The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-11


Declares Parent, Invoking
Aid of England's Repre-
sentative.
Child Was Kidnapped Just
as She Was About to Sail
for Europe, Mrs. Sprung
Asserts Join with
Woman in Fight For
Daughter.
The bitter legal fight being
waged in local courts for the
possession of Zela Sprung,
i15-year-old New York girl, with
Lieut.. E. o. Cronan and the
! mother of the child, Mrs. Har-
Try Sprung, opposing lawyers
representing the youth who
married her, today became a
problem of international i'm
portance and probably will be
made the subject of diplomatic
representations, between the
British consul in New York and
the U. S. government.
The girl, whose parents are
English subjects, is held a vir-
tual prisoner, the mother al
leges, at the home of Mrs. Geo.
w. Hoffmaster, wife of a fore
man at the American Tube &
Stamping works, who resides
at 81 Smith street. Mrs.
Sprung maintains that Mrs.
Hoffmaster keeps the girl lock-
ed in a room and has hidden
her street garments.
According to Lieut.. Cronan,
complaint was made by man
in Philadelphia that a woman
and her daughter were being
kept prisoners at this same
house last October, after they
had been spirited away from
Pennsylvania.
Heartbroken and penniless as a re-
suit of her frequent trips from New
York to this city, Mrs. Sprung, who
lives at 2170 Hughes avenue, Bronx.
New York city, charges that her
daughter was kidnapped by Fred
Reucco, as the girl was about to sail
! for England, the mother having
bought steamer tickets and obtained
government passports. She left this
city for New York this morning
without the child.
Leaving it to the discretion Of her
attorneys in this city, whether or not
to apply to the courts for writ OF
habeas corpus, the grief-crazed
| mother, with tears in her eyes swore
vengeance on the woman in whose
home she charged the girl is literally
| jailed, and in trembling voice stated
| her positive intention Of laying the
case Immediately before the British
consul in New York.
"Tt was the British consul who
forced the police of New York to f1nd
| my daughter and have this man
Reucco arrested and I intend to have
| him make this government give me
back my daughter, law or no law"
said Mrs. Sprung.
In the history Of Connecticut Juris-
prudence. there have been few cases
of greater interest to members OF the
bar, nor one which has resulted in
such bitter opposition between the po-
lice and attorneys.
The girl is Of English birth and an
English subject, coming to this coun-
try from England alone, when she was
only eight years of age, to Join her
parents. The little family, the head
of which is jewel designer, lived for
six years in the tenement in Hughes
avenue. New York. About six
months ago Reucco came to live with
his parents IN the fiat below the
Sprung family.
Mrs. Sprung says that Reucco while
engaged working as q strike breaker.
during the recent labor troubles OF
street car employees In New York, made
love to her daughter and during his
courtship committed an offence of
grave criminal consequences in view OF
the girls tender years
He wanted to marry the child, but
Mrs. Sprung and her husband Of Jew
ish blood, opposed the match. The
mother to end the affair decided to
send the girl to England, putting her
in charge of a stewardess. during the
trip across the Atlantic.
Mrs. Sprung purchased the ticket.
obtained a passport for her daughter
and spent a whole day shopping in
New York with the child to buy
clothing and her articles for, her. The
night before she was to sail Reucco
is alleged to have sent a girl chum
to see Miss Sprung and tell her that
Reucco wanted to say goodbye to
her.
She left her heme en- the third
floor of the tenement and ran down.
stairs to the street. Reucoo is all
legged to have had an automobile in
which several of his friends were rid-
ing, grabbed the girl, put her in, the
machine and rode at break neck speed
tCentiaued on Page ls.l