Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-02
The Habeas Corpus Case In
Relation to Des Moines
Baby Farms Taken Up
THE TESTIMONY OF MRS. JONES
Many of the Abuses Which are Prac-
ticed at the Des Moines institution
Brought to Light in the Trial at Sac
city-Methods in Vogue at the West
Hospital.

baby FARMS was called before Judge
Powers. of Carroll. in the court house
Tuesday afternoon. Mrs West of Dies
Moines the defendant was present in
court accompanied by her attorneys,
j. l.. Parish and Harry Is. Noland, of
Des Moines. Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, sec
rotary of the Iowa Humane Society of
Des Moines, arrived yesterday and is
in court today. Mr.. NJ. w F'rick, OF
Rockwell City is her attorney, f. S.
Dunshee, of Des Moines. having looked
after the evidence there and sent affi-
davits and dispositions TO be used in
court here.
Mrs. Jones and Mrs Richardson. the
mother of the unfortunate girl who
gave birth to the baby in Mrs. Vests
!ying-in hospitals in Des Moines are the
principal witnesses. Affidavits We're
prepared in Des Mones and Will be
read to Judge Powers. signed by a
Des Moines professional nurse and the
brother and sister of Ruth Richardson
On arriving in this city Mrs. Jones
stated that she intended taking the
witness stand and giving a complete
description of the manner In which
baby farms are conducted In Des
Moines, and of the abuses which are
current there. Mrs. Jones states that
Mrs. Vests is as good a place of the
kind as there is in the city, but that all
are abuses and should not be tolerated
any longer.
The Des Moines affidavits deal with
the manner in which the West hospital
is conducted, the treatment of the ba-
bies and the sanitary conditions which
prevail. They We're made from person
al visits to the lyingin hospitals by Il
profession nurse. a lady, of Des
Moines, and by Miss Richardson's
brother and sister, who visited hes
while she was lying there in confine-
ment, and recovering from her child
delivery.
The main interest in the case. how
ever, centers around Mrs. Jones tes-
timony, which was rather sensational
and quite elaborate. According Ia
Mrs. Jones there are several baby farms
in Des Moines. where unfortunate girls
about to be delivered of ilIegitifnate
children go for confinement and deiiv-
cry. These homes are operated by won-
en- for pecuniary profit, (only one home.
that of the Salvation Army. being con
Quoted for unfortunate girls, without
any expense to them. Various sums
are charged, ranging according 10 the
ability of the girl mother to pay. but
being on an average Of 5000 for the
lying-in hospital, the attendance at
child birth and during recovery. and
the adoption of the child into other
homes so that its unfortunate mother
will not have to make public her shame.
Mrs. Jones claims that the practice
makes the matrons of these institutions
hard. hearted and careless, that they
are sordid and mercenasy and are not
actuated by any kindly feelings for the
unfortunate mothers or their illegiti-
mate babes. She claims that the sani-
tary and hygienic conditions at these
farms are of the very worst.
AT the West Hospital, declares Mrs.
Jones, there is no attendant to care
for the mothers and the little babies
but Mrs. West and the mothers them-
selves Mrs. West is a competent
trained nurse, but she can not do al!
the work OF looking after a half dozen
mothers and babies at once. The only
other help is from the girl-mothers
1t is the agreement on
which the girls are admitted into the
home that they sfall work t the home
nurse themselves and the other girls
who are in confnene mt there. The
majority of these girls are of an ex-
ceedingly low order; they would not be
there If they We're not. They do not
know anything about nursing or caring
for babies But there they stay. with
dirt and unsanitation all around and no
proper help. Some of the girls work
been reported where the girl had no
money, but took and pledged herself
to work in the institution for six or
eight months until her bill was worked
out This lis a veritable system of bond
age If there were competent nurses
such as Mrs. West herself it would be
different. but there are not"
Mrs. Jones was asdle i II there were
any actual crimes charged up to the
Des Moines lying-in hospital and re-
piled that there We're rot, that there
was no effort made to dispose of the
babies or give them wrongful diet or
attention: 1t was due TO carelessness
and Ill advised efforts, rather than any
attempt at the criminal.
She was also asked concerning the
adoption of the babies into irresponsi-
BILE and even criminal families and re-
piled that she had found little difficulty
with Mrs Vests institution in this re-
spect, altho there had been much trou
Bile In the past with a similar institu-
ton run In Des Moines by another
woman, the babies being given to ne
groes, harlots, or any persons who
would take them. With Mrs. West $
institution there has not been any of
this difficulty.
Mrs. Jones principal testimony will
be as to the girls waiting upon one an
other and their own and others babies
when they know nothing of medicine or
of the lack OF cleanliness and
sanitation that prevails OF the alleged
heartless manner in which they are
treated, of the way they are mulcted
for large sums of money and frequently
to go Into bondage In order
to pay their bills for the privileges of
giving birth to the child unknown to
the world.
1t is probable that the hearing will
last over today, as Mrs Vests attor-
neys show a decided desire to fight the
case to the limit and Mrs. Jones will
be given close and sharp cross
examination. For this reason J. l.. Par
IRISH was secured. at the last moment
10 assist Harry holland in the defense.