The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-05-28
Story of Rain Baby Told
BY Young Mother at Trial
Efforts of Attorneys to Win
Sympathy for Girl
Fail.
SoBS IN TESTIMONY
4 Left Him Because ! Had
No Home, No Food, No
Money She Says. I


White, strained and sob
bling, Mrs. Sally Marie Breed
love, 81, of Bloomington,
mother of the Indianapolis
"rain baby" took the witness
stand in juvenile court shortly
before noon today to tell why
she abandoned her year-old
son, Robert Eugene, at the
side of the Bluff road here the
night of April 81.
Efforts of her attorney, Miss Bess
Robbins, to inject sympathy for her
into the case failed shortly before
noon when Judge Frank j. Lahr
refused to hear, at that time, evil
| dence as to privations which she
claims caused her to abandon the
child.
1.-THE court will hear facts in
mitigation of the charge of child
neglect after the evidence as to
her guilt is completed" Judge Lair
said.
Admits DESERVING Baby
Both Mrs. Breedlove, and Louis
Reynolds, 20, of Bloomington, the
later charged with contributing to
child neglect, pleaded not guilty to
the charges.
Reynolds, it is alleged, drove the
car in which Mrs. Breedlove brought
the baby here and left it at the
side of the road about the night
of April q. 1t was found in driv-
ing rain at 4:30 the next morning.
Despite her plea of not guilty, she
admitted on the witness stand she
left the baby at the roadside.
ut was not raining" she testified.
"It was warm. did not even wear
a coat. I put all the clothes Robert
Eugene had on him and wrapped
his only blanket about him. When
he started to make up laid him
down on the grass. put his milk
bottle in his mouth.
81 left him there because I had
no home for him, no food and no
money"
Inhuman Act, Says Judge
She was to resume the witness
stand when court reconvenes at 2
this afternoon. Whether she would
be permitted to tell of her priva-
lions since her divorce from Will
liam Breedlove in December, 1923,
appeared doubtful.
1.-THE court desires first of all to
hear evidence as to her guilt" Judge
Lair declared when Miss Robbins
began to question the mother as to
| her financial statute this morning.
"This is a most inhuman act OF
unmotherliness. If she was able to
carry the baby to that spot she was
able to carry it back. If she was
able to hold it on her lap, she could
have continued to do so. Had she
done so, she would not be here
now"
At only one point during the
mornings testimony of witnesses
did the mother break into tears.
That was when her description OF
! the abandonment of the baby was
related to the court by Heze Clark,
Times reporter, who accompanied
Sheriff George Winkler to Bloom
ington May IA where Mrs. Breed
love was arrested.
Baby Is Not in Court
While the testimony was being
given Mrs. Breedlove at times
watched her oldest son, Vernon Lee,
8, as he ran between Mrs. Breedlove
and her mother, Mrs. Dillon Decker,
of Bloomington.
The only time she moved was
when she patted the boy on the
head.
The rain baby" was not in court.
Opening the trial, Fred Hoeltke,
Bluff road, and his wife testified to
finding the baby in the rain after
hearing its cries during early morn
ing hours. Deputy sheriffs testified
to its condition from exposure and
cold.
The arrest of Mrs Breedlove at
Bloomington after her divorced
husband had written Sheriff George
Winkler here giving clew to moth
erhood of the rain baby" was told.
Mrs. Breedlove's admission that she
abandoned the child also was de-
scribed.
Society Woman IN Court
In sharp contrast to the tins
when she was brought to jail here,
clad in house dress, with darned
cotton stockings, Mrs. Breedlove was
clad today in court in dark blue
coat, a blue silk serge dress, sheer
black hose, black pumps and blue
braid hat.
All these articles, her attorney de-
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