New Britain herald., 1928-09-15

MOTHER AND SON. Mrs Walassis sheva with Hss "VaaPtr: ckild," Whsss Taste fer Humaa Bleed
 Sks csslda't Qssll.
 TN the records of medicine there are
 several authenticated cases of that = weirdest of maladies, ''vampirism." " In which the suffsrsr h obsessed with the desire to drink warm human blood. A dossn times in the past hundred years students of abnormal behavior have been able to observe actual human vampires.
 But usually these unfortunate beings succumb only by degrees to their eerie thirst. They have invariably been people of mature age, and physicians have been able to trace their development through years of psycho-pathologica agony, term mating In surrsndsr to the craving.
 Nov scisnee's eyes are focused on Bernard Wslassic, . ssven-yssr-old boy of Baltimore, who has shocked and alarmed his neishboshood and puzzled his fsMily by exhibiting the typical traits of the human vampirs.
 Hushed and awesome ruuaors have sprssd through the section of tho city in which the boy lives. Mothers lot their children out to play rsluctantly. For tho innocent looking ''vsupirs boy" had d. ready made three of~hs playmates vic. tims of his astounding mania.
 The oaly explanation that Bernard would give for his attackt on the boys vas: T did 1t because liked to sss the blood flow"
 Edward welsh, six; Sidney Eppsl. five. snd Melvin Sachs, three, wers the ehil. drsn upon whom Bernard made his van,- pire assaults. The three bitten boys all told the ssms story of the manner In that other and similar attacks upon little gisls may eventually bs traced to Bernard.
 Young Eppsl wss the first victim. He still bears scarS of the boys teeth above his right eye. He declared that one after soon while playing h the street near his home, Bernard ran up to him without warning, elappsd . hand over his eyes. and sank his teeth into his face.
 Scrssming, he ran home and told his parents how hs had been bitten. They were inclined to pas the matter off as . childish prank, until the other two chil- drsn told how they, too. had been bitten in the same way. Then other youngsters in the neighborhood revealed how Der nard had tried to bite them on numerous occasions on faces, legs and hands.
 An investigation was begun, and the mother of the unusually "complexed' boy was questioned. The result was one of the strangsst revelations of child psychology in the annals of liked ideal" |"
 Until two year. afo, it seems, Bernard was . healthy and apparently normal child. At that time hs was stricken with diphthsria. Since then, according to Mrs. Walassic, her son has exhibited eccen- trieities that have grown more and more alarming.
 "Ever since he came home from the hospital he's done the strangest things. I've tried spanking my boy. but that sssms to do no good. It seems no kind of punishment makes him act risht-like the other boys"
 Not long after Bernard's illness he was given dine with which to buy candy at . nearby store. He rsturned with bulging pockets and rstjrsd to the kitchen. In . the household. The boy had bought, not csndy, but larxs firserackers, which hs had placed in the kitchen stove.
 ''lt's . wondsr we weren't ail killed" his despairing mother admitted. ''He did thet several times. We couldn't stop him. Dut that isn't the wont. He soon began running out in the street and lying down eloss to the trolley tracks. He says he does this to ses how near the cars can esms to him without striking him.
 "Ons day watched car pass our window and was horror-stricken to see ny boy lying. few inches from the wheelA The Motorman tried te stop, but 1t was too late. Az the car rushed by, Bernard by looking up at the wheels and smiling. He said he got biz kick out of that. But l csrtaialy didn't. I thought sure thsse wheels would crush him.
 "Somsthing hks this happened nearly svsry day. He ran away from home time after tims. Once he was found, after . search that lasted all night, twelve miles away. He had broken an electric machine hat makes iee, and the owner came to ne with bill for repairs. l had no money 70 Bernard will hsvs te bs put in an institution"