Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-18
CHILD RETURNED
To ITS SPARENTS
BY COURT ORDER
W. S. Patterson and Wife
Lose Their Fight to Re-
tain Possession of the
Connolly Infant

Connolly Infant
'Jf some men had not met me
on the Barelas bridge and threat
ened to kill me if l continued to
work in the Santa Fe shops, the
night after I went to work there,
and If had not believed my
life would be in danger If l con-
tinued to work there, it would new
err have been necessary for me to
go to Waldo for work and |
would never have experienced the
trouble l have about my baby"
This was the statement made
yesterday to representative of
the Morning Journal by Richard
Connolly Connelly's five months
old baby was restored to him
yesterday by a court order of
Judge Raymond r. Ryan, issued
in the juvenile court, William S.
Patterson, secretary-treasurer of
the International Association of
Machinists, had appeared in an
effort to retain custody of the in
fant. Patterson and his wife had
held the baby from last August
until Thursday, when it was turn
ed over to Richard Guest, juvenile
officer.
ut is all a pack of lies" Con-
nelly said during the interview.
Patterson lied about me in a lot
Of ways. He lied when he said
that my family is undernourished.
Look at this. Does this look as
though l am not able to take care
of my family, that ! am not fixing
a good place for them? Patter-
son had better not cross my path"
In proof of his own statements,
Connolly showed two of his chill
dren and his wife. Mrs. Connolly
is a buxom woman, with anything
but an appearance of being un-
dernourished. Edith, four years
old, is a sturdy, lively child, with
all the appearance of being well
fed. Ruth, two years old, is as
chubby baby as one could hope
TO see.
Connolly had, been working on
the roof of his dwelling when the
Morning journal man arrived. He
came down and his children and
wife came out of the doorway,
hll wearing happy smiles. There
WAS no indication that anything
had been missing from the Sunday
dinner table.
The man told his story in
straightforward manner. He said
that he had been employed in the
shops of the A.. T. & S. #. rail-
road from March until May.
Then he had been "laid Off be-
cause of curtailment in the force.
He had been steadily employed on
building construction until July /.
The night of July l he went
4 back to work in the railroad shops.
s. The following morning there was
much shooting on the west side
of the Barelas bridge, which is
about a quarter mile south of the
4 Connolly home. According to
y those living in that vicinity and to
officers of the sheriffs depart
ment, the shooting was in con-
nection with the strike of the rail-
road shopmen and the employ
ment of non-union men.
Connolly said that when he
started to the shops to go to work
that night, July 2, he was stopped
at the western end of the bridge
by q group Of men. He was TN
able to recognize the men in the
dusk, but he said there was no
mistaking their attitude or words |
He says that they threatened to |
kill him If he continued to work |
in the shops. After the shooting
+. of the morning and in view of |
a al ne
lieved his life was in danger, he |
says. so he retraced his steps to
his home.
A few days later he secured |
employment at Waldo. He left |
for that point July and went
TO work with chemical concern
as soon as he arrived. His wife
was expected to give birth to a
child SO it was thought best for
her to remain here for a time.
The following day" the expected
birth occurred. Mrs. Connolly
gave birth to twins, however.
At this time the Connellys lived
in a tent. The tent was floored
and screened but the summer
heat beat through the canvas,
making it unpleasant for both
mother and baby.
2. e. Zinn and his wife occu-
pied a small frame building adta-
cent to the Connellys. The two
families were friendly and Mrs.
Connolly moved into the Zinn
home with her baby. Mrs. zinn
nursed them.
Late in August Connolly sent for
his family. The family physician
advised that the baby should not
be taken to Waldo. as he declared
that conditions at Waldo -1ould be
unfavorable for the frail infant. In
this dilemma the Zinns agreed to
care for the child until the return
OF the Connellys. it being the in
tention Of Mr.. Connolly to return
to Albuquerque as Son as employ
ment could be obtained here.
A short time later Mrs. Zinn be-
came slightly ill. According to
Mr.. and Mrs. Zinn tho latter and
the Pattersons were friendly and
the Pattersons agreed to care for
the child. The Zinns state en-
phaticallv that the Pattersons were
to care for the child only until the
recovery OF Mrs Zinn. They say
that when Mrs. Zinn asked for the
return of the baby. however. Mrs
Patterson refused to return 1t,
though they say the request was
made a number OF tires.
Recently the Connellvs returnedl
TO Albuquerque. Mr.. Connolly went
back to work in the Santa Fe
shops, as machinist's helper and is
employed in that capacity now.
Immediately after their return the
couple applied to the Pattersons
for the return of their child. This
was refused. they say.
They applied to District Attor-
ney E. B. Garcia on Thursday to
have the child returned to them.
Mr. Garcia says that he took the
matter UP with Mrs. Patterson and
That she declined to surrender the
\ COUGHS AND COLDS IN