The Detroit times., 1910-05-19
INCUBATOR BABY s
YEARS IN COURTS
Mother and Foster Mother Are
Fighting Hard for Possession of
the Pretty Little Girl

KANSAS CITY, May 1s.--lt will
surely take a Solomon 10 decide
whether Marian Bleakley is Marion
Bleakley or whether her right name II
Marian Barclay. Mrs. Sarah Barclay
OF Buffalo, NJ Y, is SO sure that the
latter name Is correct that she faces a
charge OF kidnapping, with a possible
ten-year penalty In Bolton. Kan"
courts. +. RI. Tillotson, detective OF
this city. who assisted Mrs. Barclay
IN her latest attempt TO rescue the
child, has been found guilty on hid
naping charge. She has spent more
than $4,000 10 obtain possession or
pretty little six-year-old Marian.
The child's life has been an almost
unbelievably romantic one, Mrs.
Bleakley, her natural mother, was
young country school teacher who
married 4 man richer than herself
She was deserted by her husband In a
rev months and her baby was born IN
ST, Louls hospital. She was told that
1t was dead and was even shown the
body OF a dead child.
II has since been proved in the
courts that little Marian was turned
over by the mothers nurse 10 dem
OnstIator of incubators for abnormally
small children at the St Louis Worlds
Fair The dead child shown Mrs.
Bleakley was the child OF an actress,
Edith Stanley.
Here MrS Barclay comes into the
story. She is the wife of James c.
Barclay. a rich and elderly resident
OF Buffalo. and has no children of her
own She fell in love with the "incu-
bator baby" but happened to dis
cover the fraud that had been prae-
tised on Mrs. Bleakley.
However, Mrs. Barclay was resolve!
TO gain possession OF the child and she
sent to obtain Mrs. Bleakley's sigma
tllre to adoption papers, assuring her.
meanwhile, that IL was mere idle
form since the child was not hers, But
though Mrs. Bleakley signed the
papers she got to thinking rather
rurlously about the idle form" and
began TO do some investigating on her
own account She soon discovered the
double fraud that had been practiced
upon her. and then the trouble began.
Mrs. Bleakley brought suit against
Mrs. Barclay at Moline. ILL.,, where the
lstter was then living. Marian was
given by order OF court to Mrs. Bleak
lev. She took the child to her mothers
home at Lawrence, Kan. She was fol-
lowed by Mrs. Barclay, who in her
turn Instituted suit and was awarded
the child, the Illinois decision being
reversed. After a thrilling scene in
court--in which the poor little baby
was dropped and its small head griey-
home Ito change It's clothes" Prompt
ly she slipped out of the window and,
assisted by men from the University
OF Kansas, boarded the train for I'LL
oils, where the decision has been In her
favor.
Afterward she returned to Kansas,
when her lawyers there had obtained
a stay OF proceedings. and meanwhile
the decision for her was reversed in
the appellate court of Illinois. But in
the supreme court OF Kansas Mrs.
Bleakley was sustained. An unsuccess-
full attempt to kidnap the baby was
made by Mrs. Barclay. The case was
thrown out OF the United States court
at Topeka.
Last summer Mrs. Barclay hiring
several men, made another daring at
tempt to kidnap Marian. hoping to get
her into the jurisdiction of the Illinois
courts, who had decided finally in the
foster mothers favor. She succeeded
lin getting the little girl. but the party
was captured in Missouri, and requi-
sstion papers were served. Mrs. Bleak
ley has now held possession OF the
child since last September, and the
trial OF the kidnapers is about to
come of.