The Washington times., 1920-08-15
n xRs. ESTHER MILLER BLAKE, q

X HRs. ESTHER MILLER BLAKE, a
N young woman Of wealth and refine
"s'AVA ment, drowned her little boy at At
"o' 1antic City, N. j., in a paroxysm of violent
insanity -.
- She had always shown all a mothers
. :, natural love for her child and had even
p,." been excessively fond Of him. Yet she
- -. confessed her crime in the most callous
manner and showed not the slightest re-
morse She was evidently not aware of
sa."the real nature Of her act
Mrs. Blake occupied an apartment at
a" Atlantic City. Her husband, James Blake.
30 from whom she was separated, lived In an
adjacent house. Mr.. Blake was wealthy
:; broker with offices in the Commonwealth
s.: building Philadelphia. He was deeply at
'tached to his wife, in spite Of their separa'
h's ton, and watched over her welfare as well
""' as he could but her violent mental aberra-
,:' tfons and the interests Of their two chill
dren made it impossible for them to live
-. together
On December II, Of last year, Mrs. Blake
called at her husbands house and asked
~. TO take her little boy, James Buddy"
o-oiBIake for walk, which she was allowed
7h Is do
- "a The boy, by the way, was a deaf mute,
- and after taking him out she first called
on well-known physician and asked him
o'"" Shout homes for deaf mutes Then she
7r'9fook the boy on trolley ride toward
Ventnor a suburb Of Atlantic City, and an
H0 Jinfrequented place at that season OF the
Year.
.'- About an hour after she left Atlantic
- City she staggered on to the porch OF
BENJAMIN Fox, resident Of ventnor, on
!. the sea front. She was almost unconscious,
o. her child was missing, her clothing was
.,.. torn and her bag with her money was
gone.
~'''- Between gasps she told a wild story
~" about two negroes who had attacked her
40 40 on the sea front, kidnapped her boy and
~ stolen her money. On account Of her dis
a'ro uacted condition she was taken to the
Hospital
J. - The next day the poor boys body, bat
- tered and bruised, was found near the
o"n yentnor fishing pier. The mothers hat
6o- and bag had been picked up at the same
place. No corroboration OF the mothers
aa' story about the attack by two negroes
ro9t could be obtained. Day by day the dread.
.u rul probability grew that the mother had
-, made away with her own child. She re-
peated her wild story about the attack
..,- upon her with many variations, then grew
a. uncertain and finally admitted that she
c~', had drowned the boy, but she exhibited no
ia realization OF the horror Of her position.
go. The coroner's jury decided that she had
- slain her child while insane
Srrd Investigation showed that remarkable
mental disorders had inexplicably broken
,'-.suut In this young woman, who was origin
i,vally healthy, normal, and intelligent She
san was only thirty-hve years old at the time
=. OF the tragedy and quite handsome. Fol
-. FIVE years she had had delusions OF perse
a,,pcution and alternate fts OF violence and
, great depression. At times she was 9
,pyromaniac, trying secretly to set nre tc
the dwellings OF her family.
- Judge Ingersoll, OF Atlantic City, ordered
"a medical enquiry into the woman's state
w.. OF mind Two physicians, Doctors Clar
.t' .ence Garrabrant and John Beckwith, re
- - ported that she was insane and that hei
- condition was permanent. As result
Judge Ingersoll committed her TO the State
Hospital for the Insane at Trenton, N. J.
"" II was on December H. 1919, that Mrs