Evening star., 1939-08-05
Thorne Baby
Given Mother
After Scene
Hearing on Custody
Slated Tuesday
In District Court

1Urit of habeds corpus filed by
baby'S real parents against Mrs.
Grocer, threatened to hold Mrs.
Grover and her attorneys for con-
tempt OF court for not producing
baby in court, but later 1UithdrelD
contempt threat and dlloaDed
them until Tuesday to get baby
back to Washington Yesterday
the adopting parents voluntarily
relinquiShed claims on child and
sent it back to Washington.
Five-month-old Barbara Alicia
Thorne, central figure in a custody
dispute, was back in her mothers
arms today after the nurse for the
adopting parents, Mr.. and Mrs. AL
bert Tilt of Greenwich, Conn, held
out for two hours last night against
a court decree ordering the baby to
be turned over to its real parents.
In line with ruling by Justice
T. Alan Goldsborough late yester-
day, the baby must now be brought
into District Court Tuesday for dis
position of the pending petition for
a writ of habeas corpus filed by Mr..
and Mrs Raymond Thorne of East
Riverdale. Md.
Act After Publicity"
H. L. Mccormick, Mrs. Gro
ver's counsel, notified the court late
yesterday afternoon that the Tits
had decided "in view of unfor-
tunate publicity" to send the child
back to it's real parents from whom
they had gotten it in May through
Mrs. Grover, a child adoption agent.
Mr. Mccormick told Justice Colds
borough he intended to stage the
Thorne reunion at the Grover home
after the baby had been examined
by physician. Justice Colds
borough, however, ruled that the
child should be turned over to its
parents at Union Station, sent Mr..
Thorne to East Riverdale to get
the baby's mother, signed court
order instructing the nurse who
accompanied the baby to surrender
1t to the Thornes at Union Station
and finally dispatched United States
Deputy Marshal Joe Cappola to see
that his instructions were followed.
A delegation of lawyers, re-
porters and photographers rushed
straight from court to Union Sta
ton to meet the arriving infant.
Uncertain of Just how big s.
month-old baby should be, the
marshal and the lawyers stopped
two women carrying children to ask
if they had the Thorne baby.
Finally, they approached a middle
aged woman who walked with de-
cided limp and carried beautifully
dressed infant.
"Is that the Thorne baby?" the
marshal asked.
The woman shrugged and hurried
on. He tried to explain who he was,
but the woman said, mo, it's not the
Thorne baby. Leave me alone"
Dodges Through Doors.
Convinced they'd found the right
baby, the delegation followed the
woman into the station. She lodged
in one door and out another, clutch
ing the baby. which evinced a mild
interest in the goings-on.
At times the woman cried, IT
won't hand this baby to anybody"
1--WE got to get my lawyer" and
"Take me to Mrs Grover"
She shook off the OBTAINING hand
of the marshal and started for the
taxi stand He tried to explain to
her about the court order but when
she said, Il don't want to see the
Thornes' and started off again, he
told her he'd have to take her to
Jail if she tried to leave the station.
Meanwhile. the constant flash of
Photographic bulbs and the earnest
procession that trailed the woman
around caused a crowd to gather.
Spectators circled the woman want
ing to know if it was a kidnapping.
When harassed attorneys and re-
porters murmured vaguely about
adoption" they melted away.
Begins to Sob.
BY this time, the woman had the
baby at the information desk, try
ing to OPEN her pocketbook, hold the
infant and shield her face from the
photographers. She took out piece
of paper and, sobbing, showed it to
the man at the information desk.
He shook his head helplessly while
the marshal started to guide the
woman to the station masters Office.
there to await the arrival of the
Thornes, driving in from East Riv-
erdale.
You're not taking me for walk,
are you?" she demanded sus-
piciously.
Somewhat pacifed, she was led to
the station masters Office, where
few minutes later the Thornes
joined her. Then began session
in the private office of the station
master with the Thornes. tears
streaming down their faces, demand
ing the baby and the nurse refusing
to give it up.
She explained she had orders to
deliver the baby to Mrs. Grover and
she was going to carry them out.
About half hour later. the marshal,
looking more harassed than ever,
the Thornes and the nurse emerged
from the Office.
The mother. in a green cotton
dress and no hat, carried the baby
as they left the station. She told
reporters she would have recog-
nized it anywhere, that it hadn't
changed a bit in the two months
away from her, except to gain
little weight.
Leave for Grover Home.
The entire party, lawyers in
cluded. headed for the Grover home
at 1913 Jocelyn street NV. Later,
it was explained that though the
court order specified Union Station,
the nurse was unwilling to give up
the child until Mrs. Grover per-
sonally said it was all right.
The Thornes, anxious to get their
baby back, agreed and the infant
was taken to the Grover home
where DR.. William S. Anderson, at