New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-22
in Babies
Occur Frequently,
Inquiry Reveals
Blunders Made at Conva-
lescent Home, Where In
fants Are Not Tagged

Two facts stand out among those es-
tablished at yesterdays session Of the
investigation into the death Of little
Charles Wisotsky, which is being con-
Quoted by the office of Francis Martin,
District Attorney of The Bronx.
First, that the bunder which re-
suited in the sending of Charles Wisot-
sky to the home of Mrs. Maria Florio
as her child and Mrs. Florio's son,
William, to the Wisotsky home, was
made at the Convalescent Babies Hos
pital at Sea Cliff, Long Island, when
the children were admitted on June %.
Second, that this situation may hap
pen again.
At the investigation yesterday nurses
admitted that parents Of children
taken in to the home had often com
planned that children other than their
own had been returned to them.
Other Institutions Involved
The institutions involved besides the
Sea Cliff home, which was represented
at the hearing yesterday by William
D. Guthrie, are the Free Synagogue
Social Service Bureau and the Bellevue
Hospital Social Service Bureau, repre-
scented by Miss Josephine Hill, acting
superintendent.
Inhn
said last night that he would confer
with District ATTORNEY Martin to-day
and that it would be for Mr.. Martin to
say if the facts in his possession would
be submitted to grand jury.
The preliminary investigation Is Tar
from completed, Mr.. Cohn admitted.
He said that it had not been definite.
~ established if the Wisotsky child
had died as the result of neglect. Mrs.
Florio denied that the child had been
neglected. She insisted IT was IN the
same thin, emaciated condition on July
%, when Miss Rebecca Abbott, Of the
Bellevue Social Service, brought it
10 her home, as when il was claimed
there on August Is by its frantic
mother.
Miss Abbott said that when she took
the child to the Florio home, at 3lS
East Thirty-fourth Street, Mrs. florio
was not at home. but a woman relative
was. who declared the boy was not
Mrs. Florio's. Miss Abbott admitted
that she said in reply: as this 3lS
East Thirty-fourth Street? Is this
Mrs. Florio's home? Has she son
William ," All of which being answered
in the affirmative, she left the Wisots-
Ky child and departed.
knew It Wasn't Her Child
Miss NJ. Mayer, OF the Free Syna-
cogue Social Service, said that when
She brought the Florio boy TO Mrs.
Wisotsky, on August II, she met Mrs.
Wisotsky on the stoop, and when she
handed her the child Mrs. Wisotsky be-
gan TO scream and tear her hair and
shout it wasn't her child. But Miss
Mayer left it there, nevertheless. She
said the next morning she informed
Miss Jean Long. head of the Free
Synagogue Social Service, of Mrs.
Wisotsky's denial Of the child.
Miss Long testified that on the fol-
lowing day she wrote to Miss Clara
Fellows. superintendent Of the Sea Cliff
Home, saying, among other things:
I'VE had quite a trial with Mrs.
Wisotsky. She tore her hair and re-
fused TO take the baby. She said it
was an Italian child. The nurse left
II there. OF course, ! know how babies
change with good care. Please look
into the matter"
Babies Not Tagged
What happened as the result Of the
investigation is not known. But it is
known that babies unable 10 speak are
not tagged at the Sea Cliff home. Miss
Fellows said she suggested to the So
cial Service nurses that this be done.
The Social Service workers deny this.
Miss Fellows explanation of the
llunder is that when the nurses
brought the two children to the home
they informed the nurses there that
the 'Florio child, which came from
Bellevue Hospital, was the Wisotsky
boy. who was brought by another
nurse from Lebanon Hospital. Neither
Of these nurses has yet been exam
ined.