El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-05-28
GirlMother Fights In Court For Baby;
Another Woman Says BoyIsHer DUN;
Adopted Child To 'FooL Husband?''

FTWO women, each claiming moth
! erhood to the child. are fighting
in the 41st district court for pos
! session Of a baby boy, born in FL
Paso in April. 1913.
! Bernice Coils Baker, II years old.
| of Santa Rita, n. NJ, says she is the
| mother Of the boy about whom the
legal fight is waging- She says the
/ child was born 10 her at the Saliva
| ton Army home in FL Paso, but
/ that. she being unmarried, the baby
| was taken from her and given TO Mrs.
I r w. Mcconnell 1106 East San An
/ tonic street
! Mrs. Mcconnell. who now has pos
/ session of the child. insists that the
! child is her own And she denies the
story told by Bernice Baker on the
I witness stand to the effect that this
child, and others in her family, were
adopted to fool her husband" into
/ the belief that they were his own
jury Hears Evidence.
/ The case is entitled eek parte Har-
I old Baker" The trial originally was
set in the 34th district court, before
I judge ". D. Howe, but an unusual
press Of business in this court re-
suited in its being transferred to the
41st district court, judge P r
/ Price presiding A jury was select
[ ed Thursday afternoon and the tax
[ ing Of testimony was begun W H.
Fryer and Dan Jackson are attOr-
.
nell himself, assisted by Wilson, is
] handling the case for the defence
Bernice Baker was the first wit
ness called to the stand y am II
! years old and live with my parents
] In Santa Rita N NJ" she told the
! jury. We have lived there for seven
I years was in FL Paso on April /,
1873, and while I was there child
was born TO me in the Salvation
/ Army rescue home. I was not mar
] ried then. The child was a boy and
named him Harold Coils Baker.
May 1 I moved with my mother 70
| sos Mesa avenue l was told that II
was best to let the baby go. I was
] only child and I thought I had 10
l be obedient I begged them to let
me keep my child. but they decided
| It was best to let someone else
have il"
Pleads With Jury.
Here the witness broke down and
cried aloud, wrlnging her hands on
God" she cried TO the jury. Men,
! please give me back my baby. You
don't know what 1t viii do 10 me TO
[ lose him
aon May was taken to woman
/ who told me that she was the vile
/ Of one Of the Wealthiest lawyers In
| Douglas. Ariz-. and that her name
was Jones. She took my baby from
my arms. We were in an automo-
! bile and were driven 70 the plaza,
! ed my baby back some day
Three months later I met the
man I have since married told
him the whole story about baby
He wants the child and tolo me 70
| get II and bring it home He said
he would care for and love US both
We have a nice little home ana can
well care for it. have always
begged and pleaded for the baby
on cross examination the girl
stated that the woman who took her
child. whom she afterward learned
was Mrs Mcconnell. boosted having
fooled her husband into the oelleI
that the child. and others she had
adopted, were her own
Took Another Baby Away.
she said you had sent her here
/ from Arizona in the belief that she
would become a mother here, she
said addressing Mcconnell W nen
1 cried as she took the baby away
she said. Don't cry or III feel that /
am stealing the baby. At the res
cue home a lieutenant of the saliva
. ton Army took care OF baby rev
months before she got my baby Mrs
/ Mcconnell took another baby away
l from the home, which I later heard
MS Nora Coils, Of santa Rita
mother Of Bernice Baker, was the
| second witness called to the stand
II sent Bernice 10 a sister here on
l November 25. 1918" Mrs Coils told
/ the Jury. "Then on March II came
/ here 10 be with her and on April ]
| the baby was born Then we moved
a short time later, 70 sos Mesa ave-
nue.. where I had an apartment
Advertised the Baby.
u placed an advertisement IN
paper here which read Wanted
/ home for an American baby, four
weeks old; in perfect health feii
that because Of the recent death OF
3 = ------r son 7 cou1d hardly take Ber-
rice back home right away, II she
| nd the baby. I wanted to place
/ the baby here until we could arrange
I to take II back home
1T almost broke Bernlce.s heart
-. - ne T-,-ire- 70 oct the habv