the child That is a professional secret which nothing could induce me to betray.
 Tn reference to this matter I desire to say that I gave the child to MT. and Mrs. Mizell because they seemed anxious to have one ard I had promised to find home for it when it came. I never made any promise to Mr. Mizell or his wife or any one else to give them any thing for taking this child. The reason I first offered the child to Mrs Mizell was because she had expressed a desire for one at Mrs. Owens. who was confined aext door to her.
 'The child was carried by me to Mrs. Mizell on the 11th day of June, about o'clock in the afternoon. and when de- livered it to her it had been washed and nicely dressed and the statement con- tained in the State Herald that the baby was wrapped in a piece of cloth is abso- lutely untrue. I know it had besn wash ed perfectly clean. and it had no blood about it anywhere.
 'I did not tell Mrs. Mizell to have MT Mfzell call at my office the next day, and he did not call there to see me, and the SldltIIlCIll LHdI ne cd1leu dl Ily OlllCS tll- next morning and that I would pay him $75O If he kept the child for twenty-one days, and that I gave prescription and advice at the time, is all untrue.
 After taking the child to Mr MizelPs house I never saw it but once, which was on June 20 when I was called to see it by telephone. I found it suffer- ing with summer complaint and gave prescription for one grain of calomel divided into twenty tablets made by Sharpe & Dohme, one of these tablets to be dissolved and taken in teaspoonful of water every hour until five had been taken each day. This prescription was filled by the Adams Drug company, cor ner of Second avenue and Nineteenth street, of this city. and is matter of record, as it is on file there at their drug store.
 After giving this prescription I never saw this child any more, nor heard any thing about it until I heard 1t was dead, neither did MT. nor Mrs. Mzell call on me for any further advice or attention with reference to it.
 'FThe statement of MT. Mizell, or any one else, to the effect that ever prom ised to pay anything for taking this child is an absolute falsehood.
 T have remained silent pending this Investigation. I was willing that the fullest Inquiry should be made into the facts''
 A State Herald representative inter viewed Dr. Drennen at his residence last night, but nothing new was ascertained.
 Dr. Drennen said the stories were set afioat as a part of blackmalling scheme to eXtort money from him. He said that MT. Mizeil and his wife had entersd into the conspiracy and that all statements except as given by him to the press yes terday, which is printed above, were en- tirely false.
 In regard to the medicine administ rsd the child, for which he gave the prescr.p- tion, Dr. Drennen said that common sense would teach a person that if 1t was six days as is did. The prescription ca ed for the medicine commonly given in such cases, and as for producing death 1t was perfectly harmless.
 He was very pleasant, and stated that he not only desired 1t, but invited strict, systematic investigation into the cause of the childs death. He again insisted that he had revealed everything in con- nection with the case except the child's percentage, and this being professional secret. he refused to divulg,e it.
 With a positive statement that the in- terview given to the press yesterday af- ternoon was a concise recital of the facts, Dr. Drennen politely excused himself and the interview was at an end.
 THAT PRESCRIPTION.
 A State Herald representative callad at the Adams drug store and was given a copy of the prescription that has gained such prominence. It reads as follows:
 For -. No 7904S
 Date, 6, 20, 1897
 Hydrch, ,ormits grains l, mo. it. tablets No. 20. Sharp & Dohme. Give baby 1 every hour until are taken each day.
 DRENNEN
 The clerk who gave the copy stated that if the entire lot of medicine had been administered at once it would not cause the infants death
 MIZELL'S STATEMENT.
 MT. M. k. Mizell called at h State Her. aid office last night and made a state ment regarding the unfortunate circum- stances in regard to the unknown child left with him some time ago and which afterwards died.
 Mir. Mizell is a painter by profession and has been a resident of Birmingham since the latter part of August of last year. The story in toto Is as follows:
 My nearest neighbor. Mrs. Lee Owens was confined on the 18th day of May. Dr. Drennen was her attending physician. There were several ladies present with Mrs. Owens at the time, my wife being one of them. During the course of Dr. Drennen's stay he made the remark that he was going to have baby to give away in the near future; that he was locking for 1t hourly, saying it was of good stock. He said the child would come of high. aristocratic people of high standing in the church and turning to Miss Addie Tyler, one of the ladies present. he asked of her if she did not think it was kind of curious for church people. Miss Tyler remarked that she thought 1t was both sinful and disgraceful, and that such scandals should be exposed rather than covered up, iD mattered not who they were.
 Dr. Drennen then remarked that the child was rot an illegitimats) me, as some people might term it, as the couple were married, but had not been married a sufficient length of time to have a child due them; that their marriage period had been only about four months dura- ton. and that the father had been threat encd by his father with dsnheritance if he did not marry the woman.
 He then asked which of the ladies wanted ths child, if there was one present who wanted it. No one answered He then curned to Mrs. Mizell and asked her if she would not take 1t. She consented, provided her husband agreed to 1t. pr. Drennen then remarked, after being asked, why he wished to give the child away, since they were married. that there were sisters of the mother of the child.