Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-20
WAR BABY IS
CENTER Of PLOT
TO BREAK WILL
Canadian Girl Real Mother of
Famous Matters
Child.
HER LOVER WAS
CALLED TO CoLoRs
Witness Broke Down When Ask.
ed if She Wanted Her
Offspring Back.

Chicago, May l9-The spurious
heir" in the case of Mrs. Dollie Led
gerwood Matters, scharged with con-
spiracy in attempting to foist a baby
on the probate court according to tes-
timony today was q real "war baby.
The testimony came from a sweet
faced little Canadian girl, Jessie Bry-
an, mother Of the child.
Jessie went to work in a Canadian
factory when she vas Il yearse old.
For three years, she kept company"
in innocent fashion with young
shoemaker. They were to be mar
ried. Then came the great war, and
the shoemaker donned his uniform
to 60.
A year or SO ago, much yas writ
ten and spoken II the great wave
of emotion which shook women of
belligerent countries as their men
walked away to possible death. The
elemental instinct brushed aside the
traditions and conventions of centur-
les and "war babies" became a prob
lem.
Lover Sailed Away
1t was thus with Jessie Bryan. Her
lover sailed away with his comrades
and some months later, the girl went
to the Misericorda Hospital at o.
tawa. @ ..f.r.
Not a juror took his eyes from the
frank, round face of the girl, as she
told her story. Tears dimmed her eyes
although they did not overflow, and
her lips quivered, Her voice was
brave but tremulops. 1t was not un-
til she was asked, do you want your
baby now~ that ste broke down and
9osia ssa nof psfniF sf u ailsasF fiis
question. e.
Sent to Public Ward
.'It was in May. 1915, that my moth
er took me to the hospital" said the
witness. at cost her $500, and I
was sent to the public ward where
they sent all the poor people,
1t was to this hospital that Mrs.
Matters, according to the testimony,
came seeking an infant that she
might cast off on the probate court
as the posthumous child of her late
husband, of whose 100000 estate
she desired larger share.
1--WE called her the millionaire
lady," said the witness. "She had a
private ROOM
The infant, a girl, was born July "a,
1915. But the unwell mother was told
that she was born dead. The girl
continued her story:
All the luxuries
81 was taken into a private room.
here was another woman there-mar-
ried- and she asked me a lot of
questions. said | did not want to
stay there. | wanted to go back to
the poor ward, but the nurse said no.
They brought me chicken on silver
trays, anu nice things l had never
eaten before in my life as
august 3, there were several ba-
bies to be chIistened, and one was
brought in to me. 1t was the most
beautiful baby, dressed in beautiful
clothes, and asked whose it was.
The nurse said, isn't it pretty; it's
the millionaire lady's.' / felt the lace
and soft embroidery"
Four months passed before Jessie
learned that the baby she admired so
much was alleged to be her own.
"A chum," continued the witness,
"read of the Matters case. She told
me about it and ran out of the
house straight to the hospital. All
the old Nuns had gone. begged for
the truth, but no one could tell me-
"You want it now, don't yOu?" put
in Attorney Ramsey, of the prosecu-
ton, but Mr.. Burrows objected, and
burst of sobs was the only reply
the jury got.
Mrs. Matters late husband was an
old man, engaged in banking and
moving picture business.