The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-09-03
FOSTER MOTHER
GIVES UP. FIGHT
Willing to Release Claim on
Incubator Babe if Kidnap.
ing Charge is Dropped.

Aopehd, oepC. S.-lt is possible that
the incubator baby case will never
come to trial. Mrs. Stella Barclay,
the woman who planned and led the
abductors when the child was kid
naped from her home in Topeka a
week ago. after being arraigned in the
city court of Topeka today and with
prison term of from five to ten
years staring her in the face, all but
broke down. She told w. E. Atchi-
son. assistant county attorney, that
she was ready to give up now and
offered to give deed of adoption for
the child to Mrs, Bleakley. the real
mother of the incubator baby. Mrs.
Barclay did not make any stipulations
regarding this confession, but it is
expected by the officers here that she
will offer to give this deed and prom
ise never to disturb the child again
If the charges against her and Joseph
Gentry, her helper. are dismissed, or
not pushed by Mrs. Bleakley.
Joseph Gentry appears to be the
goat" Of the kidnapping party now.
With Mrs. Barclay he was arraigned
before Judge E. R. Simon of the To-
peka city court today. The prelim-
mary hearing was set for September
9 and the bond Of each was fixed at
$4,000 in each complaint, requiring
each defendant to give bond of $4,000
for their appearance. The Fidelity
Il Deposit company of Baltimore gave
the bond for Mrs. Barclay, but Gentry
went to Jail in default of bail. Ac-
cordfng to the officers here Mr.. Bar
clay left his wife In Kansas City to go
east and arrange for bail. This was
done. Before he left, Gentry is said
to have asked him to provide bail for
him also. According TO the stories
brought back from Kansas City by the
Topeka sheriffs, BarctAw. told Gentry
that the kidnaper could shift for him
self. now that he had been paid for
his part of the work.
There was a big crowd of men and
women in the courtroom when the
case was called at o'clock this after
ncon.. Everybody wanted to- see Mrs.
Barclay. When Mrs. Barclay and
Gentry entered the courtroom there
was hush among the spectators. who
craned their necks to get a better
view. The proceedings lasted only a
few minutes. John Schneck, county
attorney, and E. D. McKeever, attor-
ney for Mrs. Barclay and Gentry, held
a whispered conversation for few
minutes as to the time of holding the
preliminary. 1t was agreed that week
from Wednesday would be good time
and the court announced that the pre-
ltminary hearing would begin at 8
o'clock September 8. The question
of bond was brought I'M and the conn.
ty attorney stated that he thought a
bond Of $4,000 in each case for each
defendant should be required. Nc
Keever protested that this was a larg-
er amount than he really Thought
ought to be asked. The court fixed
the amount as first requested by the
county attorney.
The arrangements for the bonds had
not been completed when the case
was called. The prisoners were left
in the hands Of the marshal until
bond had been secured. Within an
hour the final papers for the release
of Mrs. Barclay were made out and
approved and she was on her way to
Kansas City.
Gentry was taken to jail at once.
bond for him.
Mrs. Stella Barclay returned to
Kansas City last night at 1925 o'clock.
When asked If she had given up the
fight for the possession of the baby
Mrs. Barclay replied that she had
nothing to say. She refused to give
any information in regard to her plans
until after she had consulted her law