The sun., 1918-07-13
STOLEN BABY FOUND
WOMAN ARRESTED
Mrs. Spiro, Who Had Lost Two,
So Lonesome She Just Had
to Take Blue Eyed Child.
MYSTERY SOON SOLVED
Margaret Murray's Mamma
and AbductOr Had Once Lived
in Same House.

A most self-possessed and untroubled
Young heroine is Miss Margaret Murray.
Storm centre Of an adventure which sent
her family nearly out Of their minds
with terror. landed her on the front page
OF most of the evening papers, and kept
a SQUAD OF new women police reserves
nut all night feeling highly important
oyer their first real sleuth job. Miss
Murray, in her home. at 2S5 Fifteenth
t,reet, yesterday, closed her eyes In a
blsv manner when requested for. an
interview. and emitted a liquid gurgle
which seemed to say that she should
worry about little kidnapping affair
with bottle like that glued to her lips
For Miss Murray Is only three weeks
old. and her mind at present registers
little but desire for milk. And accord
,rg to DR.. Garvin of Volunteer Hos-
pital who examined her Immediately
after she was recovered from her alb
ductor. Mrs. Rose Spiro OF 2ss Front
street. Manhattan, she appeared to have
had plenty OF food and every comfort
during her short stay II Mrs. Spiro's
home But IL Margaret was nonchaIant
her parents were not. They gazed at
their first child as she reclined In her
cradle as 10 they never meant to let
her out OF their sight again.
Over and over Mamma Murray told
the story-how she was Just out of
bed Thursday and thought she'd take
the baby out for a ride in her new car
rage, and just left her for a minute out
side that store at Fifth avenue and
Ninth strsst which she believed was per-
fectly safe. while she went in to look at
some pretty white cambria that she
thought she might buy to make Margaret
q dress when she outgrew the one that
was made for her before she was born.
And when shs came out the carriage
was empty-nothing In 1t but the little
pink and white blankets tossed hastily
aside.
Like n Scene In a story Book.
IT thought I'd go out of my mind
said Mamma Murray. Her sister. who
had come In from her nat across the hall
TO help tell the story, said she didn't
understand how such thing. right OUT
Of a story book, could happen on Fifth
avenue and Ninth street.
I've always left my baby there when
was chOppihB, anu Iooh at DIG
exclaimed, pointing TO a fat three-year-
old in defence OF the safe character of
Fifth avenue and Ninth street. Brook
Ign. as a resting place for babies.
But 1t was Just there that young Mrs.
Spiro. rambling along to kill time till
her mother. whom she had gone to
Brooklyn to visit. should return home.
picked Margaret out Of her carriage and
carried her Off. Mrs. Spiro was not so
happy as Mrs. Murray, for she had no
child. only a great hunger in her poor.
rather childlike brain for small form
to hold in her arms. little voice to cry
TO her. And when she saw Margaret
lying there she couldn't resist catching
her up and carrying her to the home
that seemed 80 empty without a baby.
That. at least, is tho story she told
Magistrate Reynolds in the Fifth avenue
police court and Mr.. and Mrs. David
Murray, and the Murrays at last be-
lleved her and said that II It could be
left TO them they wouldn't press the
charge.
The Magistrate, however. felt that
Kidnapping must be treated more Sc
verely and held Mrs. Spiro In $1,000
bail for examination Monday morning.
Daniel Spiro. her husband, was unable
20 produce the bail and Mrs. Spiro spent
last night in Raymond street jail. cry
ing bitterly because she was again baby
less and also because she was Begin
ming to realize that in yielding to her
yearning she had committed a punish
able crime.
Betrayed by the Newspapers.
u was Mr. Spiro who made his wife
take Margaret to the Elizabeth street
police station yesterday after a night
she had spent in caring for the crying
child. The wife had told him that the
baby was her own child. born to her. and
when she failed to make him believe
this she said that she had found the
little one in a subway station. She re-
dressed Margaret in one of the little
gowns that she had made for her two
babies, who died at birth, and gave her
milk from the bottle she had bought
for them.
Mr.. Spiro, starting. puzzled. for his
work. saw in the papers the story Of the
Kidnapping of Margaret Murray. He
read how Mrs. ]. McNerney of All Third
avenue, Brooklyn. had seen a shabbily
dressed woman snatch the baby from the
carriage in front of McCormacks dry
goods store at 44S Fifth avenue, in
Brooklyn, and had followed her to ques-
ton her. but lost her. The story said
that Margaret had blue eyes and reddish
hair. The child in his home had blue
eyes and reddish hair. Mr.. Spiro re-
turned and babe his wife follow him to
tie station. and she. crying bitterly.
obeyed
quick notification of Brooklyn head
quarters sent Mrs. Murray hurrying to
Manhattan with Detective Duffey. And,
strangely enough. the two women recog-
nHed each other as having several years
ago lived in the same house and having
worked in the same yelling factory.
But ] didn't know this was your
baby" sobbed Mrs. Spiro.
Mrs. Spiro first insisted she found the
baby in the Canal street subway station.
nut when Mrs. McNerney identified her
ene broke down and confessed. Her hus-
naad said he believed her mind was tenn
rorarily unhinged by her desire for a
oshy. When she left him yesterday to
visit her mother she told him she couldn't
stay at homo because It was $50 lonely
With no children around"