Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-26
Mysteries of Woman Witness Whose Family
Skeleton Is Ratified by Lawyers Halt Hearing.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25.-The
famous Slingsby baby substitution
case is being tried again. A Carnegie
Ross, British Consul here, appointed
| by the High Court of Chancery in
England for the purpose of taking
testimony. and upon the result will
depend the disposition of Inc large
| Slingsby estate in Yorkshire, yielding
an income of $4,000 year.
Lieutenant and RS. Charles Raw
mond Slingsby, who claim the infant
as their own. are here to testify.
Sensations have developed at the
very opening Of the rehearing. Mrs.
Amanda Koch, the first witness, broke
down when revelations of her family
life were forced from her, and ad-
| journment became necessary.
Mrs. Koch, warm friend of Mrs.
Hattie Blain, of No. 1922 McAllister
street, was giving testimony corrobo-
rative of the story which Mrs. Blain
is expected to relate, to the effect that
| Mrs. Slingsby, when she was a visitor
hin this city in the fall of 1910, did not
give birth to a child at Mrs. Blain' s
| home.
Mrs. Koch answered questions halt
| ingly. She had an imperfect knOwl-
edge of English, and she was nervous.
The Slingsbys' attorney drew her
on until she made damaging admls-
sions about her own family life. 1t
was information which the Sllngsbys
had known for some time, but had not
revealed.
Mrs. Koch's inadvertent confession
caused a distressing scene. Hardy
had the words left her lips when she
collapsed with shrieks and screams
which could be heard through the
| building.
1t was not testimony relevant to the
case. 1t dealt with a skeleton In the
Koch family.
Hearing her friends cries of an
| guish, Mrs. Blain, sitting in the ante
room, burst through the door into the
witness room.
For the first time since the Sings
! by case became a matter OF court re-
ord in California Mrs. Blain faced
! Mrs. Slingsby, her former mistress,
| thwarted by swearing that the baby
was only a changeling. The women
! looked at each other as enemies look.
for an intensely dramatic moment.
Mrs. Blain guessed the situation at
| a glance. She saw that Mrs. Koch j
tealously guarded secret was out. She
| told the group so, and accused Mrs.
| Slingsby.
The Slingsby case came into inter
national prominence more than We
ago, when the Lieutenant, who holds
that rank in the British army, began
a fight for the family fortune Is
was opposed by his brother, who de-
clared that the child was not the Off
spring Of Mrs. Slingsby, but that OF a
California schoolgirl, substituted for
the dead baby Of Slingsby's wife.
Family Nurse to Testify.
Among the witnesses whose depo-
sitiohs will be taken are Mrs. Hattie
Balm, Mrs Slingsbys nurse DIR. w.
! w. Fraser, who issued the birth Ger
! tificate in the case, and DR.. w. f.
Snow, secretary of the State Board
of Health, who investigated the cir
cumstances OF the alleged baby sub
stitution.
The fortune which is the subject Of
court proceedings was left by the
Rev Charles Slingsby, who. died as
the result of hunting accident while
following the York and Ainsley
hounds.
Lieutenant Slingsby is the eldest
son. He has already assumed control
of most of his inheritance, and the