Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-09-29
SHE LOSES BABIES.
Woman Makes a Regular Trade of
Abandoning Infants.


Abandoning Infants.
There are many ways of getting a
living in this city, some persons even
working for 1T, but the most amazing
of them all was partly unfolded in the
Tombs court recently, when it was
alleged there was a regular estab-
lished business for losing babies"
here, the headquarters of the gang be-
ing somewhere on Mott street, says the
New York Press. Detectives were
searching for a woman on that street.
For a long time the managers of
children societies have been con-
WINGED that the losing" of babies has
been conducted Systematically and
they will be both surprised and pleased
If the present case does not develop
the fact that losing" is only an in
cident. That any one would care to
part with an infant is something hard
ly to be believed by the normal moth
er, but for many months the officers of
the societies have found too much sys-
TEN in the abandonment of babies not
in it.
Of course, every one has heard Of
the man who wouldn't sell his twins
for S1,000,OOO, but wouldn't give 10
cents for another pair, but the idea
that women would enter into scheme
of disposing of announcement infants
was so revolving that the societies
were long in taking any action. They
got a lead on June 6, however, when
an abandoned infant was found on
the gallery of Brooklyn bridge. That
incident may be remembered, as the
little one was in a common grocer's
basket which had been laid on the
floor near the ticket office. Thousands
hurried past, but no one paid any at
tention to the basket covered with a
piece of linen, until an employe on the
bridge took some interest.
The rush crowd simply parted and
passed by on either side until the en-
ploye found in the basket one of the
prettiest babies any one had seen for
a long time. Then the women in the
crowd, and the men, too, had time to
stop for a moment and feel sorry for
the abandoned little one. But one
Howe, of the Oak street police sta
ton, had other things to do than feel
sorry, and made a little discovery that
he kept to himself until he had a
chance to work up his clew and see
if there was anything in it. On a bit
Of cloth swaddling the babe he found
the name ''Varico."
1t wasn't much to go on, but Howe
had ideas of his own, and asked the
precinct commander if he might go to
work on it. OF course, the case prop
erly belonged to the headquarters staff,
but all detectives don't wear plain
clothes. so Howe was told to go ahead
and be careful to make no blunders
Following up the family defined
name on the babes clothing, the police
man arrested Mrs. Marie Varico and
Mrs. Antoinette Tonella. of So Madi-
son street. Magistrate Wahle heard
the case and was so amazed at first
that he might not have taken any ac-
ton had it not been that the two wo-
men got to quarreling in court, each
one accusing the other of abandoning
the infant.
That woman stole my baby" said
Mrs. VaricO.
II did not" retorted Mrs. Tonella.
You know you gave the child to me
to take to woman in Mott street who
makes a business of disposing Of ba-
bies. She told me that the baby was
alive and happy in a home in Brook
lyn."
Then the magistrate became greatly
interested and held the two women.
He also learned the name and address
of the woman on Mott street
Artfu1 Dodger.
He-Then l may hope?
She-Well. you may ask papa.