New-York tribune., 1919-12-19
Brothers Shouts of Vel.
come in Court OH Seeing
Baby Settles Case Before
Mother Identifies Child
Sought Home for Him
Woman Says Friend Prom.
ised to Give Little
One to ssNellie Bly,

Enrico Lisa Is the ten-month-old
orphan Of bricklayer, and he lives in
18 Bedford Place, Greenwich Village.
with his three-year-o brother. Bill,
and their mother, Lena, aged twenty
four, who makes artificial flowers and
$12 a week. Enrico is the youngster
who on December was placed in the
arms of stranger in Grand Central
Terminal by man named Addison.
On the word OF Justice Samuel Levy.
who sits in the Childrcn's Court, that
same Addison is the villain in this
case.
Justice Levy and little Enrico sat in
court all day yesterday ard listened to
a trio of lawyers wrang1e over the
boys identity. Mrs. Grace Humiston
insisted Eprco was Arthur Phillip
Wentz, who was kidnapped last July
was right about Ruth Cruger But
brother Bill ard Mrs. Lisa, who was
referred to once yesterday by the
judge himself as Mona Lisa, we're en-
tircly unmprcsscd.
How the Case Was Settled
Brother Bill, wearing reduced
model Of a soldiers overcoat and
wide grin on his face, strobe into the
court room yesterday and with shout
of welcome settled once and for all the
question of the identity of the morose
and sad-eyed baby in the lap of poor
Mrs Wentz, whose chin had been quiv-
ering every time she remembered that
the momentous courtroom proceed
ings were for the purpose of deter
mining whether she was cherishing her
own lost baby or, as she expressed it,
"some little Italian kid"
legal questions as caveat cmptor and
the attention OF the court, and said:
Hello, Enrico boy" and began to kiss
and hug his young brother, who was as
clean AS soap and water could make
him.
Mrs. Wentz didn't wait for any Sol
omon-like decree from the bench She
accepted the Judgment of little Bill
and that of the baby himself, for
Enrico was giving every indication
of extreme JOY and thankfulness. The
little brothers kissed each other and
laughed, and Errico displayed a series
Of accomplishments that included hand
clapping and winking and strange
noises that may mean something in
Italian but which meant nothing to
Mrs. Wentz, but which nevertheless
told her as nothing else could that
this was not her baby; that her search
was not ended; that her waking mo-
ments must be given again to vain
longings and her sleep to bad dreams
of thousand and one dangers men
acing her lost child.
Neutral Matron Takes Charge
A neutral matron of the Children's
Society took Enrico in charge for the
moment and August Wentz, a carpenter
and the father of the still missing Ar
thur Phillip, endeavorcd with rough
kindness to dry his wifes tears
Standing before the bench were Mrs.
Grace Humiston and Joseph Lilly, of
the law firm Of O'Gorman, Battle &
Vandiver. They represented the Vent
family. Then there was Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Alexander Lehman, rep
resenting the people, which means
Forming a slightly larger scmicircle
around these were the sob sisters of
every newspaper in New York with
here and there a sob brother. Justice
Levy and the court stenographer, in
spite of the fact that the lawyers talked
simultaneously, remained calm.
One of the first witnesses was Eliza
beth Seaman, a newspaper writer, who
signs herself "Nellie Bly," The note
pinned inside the cap Of Enrico when
he was anonymously deposited in the
arms of Grand Central watchman
read: "For the love of Mike take this
kid. He is one too much for me. He
is seven months old and as healthy as
they make them. Can't afford to keep
him at the price Of milk to-day. Give
him to Nellie Bly,"
Nellie BLY, explained she had gone to
Bellevue Hospital and determined to
adopt "Love O. Nike as some Smart
Aleck named. Enrico. Then she told OF
having Commissioner Of Charities Bird
Coler agree to let her have him, and OF
Mrs. Humiston advancing the belief
that the child was Arthur Philip
Wentz. She also told how Mrs. Lena
Lisa had learned of the circumstances
of the Wentz family, whereas she
wanted Enrico to have a home with
wealthy foster parents.
Mrs. Wentz took the stand and tear
fully declared that she was convinced
the child wasn't her boy and then her
husband swore he never had thought
the baby was his, this being in direct
contradiction of a statement made to
newspaper men by one Of Mrs. Humis
tons private detectives that Wentz had
identified the baby positively.
She was dark of eye and bit dishev
eled and shabby. The baby was her
Enrico, she said. The father died Il
few months after Enrico arrived. a
telegram had come from Minneapolis,
where he had gone to lay bricks, and
it said he had pneumonia. Then two
T..