Evening star., 1948-12-31
Fight Over Custody
OF Majerska Girl, 5,
Revived in Court Here
From Yesterdays Last Editton.)

(Fr0m YeSterddy$ Last EdlttoH.)
Before a tense audience in Mu-
nicipal Court today, Mrs. Anna
Majerska made another plea to re-
tain custody of her 5-year-old
daughter Janet.
Whether she will depends to q
large extent on the action of the
Juvenile Court, which is expected
to consider soon the question of re-
moving the child from her mother
and placing her in a foster home.
Since last July, when the 28-year-
old naturalized Czechoslovakian
woman was convicted by Judge
George D. Nelson Of beating her
child, she has kept her on condi-
tional basis.
At that time, Judge Nelson sus-
pended the woman's Today SEN
tence and placed her on probation
Today, Joseph Sanford, chief pro-
baton officer for Municipal Court,
asked Judge Nelson to revoke that
probation.
Called Unc0-Operative.
He told the court his Office had
failed in trying to help Mrs. Majer-
ska in her problem of taking care
Of the child and that she had been
most nco-operative with our ef-
forts"
He said he had received numerous
reports that the beatings and mis-
treatment for which she had been
previously convicted were still going
on in the womans rooming house
home, in the 1900 block of @ street
NV.
Mr.. Sanford said his Office had
obtained a psychiatric examination
of Mrs. Majerska which showed that
although she was Of sound mind she
was definitely psycho-neurotic in her
attitude toward the child. He said
his investigation of the case had
revealed among other things that
the mother had a "fixation about
the amount of food Janet should
eat" and that at times she was
forced to consume more than an
adult laborer would want"
Judge Nelson commented: "This
is most tragic and pathetic case
A good many people at the time OF
the original conviction thought il
was a simple problem-that it would
be so easy for the judge simply to
put the woman on probation and
that everything would be all right
from then on. I did so against my
better judgment, and subsequent
experience seems to show that ]
was right"
Mr.. Sanford was followed on the
stand by Pvt. Jocobette Novak OF
the Woman's Bureau, who said she
went to the apartment of Mrs
Majerska yesterday in response to
a complaint. She said the mother
was away at work at the time and
that Janet was discovered in a
locked room in bed.
Girl Taken to Galinger.
She said she was told the child
was suffering from measles. Janet
was taken to the Board of Public
Welfare at the time and from there
to Gallinger Hospital, where she
was today. She was not reported tc
be seriously ill.,
Judge Nelson was told that the
Welfare Board is expected to insti-
tute action with the Juvenile Court
to acquire permanent custody OF
Janet. If the court grants the re-
quest, the child would then be
placed in a foster home
Judge Nelson listened intently as
Mrs. Majerska, a brunette, pleaded
with him with tears in her eyes to
keep her daughter.
II feed her well, your honor" she
said. II love her and she's happy
with me. I'm a good mother to her -
She denied that she had abused
Janet since her conviction last
spring and added that it Is not un-
usual for 5-year-old to get
scratched and bruised playing with
children at school.
Judge Nelson continued the case
for two weeks pending the action OF
the Juvenile Court in the matter OF
Tonof'S VDarN1 O mont n,,cfaSu