Evening star., 1953-05-21
Kidnapped Children
On Way Here 10 Stay
Al Welfare Home

The two kidnapped Bradford
youngsters left New York by
train this afternoon to return to
Washington and a temporary
home in the Junior Village.
Arrangements for the transfer
Of the youngSters-3-year- -old
Clifton and 13-month-old Diane
were made by series of long
distance calls between welfare
departments here and New York.
The children, accompanied by
two social workers, are to be met
by policewomen from the Wom-
ems Bureau on request of the
welfare department here. They
are to be taken directly to Jun
ior Village, where homeless
youngsters are housed on Lough-
boro road.
Both Washington and New
York welfare authorities made
clear, that there has been
enough indication of apparent
neglect not to give the chill
dren back to their parents, Mr..
and Mrs. Clifton Bradford.
Were Taken From Room.
The children were admittedly
taken from their room in the
900 block of Ninth street NV.
last Friday night by an ex-
carnival woman with a fruStrat-
ed mother complex and a Grim
inal record. Clifton was found
at the New York Zoo Sunday
and the woman was found with
Diane Tuesday.
The woman who took them,
Mrs. Barbara Lee Grimm, "a,
who lost her unborn child re-
Gently, faces both State and
Federal kidnapping charges. She
was held under $4,000 bail on
the State charge for a hearing
May q and was also accused in
a Federal warrant under the
Lindbergh kidnap law. Her case
is expected to 60 to a New York
grand jury within 10 days.
Mrs. Grimm said she took the
children because she pitied them
in their unkempt one-room
apartment. She had been left
alone with them Friday night
after Bradford brought her home
and then left for some beer with
Mrs. Bradford.
"They had no bottles and no
changes Of clothes for the chill
dren," Mrs. Grimm recounted
after her arrest.
"I thought I could take care
of the children better than the
parents themselves.
Mrs. Grimm Tells Story.
Mrs. Grimm, narrating her
four-day adventure to newsmen,
said she started for New York
with the children and $50. She
gave this account Of what fol-
lowed:
She hitch-hiked to Baltimore
and took a bus to PhiladEIphia.
On the bus, she enlisted the aid
Of 4 fellow passenger who had
parked his car in Philadelphia.
He drove her and the children to
New York.
Arriving Saturday morning,
she was picked up by another
good Samaritan who took her
and the children to his home
in the Bronx. There, they
stayed the night and their bene-
factor's wife fed then and gave
Mrs. Grimm a black dress to re-
place the red one she was wear
ing and which had given her the
description Of the woman in
red"
Gave Boy to Park Worker.
In Central Park Sunday, Mrs.
Grimm realized she couldn't keep
on taking care of both young
sters. It was then she handed
Clifton over to an attendant,
saying he was lost.
Sunday night Mrs. Grimm
went to the Rensor Hotel, where
she had once worked as a cham
bermaid. The manager put her
up after she told him her "GI
husband" would show up next
day to settle the bill.
On Monday Mrs. Grimm and
Diane went to a movie in Times
Square. After that. she accosted
another person on the street, told
him a heartbreaking story and
was sheltered overnight in his
home. The next day he drove
her and Diane to Queens Cen
eral Hospital to have the child
treated for a cold and slight
fever. He left her with S..
Still irving for a more perna.