Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-23
OF Right 10 ''|neubaior'
Baby viii Be Decided
In a Few Days by Federal
Court at Minneapolis.


Chicago, May 22.-The fate Of the fa-
nous incubator baby OF the st. Louis
Worlds Fair will be decided in q few
days by the United States court of ap-
peais at Minneapolis.
The decision will determine finally
whether the baby shall belong to its
real mother or to the woman who
adopted 1t. Four courts already have
attempted to decide this question. An
Illinois circuit court decided tho child
belonged to it's real mother. The
Illinois supreme court reversed this
decision and gave the baby to it's fos-
ter parent. A district court in Kansas
decided the little one belonged to it's
adopted mother. The Kansas supreme
court gave 1t back to it's real mother.
At present, under the aegis Of the
Kansas upper court the real mother
| and child are living at Sedan. Kas.
The incubator baby, now grown to q
pretty girl Of four years, was born in
a St. Louis hospital Feb. Is, 1904.
While the mother, Mrs. Charlotte
Thompson Bleakley. lay i'll the hospi-
tai matron stole the baby and sold it
to the Baby Incubator Co. of tho
Worlds Fair. A dead baby born in the
hospital. it is alleged, to Edith Stanley.
an actress, was substituted. Mrs.
Bleakley was told her baby died. The
baby in the incubator thrived and Mrs.
James G. Barclay. n wealthy woman
of Buffalo decided to adopt it. Mrs.
Blealsley signed a deed, waving all
claims to the incubator baby. She was
convinced it was not her child But
Mrs. B!eakley became suspicious final
ly. She went to the ST Louis hospital.
Where the matron admitted the incu-
bator baby was the child born to Mrs.
Bleakley
When she learned the real mother,
had come to obtain her offspring. Mrs.
Barclay fled. it is said, with the in.
FAINT. from ST. Louis. She was halted
at Rock Island by warrant charg-
ing her with kidnapping. The Rock Is
land court restored the baby to Mrs.
Bleakley, who took it to Lawrence,
Eas. After appealing the case in the
Illinois court, Mrs. Barclay went to
Lawrence and began action to regain
possession of the child. Judge Smart
of the district court there decided the
adoption was legal and gave the real
mother six hours in which to surren-
der the baby.
While a deputy sheriff waited in the
Bleakley home Mrs. Bleakley slipped
out a back way with the child in her
arms and caught All express train.
BY means of bogus arrest by q bogus
officer, 1t is alleged, she had herself
conducted safely past pursuit through
Kansas and Missouri into Illinois.
where the circuit court had recognized
the validity Of her claim. For several
months she and her child lived hap
PLY at Rock Island until the supreme
court returned the child to Mrs. Bar
clay. Meanwhile an appeal had been
taken in Kansas and the supreme
court OF that state had upheld the
claims of the real mother, Mrs. Bleak.
ley fled in disguise back to Kansas.
where she now lives
Mrs. Barclay has spent $4,000 in her
fight for the baby She calls the child
Dorothy Edith Barclay. Its real mo-
Their. who is poor. has spent 5000 in
defending her claim. She knows the
child as Marian Roberts Bleakley Sew
eral famous Kansas lawyers have
handled Mrs. Rleakley's case free of
charge About $500 has been con-
tributed to help her by public sub
scription.