Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-31
MOTHERS LOVE
WINS IN COURT
LONG FIGHT FOR CHILD ENDS
IN VICTORY
Holding In Her Arms the Baby Once
Taken From Her, Woman Tells
Her story and Is Made
Happy

After a plucky fight, covering the
past six weeks, Mrs. Verde Wilson of
East Los Angeles yesterday managed
to gain possession of her four-year-
old boy Earl, after she had taken
nearly every step in the legal cal
endar.
Mrs. Wilson yesterday went before
Judge Trask of department four of
the superior court and demanded the
custody of her baby on habeas corpus
proceedings. For the past year or
more the baby has been kept in va
rious charity homes and for several
months past II has been the ward of
Manager Rice of the Childrens Home
society.
Time after time Mrs. Wilson was
alleged to have made requests for her
boy, only to receive a cool reception
and as last attempt to secure the
release of the baby she swore out the
writ of habeas corpus and yesterday
the aged manager of the charity
home, attircd in long black Prince
Albert coat, high standing collar and
white tie, appeared in court, carrying
the little tow-headed youngster, whose
bare feet and legs waved promiscu-
ously about in the air, while the old
man was busy keeping his face out
of the way Of the swinging pedal ex-
tremities.
Acts as His Own Attorney
Throughout the long afternoon the
mother and about dozen Of her wo-
men companions sat about the court
room, while at the opposite side sat
Rice and the big-eyed baby. Incl
dentally the youngSter was sporting
his first pair of trousers and that i'm
portant step in his life, combined with
the many sights of the court room,
kept the lad very quiet.
Finally the case was transferred to
Judge Smiths department, and there
Rice and an attorney representing the
woman fought out the writ.
Rice stated that he would be his own
attorney and asked a word first. He
stated that at a former period the
children had been taken from their
father at Bakersfield and delivered to
the chldren's home as wards of the
court. He admitted that the juvenile
court had only taken charge of two
of the children, the third one being
given to the custody of a woman at
Bakersfield.
Judge Smith managed to get Rice to
talk about the youngest child of the
Wilson family, the baby in question.
Rice looked toward the corner of the
| court room where the mother was
crying over and kissing the lad at the
same time, and then he began his
story in a halting manner. He in
sisted that he ought to be allowed
| to keep the child at his home until
he received word of release from the
| Juvenile court at Bakersfield. He fur
| ther explained that the children had
been taken from their father and
cared for by the court, that finally
he had secured charge of three of
| nd hot 11n nj n lkaep fh q
until he was told to give them up by
| the court
The woman's attorney then stated
| that recently the woman had won a
decree of divorce from her husband,
and that in that decree she had been
awarded the custody of the children.
The Mother Tells Her Story
The woman was then called to the
stand, and holding the baby with one
hand, she raised the other to take the
oath. She refused to part with the
youngster for a moment and when she
had seated herself in the witness
chair the boy promptly went to sleep.
With Indignation in her voice the
woman told of her long fight to get
possession of her baby. She told how
the lad had been taken from
her by her husband, how she
had hardly seen the baby for
the past TWO years anu no"
she finally won her decree of divorce
and then went to live in d pleasant
little home with her parents. Then,
as final petition, she begged for the
custody of her baby to brighten the
life wherein all had been sorrow save
| the love of the little ones.
Her testimony lasted about five
minutes and then Judge Smith, not
! ing the woman's wild love for the
| bahv and seeing the confidence placed
in his mother by the fat little fell
low, promptly gave the child to the
mother to care for as she saw best.
When Rice left the room the woman
marched up to the Judges bench and
asked that she be allowed to shake
! hands with Judge Smith.
| The boon was granted. and the
! happy mother and her friends filed out
| of the court room.