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Show CAN NOT BARTER CHILD Supreme Court Decides ThisinCaseofLittleGirl Sold to Settle Debt New York, Feb. 17. A child cannot be bartered to Bettle a debt, according accord-ing to a decision Just rendered by Justice Jus-tice Greenbaum in the supreme court here. The case came before him on a writ of habeas corpus and involved four-year-old Hanna Blueme, the daughter of Morris Blueme and wife, who are destitute. The. Bluomes, about a year and a half ago, left the little girl in the charge of a Mrs. Jennie Cohen, alter ruakirfg arrangements to make payments pay-ments of $2 weekly for her care. Thereafter, There-after, finding himself out of worc, the father was unable to mako :ho payments as agreed, and when, after a few months, he acquired some money mon-ey which was presented to Mr6. Cohen Co-hen for payment, Mrs." Cohen announced announc-ed that, not haing what was due her, she had sold the child to Mr.and Mrs. Frank C. Duell for $50. Mr. and Mrs. Duell flatly refused to give up the child, and as the little girl's parents had since gone to San Francisco, relatives rel-atives here began habeas corpus proceedings pro-ceedings to recover her. In a decision decis-ion handed down yesterday, the court, in restoring the child to her parents, said in part: "Mrs. Cohen had no lien upon the child for unpaid board and lodging, and no legal right to dispose of it to a stranger. Mrs. Cohen simply had a money claim against Its father. It may be that the respondents have become attached to tho child during the few month3 that they have en-Joyed en-Joyed its society, and it is unfortunate unfortun-ate that they may be unable to be re' imbursed for tho expenses in its behalf be-half incurred during the time that they have maintained it, but they were not decided. They fully understand that Mrs. Cohen had not the slightest slight-est right-to dispose of the child, and tho monetary considerations, urged in behalf of the respondents, cannot for a moment, be entertained by the court." |