New-York tribune., 1919-12-15
Form of Mute Lad, Washed
Up ON Beach at Ventnor,
Discovered by Civilian;
Autopsy Shows Drowning
Father Identifies Son
Woman Prisoner in Hospi-
tai, Unmoved, Sticks to
Her Story of kidnapping
staff Correspondence

staff Correspondence
ATLANTIC CITY. Dec. 14.-The
body of ive-year-old "Buddy" Blake,
the mute boy, whose mother reported
Friday night that two negroes had
kidnapped him, was washed up on the
beach at Ventnor to-day by a rising
tide. An autopsy showed that death
was due to drowning.
The little body was identified as it
lay on the beach by the grief stricken
father, James Blake, an insurance
broker, of Philadelphia, who has an
apartment here.
A few hours later, while the boys
body was being removed to an under
taking establishment, his mother, Mrs.
Esther Blake, whose husband obtained
a legal separation from her four years
ago, was taken IN an ambulance from
her lodgings to the Atlantic City Hos
pital. When she had been placed in a
ward bed she was served with a war
rant charging that she had murdered
her son by drowning him.
Indifferent to Charge
Apparently Mrs. Blake, whose rela-
tives and friends believe she is de-
mented, was unmoved as William
Sprague, Chief of Police of Ventnor
read the warrant. She shrugged her
shoulders indifferently when a police
man took his post at her bedside to
prevent her fulfilling threat to kill
herself.
AS Chief Sprague turned to leave, re-
marking that he would return in the
morning and hoped she would tell the
truth about Buddy" Mrs. Blake said:
Come back tomorrow and 1'll tell the
same story. Two negroes stole Bud
dy.' Why don't you find them ?"
Samuel Blair, of Margate, standing
along the boardwalk this morning with
his chin tucked into the upturned
collar of his ulster to avoid the wind
driven rain, saw that the high waves
breaking on the Ventnor beach at half
flood tide bad washed ashore the body
yellow haired child, clad in a gray
sweater suit and blue leggins.
Blair climbed down from the board
walk to the beach. waded into the surf
and carried the little figure under the
boardwalk out of reach of the break
ers. Then he sought a telephone and
notified Chief of Police Sprague, who
before starting for the beach dis
for James Blake in Atlantic City, about
five miles north.
When Mr.. Blake arrived he looked
at the body moment, leaned over as
though he would hold it in his arms
and then Strengthened up with twitch-
ing face. A policeman put his arms
across Mr.. Blake's shoulders and led
him back to the automobile.
Had Learned Two Words
"Buddy's" atfiction had intensified
the affection his father felt for him,
and his friends say that he was over
Joyed recently when the child managed
to artlculate two words that he had
learned from rapt listening before a
phonograph. These words constituted
his entire vocabulary, but to the father
they meant that there was a chance
his son might in time learn to speak
like other children.
The body had been washed ashore
near New haven Avenue, Ventnor,
four blocks below the Ventnor fishing
pier. The finding of Mrs. Blake's hand.
bag on this pier Saturday morning
caused the police to abandon their
search for two negroes Mrs. Blake in
sisted had kidnapped her son. From
that time they endeavored to gain
from her confession that she had
thrown the boy from the end of the
pier. Chief Sprague said last night:
Mrs. Blake has told us in the course
OF repeated questioning that this mute
boy stood between her and her hus
band; l asked her why, but She re-
FUSED TO explain. Her husband says
there Is no basis for such a belief
"They were legally separated in Raj.
tlmore four years ago. He told ns ho
didn't know whether his wife was ad-
dlcted to drugs, but said she took q
lot of medicine.
Wife Followed Him
after the separation Blake invited
his wife's mother and sister to keen
house tor him and take care of his
children, which were awarded to him
They have been doing so ever since and
as far as possible have sought to avoid
the wife. Blake has moved many
times. he told us, but each time his
wife followed and rented a room near
the new home.
BLAKE moved here last summer and
soon afterward his wife rented room
near his apartment. He paws her an
allowance of $40 week.
MRS. Blake was permitted to see
her two children as often as she cared
to, but she was not allowed to take
either, or BOTH of them out of the house
unless Mrs. Miller, her mother or her
sister accompanied them. The father
told US he feared she would take the
children away and hide them if she
was given an opportunity.
ION Friday afternoon Mrs. Blake
coaxed her mother to let her take
Buddy for ride in an automobile.
The fathers worst fears were con-
firmed. We have accounted for her
movements after she left the house,
I.-I..J - .t.