Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-09
MIXED Baby Case
Opened in Court
By Riual Parents
Louise Madeline, Tiny SUBJ
ject of Dispute, Sleeps
Peacefully While Her Fate
Is Decided

10 DCObNCu
BY blood tests, ringer prints and
photographs Mr. and Mrs. John c.
Garner will try to establish their
claim to little Louise Madeline-now
in the possession of Mr.. and Mrs.
Daniel L. Pittman-the central fig
ure in the famous mixed babies
case"
A hearing on the dispute over
Louise Madeline began before Judge
George L. Bell in the superior court
Thursday and probably will last
through Friday. The Gamers first
witness was an expert who testified
in regard to blood heredity. Their
attorney also has finger prints Of
the whole Garner family and has
photographs of Garner for genera
tons back. All of these will be in
PRODUCED in an effort to show Louise
Madeline is the Garner child.
Louise Madeline, in a white coat
and white cap, threaded with cherry
ribbon, slept peacefully in Judge
Bells court room Thursday morning
While the two sets of parents battIed
Tor her possession.
On one side of the mahogany
table sat Mr.. and Mrs. John c.
Garner, who claim that Louise
Madeline was born to Mrs. Garner at
the Grady hospital, May %, 1919.
With them was their lawyer, Will
liam Arnaud.
On the other side of the table sat
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel l.. Pittman, who
claim that Louise Madeline was born
TO Mrs. Pittman at the same hospital
on the same day. With them was
their lawyer, James W. Austin.
me 18th. other baby in, Atlanta's fam
Elizabeth rests in the Palmetto,
Ga, cemetery. She died last spring
while the controversy between the
Gamers and the Pittmans was at it's
height
The Gamers are seeking to re-
cover Louise Madeline through a
writ Of habeas corpus which claims
that the two babies were snapped
accidentally at the Grady hospital
SO that Mrs. Garner was forced to
take the wrong child.
Court Room Crowded
The court room was crowded when
the hearing began Thursday.
Among the spectators were many
mothers, their, own babies clasped
tightly In their arms. Every
now and then the youngsters
would squall. but Louise Made
1AAic never ullSIou a peep. For
a while, she sat straight up in Mr..
Plttman's arms, sucked her thumb
and gazzed with round, brown eyes
at the judge, the green lights and
the, three little Garner girls. who in
their starched dresses and with
in three big chairs just across the
table from her. Louise Madeline
did not seem to care whether they
are her sisters or not, and when the
hearing reache. it's tensest mo-
ments, dropped quietly to sleep, still
sucking her thumb.
The first witness was DR.. A. H.
Bunce, an expert in pathology, who
was called by the plaintiff in an eff
fort to show that blood tests might
help. to establish the parentage of
human blood is classed in four diff
ferent groups, most people belong
ing to group two or group four. He
said he had examined the blood of
the three little Garner girls and Mr..
and Mrs. Garner and that all were
in group two.
In answer to questions by attor-
neys for both sides, Dr. Bunce said
that while these blood groups are
hereditary, test would not show
absolutely Of what parentage the
child was. He said blood tests could
distinguish between a man and a
rat: between a man and a Bird even
between man and a monkey. But
that in the case of children, the tests
were not infallible.
Tests Not Final
In this case, he said, the blood
test might Or might not show. If
Louise Madeline is the child of the
Garners, it is probable that she has
the same blood. group. 1t is posi-
BILE, however, he said, that she
might have another blood group and
still be their child.
Or. Bunce said he had not made
a blood test, either Of Louise Made
line or of the Pittmans. 1t is un-
Ierstood that, the plaintiff will seek
to have such test ordered by the
court.
Mrs. Garner, in brown dress and
black furs, told her story of the
birth of Louise Madeline in sim
pie but dramatic language. When
the baby was born between and
~ O'CLOCK, on the morning of May
u, 1919, she said she was not I'M
any, other anesthetic and knew ev-
erythlng that was going on in the
room. She named the doctor and
the nurses present and detailed lit
tie incidents to show she never lost
consciousness.
said Mrs. Garner 'T asked him il
1t was girl and when he said Yes,
l :, said I knew it would be because
Ell my. children were girls He held
me child up to me and I noticed that
II, looked like all my other babies.
Inc baby. cried, and the doctor told
1t to shut up.
:, The baby didn't say anything to
that, did it?" asked Judge Bell, smil-
ing.
Given Wrong Baby
NO, sir" laughed Mrs. Garner.
When the baby was brought to her
at intervals of three hours to nurse.
Mrs. Garner said she noticed it IA
vored all the rest of her children,
particularly in its hair, which was
thick and dark. She said there was
a scratch under one of it's eyes as
though made by a fingernail.
Saturday morning, at 2 o'clock,
Mrs. Garner said, she was given a
baby not her own by the negro girl, |
twelve mothers in the ward, she said.
room. Tnav We're dressed in little
hospital garments Of white. Mrs /
Garner said they were brought in fire.
quently two at time, sometimes
three or four on a truck.
When she found she had the wrong
baby, he said she complained to the |
nurse and demanded her child. but |
they denied there had been a miXup |
and although they promised to
the matter out. she never |
got any satisfaction. Sunday morn |
ing, she declared. they brought her
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