Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-09-08
HOW old IS CLAUDE?
RIVALS AGE OF ANN
His Liability To Draft Involved,
Father OF Thirteen Forgets
Little Details
SUMMONS SENT TO MOTHER.
Judge Rose Hears Brother Law, An
Expert On Family's Burning
ProhIem.
The far-famed query. How Old Is
Ann?~ now has a rival in:
How Old Is CIaude?"


Ann?" now has a rival in:
How Old Is CIaude?"
This is the question puzzling United
States District Judge Rose, District
Attorney Dennis, officials of the De-
partment of Justice. the United States
Marshal, military selective draft
boards in Baltimore, and last, but net
least. Claude himself because the
answer may decide whether or not he
is 10 be convicted of a serious charge.
Claude, whose last name is Arth,
went on trial in the Federal Court
yesterday charged with failing 10 reg
lister for the draft and when his fam
lily was summoned to testify il was
found that none of them knew the
ages of the others, but all were quite
sure, at least they believed they were
right, in contending that Claude was
81, and therefore beyond the draft.
Household Disturbed Over Ages.
According TO the testimony of
Joseph A. Arth. his father, there were
13 children in the family, but the
father said blessed if he could tell
how old any one of them is" The
question of ages, said the elder Arth,
has been the one big disturbing ele-
ment in the Arth household for years,
and it is one of the principal reasons
why the old man lives in Washington
while the rest of the family occupies
territory in Anne Arundel county.
Every time there was a quorum of
the family present, said the father,
some one of them began bum argu-
ment" about the respective ages. The
girls contended that they were a GER
tain age, probably some of them
knocked off a year or two, as they felt
disposed, while the boys, in manly
fedged citizens. 1T was too much
for Pop said one, "and he pulled up
stakes and left"
When registration time came the
father said that, in view of the fact
that he served Uncle Sam for 40 years
as member of Marine Corps band,
he felt that Claude should do his duty,
but he was not sure that he came
within the age limit. Claude's mother
was of the opinion that he was more
than 81 years old, and Claude, on the
strength of this, did not register He
was employed at the Naval Academy
and when government officials found
out that he was not on the draft list
he was arrested
But 1856 Wasn't Leap Year.
In court he insisted that he is 81,
and asserted he was born on Febru
airy 20, 1886 The family always said,
according to Claude, that his birthday
only came around every leap year.
Judge Rose, however, soon announced
that in 1886 there was no February
90
IF you were born during leap year
about that time" said the Judge,
you are either 30 or SO years old"
This was sort of knockout blow to
the defense, but Claude did not give
up the fight and called upon his
brother Joseph to substantiate his
claim Joseph said he was sure that
Claude is 81.
The father was then called. and al
though he was under the impression
that Claude is 81, he could not be posi-
tive. How could your" he said.
With family of Is children besides
his wife and himself to support, he
had little time to spare from his hard
work as proyider to dope out" the
ages of his offspring
Expert On The Arth Ages Called.
Next came John w Wood, brother
in-law of the accused. Wood said he
spent considerable time on the ques-
ton of the ages of the Arth family, as
he wanted to know all about the age
of his wife before they were married.
"She might die before me-" said he,
"and / wanted TO get the correct in
formation about her birth so that |
could have it recorded on the tomb
stone over her grave"
To this end he said he applied at
the Birth Registration Bureau in
Washington, where he succeeded in
locating the record of every one of
the Arth children. with the exception
of Claude. The accused seemed tc be
left out, he said. probably because of
the fact that he was born on that pc
culiar day in February.
Every one of the Arth family pres
ent had something to say about the
age question, but in every case there
was an air of uncertainty and final
ly the Judge called for the mother,
Mrs Henrietta Arth. She was not in
Court. as it was said that she was ill.
A summons was issued for her and
the story she tells will probably have
a great deal to do with solving the
problem. The case will be continued
this afternoon.-From the Baltimore
Evening Sun.