The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-18
INCUBATOR BABY 6
YEARS IN COURTS
Mother and Foster-M Mother Are
Fighting Hard for Possession of
the Pretty Little Girl.

KANSAS CITY, May 1s-It will
surely take a Solomon TO decide
whether Marian Bleakley is Marion
Bleakley or whether her right name u
Marian Barclay Mrs. Sarah Barclay
of Buffalo, n. 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. +. III. Tillotson, detective OF
this city. who assisted Mrs. Barclay
In her latest attempt TO rescue the
child, has been found guilty on a kid.
mapping charge. She has spent more
than $4,000 to obtain possession OF
pretty little six-year-old Marian.
The child's life has been an almost
unbelievably romantic one. Mrs.
Bleakley, her natural mother. was a
young country school teacher wiso
married man richer than herself.
She was deserted by her husband in a
few months and her baby was born in
st. Louis hospital She was told that
! Il was dead and was even shown the
body of dead child.
It has since been proved In the
courts that little Marian was turned
over by the mothers nurse to dem
onstIator OF incubatoTs 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 e..
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 prac'
tised on Mrs. Bleakley.
However, Mrs. Barclay was resolved
to gain possession OF the child and she
sent TO obtain Mrs. Bleakley's sigma
ture to adoption papers, assuring her,
meanwhile, that II was a mere idle
form since the child was not hers. But
though Mrs. Bleakley signed the
papers she got to thinking rather
curiously 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
latter 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 griev-
ously bumped-Mrs. Bleallley took II
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 Hi
uis. 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
In getting the little girl, but the party
was captured in Missouri and requi-
sitlon papers were served. Mrs Bleak
Hey has now held possession OF the
child since last September and the
trial of the kidnapers Is about to
come or