Evening star., 1927-09-23
INF ANT IN TANGLE
IS NAMED GEORGIA
Court Decides Girl Legally
Belongs to Smiths, but
Parents Still Doubt 1t.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, September %.
baby" Smith, center of court
| tangle over whether it was the baby
born to Mrs. Sam Smith, today was
Georgia Smith" When the baby was
born August % at Fairview Park
Hospital. it was named George. "
Then several days later when hospital
officials handed Mrs. Smith a girl
baby telling her it was hers, habeas
corpus action was started in Common
Pleas Court asking that hospital
officials turn over to the Smiths a
baby boy. The court, however, ruled
Yesterday a daughter had been born
and not a son. Then a name must be
found. Since George" had been
given to the "son" they thought moth
ing better than Georgia" could be
found for the daughter. So Georgia,
it is.
The doubt that clouded her identity
was dispelled legally by Common Pleas
Judge Carl V. Weygandt yesterday.
but it still existed in the minds or Mr..
and Mrs. Sam Smith when they went
home with the infant in their care.
Affairs "Jumbled" at Hospital.
There was a tumble of affairs at the
hosnital and the tangle likely resulted
from the mistaken idea of an attend.
ing nurse, who was under emotional
stress at the time Of the birth, that the
habv was a boy, Judge Weygant ruled.
When Judge Weygandt decided that
the infant girl was hers, Mrs. Smitn
became hysterical and wept bitterly
as though she had hoped the Juoge
would surely find her boy somewhere
and return him to her. Scores OF Ia
theirs and mothers in the court room,
wiping tears from their eyes, offereo
their sympathy to the heartbroKen
woman. Some of them offered to take
the baby girl and care for her.
Disputed Child Accepted.
Mrs. Smith became composed and
with her husband went to the hospitaI
to get the disputed child. She wrapped
her in a big warm blanket and tney
started home. On the way they
stopped to gather their four cnlloren,
Angeline, Viola, Mary and Peter
whom they had left in the care OF
relative while Mrs. Smith was In the
hospital.
When they arrived home Mrs. Smith
nursed the baby, procured another
blanket and put her to sleep in the lit
tie crib.
The other children stood around
wide-eyed, admiring and welcoming
their new sister. Peter, who previously
was the baby of the family, saw the
infant get off to sleep in his crib ana
he had to be consoled by sleeping with
Angeline and Viola.
at was the sporting thing to do-to
AXE in the baby GIRL" Sam Smith SAID.
1--WE brought it home because we
didn't want to leave it on the hospi.
tails hands. But we still are not sat
isfied that she is ours. We brought
her home and We'll keep her and care
for her."
Mrs. Smith had very little to say.
Her husband said they would try to
give the baby the same love and affec-
ton they rendered their other chill
dren.
No Definite Proof Established.
All the resources Of science and
medicine and law were >resorted to in
an effort to determine the parentage
of the infant girl, but no definite
proof could be established. Blood
tests were abandoned as useless. DR..
w. B. Glendening, child specialist.
made physical examinations OF the
entire Smith family and found COM
mon characteristics which seemed to
show that Baby Smith was with his
right parents. 41is evidence, however.
was only sufficient to form strong
opinion, he said.
Mrs. Smiths appearance in court
yesterday marked the first time she
had left the hospital since August %,
when her baby was born. Nurses and
doctors were witnesses for the hos
pital. All testified that an error had
been made in informing the parents
at first that their child was boy.