Evening star., 1927-09-21
SMITHS EXAMINED
|NPARENTAGEC CASE
Doctor Makes Tests to De-
tcrmine Status of Infant
in Dispute.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, September 81.
The four children of Mr.. and Mrs.
Sam Smith lent their aid today to the
efforts of physicians who are trying
to determine whether the puzzle
baby" in Fairview Park Hospital is
their little sister or whether she is a
substitute for baby brother VINO
was lost in miXup.
DIR. w. d. Glendenning, one Of the
musicians asked to help determine
the parentace of the puzzle baby,
has pinned his hope Of success upon
a phvsical examination of Mr.. and
Mrs. Smith and their four youngsters.
DR.. Glendenning made thorough
examination last night of the parents
and of the infant girl, whose identity
is disputed. He declined TO express a
definite opinion until he could make
study today of the physical character
istics in the other Smith children.
Parents Submit to Tests.
Convinced that the infant born to
them on August % was a boy, but
willing 10 accept the baby girl they
now have if il is proved conclusively
that they were mistaken, Mr.. and
Mrs smith submitted Cheerfully to
an examination.
The ewes. ears. hands and feet OF
tbe parents received especial atten-
lion from DR.. Glendenning. who said
that in comparing physical features Oh
rareuts and babies it is usually the
ears which bear the most resemblance.
The doctor then made a minute eX-
animation of the baby and found
marked likeness of the infants ears
Turning
attention to the finger joints and
thumb nails, DIR. Glendenning said that
if these correspunded with any degree
of similarity in the baby and the
father he would be convinced that
the girl belonged to the Smiths. But
he found no such similarity.
DR.. Giendenning's wife, mother OF
six children and herself former
nurse. accompanied her husband to
the hospital last night. She took the
puzzle baby" in her arms, examined |
it and then looked closely at Mrs. |
Smith.
why. of course. that is your baby, |
Mrs. smith," she said.
Judge Orders Examination.
Although the physical measure: /
menl test is not infallible, physicians
agree that it is the best method |
known to science of determining par
entage in an infant.
The examination was ordered by |
Common Pleas Judge Carl V. Wey-
gandt, in whose court the Smiths have
brought a habeas corpus action to
require the hospital to return their
baby boy to them.
Hearing on the habeas corpus ac-
ton will be resumed tomorrow after
delay of one week. The result OF
DR.. Glendenning examinations will
be a part of the testimony offered.
More complications in the strange
case were developed during a confer
ence between the Smiths and their
attorney, Charles f. Mcconnell, at
the hospital yesterday.
Both parents insist that nurses and
doctors told them their baby was
boy and left them with that impress
zion until nine days after its birth
when Mrs. Smith discovered it was
girl \ miX-up in records and not in
babies is the hospitals explanation.
Family Doctors Story.
Mrs. Smith added another puzzling
factor to the case when she told Nc
Connell that the family physician, DR.
j. A. Reutenik, was in the delivery
room when the child was born and
an anesthetic to her.
DIR. Reutenik previously declared he
did not arrive at the hospital until 10
minutes after the baby was born, be-
Cause the nurse did not call him in
time. He took the word Of the nurses
that the baby was a boy and made
out a birth certificate accordingly, !
he said. DR.. Reutenik repeated this
statement, asserting that Mrs. Smith
Is mistaken in the idea that he was
In the delivery room.