The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-31
STARTLING STORY
 TOLD IN CHICAGO How 3J00 Husbands In City
 Have Been Deluded WIVES ADOPT CHILDREN Hospital Furnishes Infants and When Husband Returns Home He Finds Himself Father of
 Bouncing Baby.

Chicago, January so.-(special.)- Daily News says-
 There are in Chicago today fully 5000 z husbands fondlfng infants that are not their own, but babies adopted by their wives-and the delnded fathers are none the wiser"
 This was the startling statement made today by Lyman w Rogers treasurer of the National Maternity hospital, 1426-2S-S0 Wells street, from which institution, he says some, 25O infants are adopted into good homes every year. MT. Rogers re- markable statement was made to a re- porter for The Daily News following a discussion of "adoption methods in Chi eago.
 A case in view which gave rise to the Inquiries concerning such matters in this city was the sensational testimony before Los Angeles jurist of Mrs. c. E. Smith of the California city, who furnished Mrs. W. Wilson of that city with four children , which the latter tried to pan off on her husband as quadruplets born to her.
 Told of Extensive Deceptions.
 Mrs. Smiths story was told in the in- yestigation regarding the parentage of the four children which Mrs. Wilson had admitted were not hers, during the course of which the former asserted that she had provided homes for 300 babies in Los Angeles without the supposed fla thers" knowing but that they were their own flesh and blood.
 Of the 250 infants mentioned by MT. Rogers, provided with homes every year, more than one-half, he further declared, are believed by the husbands to be their flown. And while a majority of the babies ! h ba offen of WOrlxjuR girls. he said, they enter homes in stations high above that which they would otherwise occupy.
 Such little ones are to be found in the homes of men whose names are known to newspaper readers as the leaders in cer- tain circles, it was declared. Were the hospital authorities to give the names of some of their clientele" according to Mir Rogers. disclosures would follow which would disrupt entire families.
 Many clrildless women are found in society. Hubby will never know. And so when the husband leaves town for a time the wife pays us visit and when the deluded man returns he finds himself the proud father of bouncing boy or girl.
 "It is rarely that a husband wants a child that is not of his own blood. A classy man will not stand for the adop- tion of an infant unless his wife is deli cate. If some husbands who are bring ing ID children knew .he truth about them I trernble to think what the conse- quences would be-"
 "Ttis sort of deception is, of course, practiced when the husband is out of 1own,s continued MT. Rogers ITO pull the wool over his eyes while he is in the house would necessitate the doctors and the nurses being in the plot. have heard 'It of such cases and read of such, but they are rare The safest way and the usual way is to wait until the man is called away.
 There is man in Chicago who Is SUD- posed to be worth millions. He passes much of his time in Europe. It would be a breach of trust to mention his name but 1t is q fact that his wife has palmed off on him at different times, two babies, which he honestly believes to be hs own She got them at our hospital here, and he was none the wiser. It hap pened, of course. while he was on one of his European trips. He wanted chil- dren and his wife came to us.
 Another Case Is Recalled.
 q recall another case of woman Of well-known family who adopted no fewer than five children at different times, cdE- ering a period of nine years. In ths case it happened that the husband knew that they were not his own, but a similar case was that of woman who adopted three children at different times. The husband never knew He was a travelling man and away mach of the time. The decep- tion was thus simplified immensely
 Again. A husband left his wife after an altercation of some kind and went to Indianapolis. The woman was in de-