The Wyandotte news-herald., 1946-01-21
by
strauss
gantZ
We People

We People
IS 1T FOR US to Judge mothers
love for her child?
Is 1t for the police to say whether
o mother has neglected her child?
What is the boundary between
right and wrong?
She stood opposite the police SER
geant Sunday noon. She was pretty.
She was blond. She was without
tears.
Where is my child?" she asked
It sounded as if she was asking for
lost automobile or peck Of po
tatoes.
With her was a companion. A
clean-cut chap whose voice rang
with sincerity that bespoke true in
terest In the childs whereabouts.
"Yes. where is our child. We want
her. She has been taken away by
the police"
Who am I? am going to marry
this young woman. That child will
be mine. She will be my baby in
a little while"
The desk sergeant reached for the
police blotter. 1t was all written
there cold words that charged
neglect. Neighbors made the charg-
es. Neighbors and minister. 1t
was the minister who called the
police Saturday night.
Now 1t was Sunday noon.
The police sergeant told the story
as written in the record.
Neighbors said the child was being
left alone at night.
Neighbors said the mother was
neglecting the child. Neighbors told
the minister that the child was
alone Saturday night locked In
the mothers apartment.
At 100 o'clock in the morning the
police secured a key from tenant
above and opened the apartment.
There was a 16-monthS-old infant
sitting up in bed :. glad for COM
pany :. but mystified by the blue
police uniforms with their shiny
badges Gently they lifted the
youngster from her crib and
whisked her away to the Wyandotte
General hospital.
The police record didn't tell If
the child cried or was hungry =.
or If the nurses at the hospital
tickled the youngsters toes and
made a fuss over her The police
record didn't have the mothers re-
action when she learned her baby
was gone.
She found that out just before
noon on Sunday and now she
was asking the police sergeant to
produce her.
Her companion made the explain
alton.
The child's mother did go out
Saturday night but she left the lady
upstairs to care for the infant. She
locked the child in because the lady
upstairs had an extra key.
"And when you arrived home =.
didn't you discover that the child
had disappeared? Didn't you look
for your child?" These were the yet
unanswered questions that mystified
the sergeant.
mo, I didn't worry about the
child" she said 81 thought the lady
had taken my baby upstairs to
sleep. I didn't know the baby was
gone till Just now"
At this point the entire matter
takes on perplexing angle . that
has yet to be solved.
The mothers calmneSs about the
disappearance alarmed the police
sergeant.
Her companions sincerity in de-
tenSe Of the mother left a feeling
with your reporter that there was
depth In his makeup.
He knows this story is being print
ed. He didn't even object to names
being used. The omission was
decision of the writer
Unfortunately however what nei-
ther Of them will know till they
read this is that one of the COM
planning neighbors is the one and
same person they insist was en-
trusted with the care of the child.
1t was showing lightly as the
young couple walked down the po-
lice station steps &. on their way
10 the hospital. The sergeant shrug-
ged his shoulders as he watched
them go.
II this reporter had followed them
perhaps this story would have an
ending. Perhaps final touching
scene was enacted at the hospital
when mother and child were re-
united. Perhaps the pretty young
mother rushed to her baby and
clutched her lovingly in her arms.
There may have been sobbing and
tears.
We don't know. We thought 1t
best 10 just watch them go i
without pvying eyes to Judge them
right or wrong.