New-York tribune., 1903-03-04
j CONSPIRACY CHARGED
I'm M.4RzTN BABY CASE
.Narsc Makes Contsssion-.Says BO-
gus Child Was Secured.


Assistant Cooperation Counsel Frederick w.
~ ii yesterday applied for and receiv-d from
Magistrate Pool. In the West Side<p police court
5 q warrant, calling for the arrest Of Mrs Lena
Rickert. midwife. living at No. 13S East Forty
HfIh-st The warrant was placed in the hands
or court squad policeman for service
Mrs Rickert is the r1idwife I'm connection with
the slIeTsG bogus baby case Of DR.. John Nc
Leod Martin OF Boston. and Mrs Elizabeth
Starr Keefer-M his wife. Mrs. Martin oe-
clsres the baby to be genuine" and that she Is
? the mother Of the child, alleging DR.. Martin 70
he its father, while he in turn declares MIS-
Martin never gave birth to the child.
The warrant secured for Mrs. Rickert is in
connection with a certificate Of birth filed Win
the Health Board authorities in which the eirtn
Of Catherine Dorothes Lubkert is alleged Il
is understood that DR.. Martin declares TINS GER
tiecste to have been false, and has appheo fO'
her arrest on that ground
r.tact,ve serseaqt McNaught. OF the Centrai
once. was cent out from the District Attornes
oascp Yesterday afternoon with instructions u
-, xE-s Martin en- two cnarges-one of pro-
S,,o,ns a false heir a felony covered by Section
1S2 Ar the Penal Code. the penalty for which Is
xeu wars in State prison. and another charse VI
4,eriury. The arrest of Mrs. Martin was orueieu
after Champe S. Andrews, attorney TOT III MAJ
lin. had handed 10 Assistant District At'cfheS
Studiu = tynewritten copy OF confession iHoU0
by LYDIA Mueller, a nurse employed py MIS-
Lena Reikert that the baby in the case Is fO'
,be daughter Of Mrs. Martin. and that a con-
spirscy was entered into in an attempt 10 ue
ceiye Dr. Martin. Miss Mueller sWore at l"e
b.,rinr before DR. Iederle that Mrs. Martin had
given hrfh TO the baby in Mrs. ReikeTts mousse
District Attorney Jerome said last night tnat
he did not care TO talk about the case as no ar
rest had been made At the home OF Mrs.
Rejkert No LIB East Forty -ffth-st II Wss seiO
last night that no attempt had been mace 10 ar
rest Mrs. Reikert. .,-
when seen last night in his apartments at tne
Hoy.alton. No "A West Forty-fouTth-st' salo
that the only COPY Of the confession WAS IN the
,enox of Assistant District Attorney Studtn but
Sajs that he would tell all he could remember III
connection with the case. His story of 1t is as
follows:
Some time July Of last year Dr. Jsmss afstaHt mt
SndfeSs " who is counsel for the County MedS9i S9I
seeisy to c9Sit S esea n9 pee1SF case He ad
thai on June Is Of last year he had peep sske1 10
canine r.s Gan aRen ng Sr xere he resided with
relative Miss Start He gaze tne fosd Tr Andrews
that he made the examination ana fo9no % ao 20 sur
deRSs ss that wa ss Isaer to Sss see Hrs hs
house with baby girl Snieh hoTT ST9 JSne = Dr.
s, een n9 II ~ that the birth had been registered IN
e Bursg e vital .nt stSts to know SF # hn he could Be
implicated in khe case In any way ana "ah'e" -
prG1ef6 Ip fhe n mean time Dr. Martin having been in
formed ID. by Ibis his Ts 6sto na' e he nSn fonnd that the birth
had been registered 81 the B9ara o Oh ~ ss them
eP6 nresigste tS fes the case they could nothing
the matter and he then se enf senffo to M Andrews
for counsel he being medical man. and MI an an
@ietr' Alter learning mat Dr. Martin did net be
eS Se b.Sns .Rs R"SSd SSd Tfs the ssa Of that
fot o the nes1 fdee Of the Board Health
70 have s birth steH or fff fbe nd the eeT nst
= M Dr. %e f2ssd f2sn IL
for ~ MFs 1.s HseD scns R4s 2Ts MSfn
herself. She sEore that the bah, born June
q @ Sg and e fsid fGs3 Tsa MTs Mueqr frs e
present at the birth. She said that DIT r; SpIer @
aer e9 O sSn SliS' S Of II the baby tod story Gt
suffering that sTSpsHs fG ts mSrh nc Ret ReS had not exam
insd her for pregnancy. but for something else;
ts M She 9ssfJ %as present sem at the alleged oOpnePes aesr
and that the baby was ME- MARIN Al Ths house te at
tend the confinement. hut when he arrived @ vas vas
f8to Pe refa to sign certicate Of birth This was
ben meg My Ps ReikeTt was about to she
tainted in the courtroom. Subsequently she went
under operation and is aid s 10 hase ss beer Se post
poned account of that Illness snorty attet e she $
employ eikert end is 81 n9T M enE5GsSd aTd2s as snd
private nurse She was fonnn & 0y M; H. fbS hands Of
made 10 him rt the st'n9nsH s&Gn nHM IN Tie
.s,. MI 'o,5 Of smother case in which Mrs, Refkert
had registered a false birth and it was on that
case that the warrant against MS Relkert %as
is-,ed According to the confession nc says that
Nan 1l' Martin fI " Went to Mrs Rekert and told her
1st wanted baby and wantsd & ner bnI nIsPsmo S,,
think it was her OWL she s saiH t6 ma matter g must
Fe 81 arranged that she could have Il cernhcaIe
h,Iy WAS rrocurcd and everything was made
ready {" make il appear that child had Just a been
s9ytbyng 10 do with the Then the certificate
"as Ied by by sd MT eined the confession from Miss
EGoIler Mr. Andrews had already Learned ras &c
rE RsikeTt bad made yeI 3Se oar Of Health
records hc discovered that on June q Mrs Rel,
kTt M4 fs@ n"roSea HssiT@ abert K enf at os So @
Mrs Lubkert nov lives at No @i@ F@aSt seen ,5
'iss csrred hat hat the baby, not hers She told told
Mr. Andrews; he SAYS that she ansTeFep an MTs hS
aksr when sS sSS sSS asked Mrs. he lat
ifT MTs "fs Reksr ksr sad S that she would have its birth
registered with the Board of Health NJ Apors%s iI
10 S Mr rf fubEert in which she makes the assertion
that III. baSy would De s sce ery az adoped
the baby
In her confession Miss Mueller states thSt b. sHSIt
ssns.oriyr st Ne go West FeFty-ninth- st. and
@oSTsS @ SES a. ssRS ~. ai te chfidFens Society
wstehnG her Tey tG@k thS S ot soey 10
she mad promised. Then Mrs. Reikert advertised
The baby for adoption snd was sSss sHs.ares 20 and
vSDfSd the baby Miss Mueller says that she then
sTt Nth Mrs RexsTf een 10 'F and TSrs
fv-fourth StE. where they obtained the second
Irg 10 her The first baby. Miss Mueller
hea blue eyes and the second Drown eyes. Mrs-