Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-15
BODY FOUND
Six Year Old Son Of
Philadelphia Broker
Washed Ashore at ventnor, N. j.
Mother Held for Death-Had Told
Sensational Story Of Being Attack
ed and Robbed and Boy Kidnapped
by Two Negroes

by Two Negroes
Atlantic City, N. j., Dec. 1.-THE
body of James Blake. Jr., six-year-
old son of a wealthy Philadelphia
insurance broker. who was declared
by his mother to have been kid
mapped last Friday night, was
washed ashore at Ventnor today.
Mrs. Blake has been placed under ar
rest.
Mrs. Blake, who on Friday night
crawled to the home of BENJAMIN
Fox in Ventnor and told a sensation
al story of being attacked by two
negroes who, after beating her
robbed her of a handbag and then
fled with her child, is charged with
the murder of the boy. She was re-
moved from the home of Mrs. A. G.
Miller, in Ventnor, today to the At
lantic City hospital where she is
guarded by uniformed policeman.
She is said to be suffering from Il
nervous collapse and probably will b :,
taken to the county Jail within a few
days
The boys body we found less than
five blocks from the pier in ventnor
where Mrs. Blake's handbag was re-
covered yesterday and about the
same distance from the scene of the
alleged kidnapping. 1t was seen
floating on the water by Samuel
Blair of Margate City, who was walk
ing up the board walk. After drag
ging the body to the beach Blair no.
titled the authorities who sent it to
an undertaking establishment and
then appeared before Recorder Allen
Endicott, at Ventnor. and swore out
a warrant charging Mrs. Blake with
the child's murder.
County Physician L. r. Souder per-
formed an autopsy and pronounced
death due to drowning. He said it
had not yet been decided whether to
hold an inquest. There were no
marks on the body to indicate that
the boy had been killed before he
was thrown into the water" said Dr..
Souder, lit looks to me as though he
was thrown from the end of the pie
into the ocean.
quently made statements to her fam
lily that something terrible was going
to happen. 1 have talked with He-
husband from whom she is SEPARATED
and he stated that his wife long has
shown evidence that her mind was
unbalanced. She has been under the
care of nerve specialists for some
time and was in fact a nervous in
valid.
Mr.. Blake when seen at his homa
later said he did not care further to
discuss tie case. You can readily
understand that under the circum-
stances, I would not care to make a
statement at this time. I have no
idea what would prompt my wife
to commit such an act" he said.
Chief of Police Srrague said there
were several maeks on the boys
body. but that they probably were
caused by contact with the jetty and
pilings along he beach. There was
one cut" he said, ION top Of the
head. one under the nose and one eye
was black. My opinion is that the
boys mother threw him from the emil
of the pier
"She has told me the child stood be-
tween her and her husband and that
at the time the boy was born sh1
wanted to do away with him. She
has made a number of other incrimi-
mating statements"
Mrs. Blake is said to have been suf-
fering from nervous ailment for a
number of years. The authorities
said tonight she has told many con-
flicting stories both before and since
her arrest, probably due, it is said,
to her nervous condition.
Mr.. and Mrs. Blake have been es-
tranged for some time. The boy and
ten-year-old daughter have been in
the custody of their father and have
been permitted to go out with their
,