New-York tribune., 1919-12-17
Mrs. Blake Nav
Never Face Trial.
Doctors Declare
Victim of Paranoia, Is Be-
lief of Experts as She
Again Changes Her Story
of Mute Boys Death
Special Correspondence

Special Correspondence
ATLANTIC CITY. Dec 16---Unless
her mental condition improves Mrs
James Nj. Blake may never face jury
in connection with the death of
"Buddy' Blake, her mute five-year- old
son, whose body was washed up on the
Ventnor beach thirty-six hours after he
had vanished while in the company Of
his mother.
Convinced that she is victim Of
paranoa, DR.. Lewis r. Soudcr. county
physician announced tonight he would
recommend the appointment Of com
mission of aliensts to determine her
exact mental status lie will not permit
her to be removed from the city hos
pital, where she was taken Sunday, two
hours after the boys body was cast
up by the sea, to the jail. lie insists
she be taken to sanitarium for treat
ment
Police Chief William Sprague, of
Ventnor, who lodged the charge of
murder against the woman, will press
that charge, he announced tonight,
despite the advice of the physicians.
Coroner George B. Stoddard, who to-
day empanelled his jury, also declares
the inquest will be held on Thursday
night
Nv nile her arrest seemed the proper
course at the time of the recovery of
the body, the case against her is purely
clrcumstantial," said DR.. Souder. eve
l..
nesses OF the actual crime, if there
was one, and there is still a possibility
that the boy ran away from her side
and tell overheard. Her mind is blank
on the exact happenings of the half
hour perod between the time she left
the trolley car and $3.50 o'clock, when
she fell across the doorsil at the
home Of Benjamin Fox, on South Cam
bridge Avenue.
Mrs. Blake brought up the kid
naping story again today" he said,
but told her would not discuss it
with her because it was untrue She
asked me II | thought it was delusion
and when | replied in the Affirmative
she replied. 4 guess it was. have
had them before. If YOU say it is not
true, doctor, it must have been de-
lusion
she still denies she killed the boy
or was IN any way responsible for his
oeath- Her new version of the affair is
that she slipped on board pavement.
ana IN falling struck her head Mrs.
Blake Is unable tc say how long She
renamed unconscious, but that when
she dld revive she was panic stricken
ana IN frenzy because her child was
missing from her side. and that she
ran to the nearest house, the home of
Mr. Fox.
Mrs Blake told me the board pave
ment was slippery but she could no,
remember whether she was on the
boardwalk or one Of the approache y
leading up from the sidewalk All she
appears to remember is that when she
ieil the boy ran away from her toward
the Ventnor Pier. She told me he had
habit of running off impulsively, Mrs.
Blake related how he slipped away
from her side recently while they were
on the Steel Pier here and that he got
out under the railing and was caught
just IN time to prevent his falling
overboard"
Dr Souder was accompanied in his
examination of the woman to- day bv DR..
John T. Beckwith, police surgeon here.
and DR.. Samuel Bar bash, the physician
IN charge of the hospital ward where
Mrs. Blake is held under police guard.
they support his diagnosis. Dr.. Souder
says he has made an investigation Of
the woman's medical history. discov-
cred she has undergone several severe
operations and that her mental lapses
were features of her life for the past
fifteen years