The Express.
London, England, 1868-04-02 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF BABY-

FARMING.

INQUEST.--(THIS DAY.)

An inquest wee resumed at the Town-hall,
Wolsoire•, concerning the death of an illegitimate child.
14 months old, belonging to • young wawa named
Susannah Baker, who lives with her father and mother in
• place called the Timber-market 010441 by.
sr. T. IL Wilkin, the coroner, described the case a
being the worst that had ever been brought before him.
The child, although never christened or registered, was
named Frank Baker, and upon being viewed by the jury
exhibited scarcely anything beyond skin and bone. There
was a bum on the back about the size of a sheet of writing
paper, and there was an abrasion over the right temple and
a eat underneath.

The coroner, on resuming the inquiry to-day, referred
to the depositions he had taken on the former occasions,
the following summary of which contains the principal
facts :—Susanna Baker, a single woman, said that the
deceased was her son. It wee born at her pareots' house
in the Timber-market on the 6th of January, 1867. It
was nursed by her mother and a woman who came
from Walton, but she did not know her name.
At the end of three weeks the nurse took the child with
her to Walton. She farmed the child at 4s. per week. The
child was removed in the following March, because tiie
woman was going to work in a field, and she did not like
to leave it in charge of a girl only 10 years old. She never
went to see her child whilst it was at Walton, but the
women brought it two or three times to her parents' hour'.
The child was brought back to her at her father's in Mardi.
and she took It to a Mrs. Voulacy's, at New Wisbech
She did not remember ever going to see the child whilst A
Mrs. Voulsey`s. She removed the child from thvrc at tea
o'clock at night, It was then very bad and Dr. Lary was
attending upon it.

The Coroner said it looked to him exceedingly streagr
that a mother did not visit her sick child, and, what w.,;
still worse, taking it out in the cold air at ten o'clock at
night.

Examination in chief resumed—She took the child from.
Mrs. Vonlsey's to a Mix. Mayles, to whom she paid 4s. per
week to farm it. After that her child wss taken to a Mrs.
Hall's, at Wolsoken, where he remained seven or eight
weeks. Mrs. Hall having two children of her own. she
thought she could not attend to hers, and she told her
that she should remove him, giving a week's notice. The
child never thrived after leaving Mrs. Vousley's. She
took it away between 9 sad 10 at night, and was not
afraid to take it away on account of the night air.
The Coroner—lf it is found that you have been negli
gent in the are of your child the law will punish you
moat severely—you brute, for I cannot raft you by any
other name. He could not call her a wom►n who come
treat a child in the manner she had done. A worse ca-,e
had never come before him, for even the burn on tee
child's body was as large as this sheet of paper, and yet
she takes it out in the cold at 10 o'clock at night.
Elizabeth Fryett, of West Walton, said that she had
nursed the mother in confinement. The mother never
attempted to suckle it. When the child left use it was
thriving, but had the thrush.
Mrs Voulsey said that she farmed the child of tar
mother about 12 months ago, at 4s. per week, lie was then
a poor sickly child. She kept it a fortnight, bet
as it was not registered she refused to keep Lim.
No surgeon attended him whilst he was in her house. He
was brought to her by the mother and Mrs. Clark. he:
sister, at 10 o'clock at night. Mrs. Clark told her that it
was her sister's child, when witness said if she had known
that before she would not have undertaken to farm it.
The child whined and pined the whole of the night so',tha:
she could get no rest, and she got a pennyworth of God-
trey's cordial, and she gave him some of it, b•:t
it had not the least effect. The mother told
her never to tell whose child it was. She ha •
repeatedly asked her to register the child, and had alsu
asked her for a glass bottle to feed the child properly, but
she would not. The child had not proper or sufficient
clothing to enable her to take it out to give him the
fresh air.
Jane Mules, of Wolsoken, and Betsy Hall gave are t•
borative evidenne.

Rebecca Scrimshaw said that she took the decease)
six weeks ago. She knew the mother because she had
sister living with her.
In answer to a Juror—She believed that that salter :1,1
had two illegitimate children who had died.
The Coroner—What about your other sister!
Witness—They have all had illegitimate chilirea.
The Coroner—How many?
Witness—l don't know.
The Coroner—What would be the average!
Witness—About two each.
A Juror—Did you ever have an illegitimate child !
Witness—Yes ; but before marriage, and it is dead.
The Coroner—Was it not for your child that a medics.
certificate of death was refused, and application made
another surgeon, and the case was brought before the
House of Commons ?
Witness said it was not her child, as it lived only tea
or three days.
A Juror—Why did you not send for a doctor when yo.:
found the child so ill?
Witness—Because I thought it was only teething.
The Coroner—How did the child receive the burn !
Witness—l laid it on the hearth before the fire and left
the room for a few minutes, and upon returning found the
child's night gown on file. I did not send for a doctor.
but applied some salve to the burn. The abrasion and cut
on the under temple witness knew nothing about. Whet
she went out of a night to hear Fiddler Joss preach she
always left the child in charge of her husband. The las:
time she went to hear a sermon was by Mn. Joss ; it 'neon
"Directions to mothers."
The Coroner—lt is a pity the mother of this poor child
was not present.
By a Juror—The mother never told her what she was t:
have at the death of tte child. She was not aware tha•
the child had not been registered. There was no arrange•
merit made for the child's clothing if it lived. When the
child died she sent a woman named Kitchen to tell the
mother of it, and she said, " Don't make a piece of work
about it to-day."
Mr. B. C. Bury, M.D., said that he found the mark of
burn on the body or the lower pert of the neck. The:
was a cut under the right temple and a bruise on the for
of it. A postsmortem examination showed nothing unns•
torsi or signs of disease, except the membranes of the
brain, which were a little congested. The child had been
badly nourished. He attributed the canoe of death
to natural causes, owing to the reduced con.
dition of the body. The state of the brait:
might have been owing to the reduced condition of the
body or from convulsions. The deceased was noturall,
healthy, but badly nourished. It was in such a reduced
state that a slight attack of pain might cause its death.
The learned Coroner, after reviewing other parts of the
evidence, said that as the jurors were all neighbours, he
should not call upon them to return a verdict against on;
one, but he should send the depositions to the bench e:
magistrates for them to move in the case.
Several other witnesses were, however, is attendance
and were to be examined, but their testimony, it iv,
understood, would be only confirmatory of the above.

THE FOUTHOONI3IO FENIAN TRIALB.—It its under-
stood that the prisoners concerned in the attempt to blow
up the Chasmsll Huse of Detention, as well as Barge.
iTsbea Dewy and Shaw, charged with treason-felony will be
upon there trial within the next fortnight. The
ridgesigoi on the rots are Mr. Baron Bramwell, . Baron
sad Mr. Jturtied Keating, and two of these will
pprroobbaabbly preside at the trial of the Fenian prisoners, wiles•
which is possible, the principal part of the duty
devolve upon the Lord Chief Janice of England. It
aid that the case on the part of the crown will be coo.
duelled by both the Idierney and Solicitor Deuced, aided 1)
Mr. Harding, Oiffard, Q.C. Mr. Poland, and Mr. Archibald-
It is understood that a eollaitor engaged for some of do
prisoners recently has applied on the ground of their pt.
verty, for assistance to the sheriffs of London, stating that
at legit 2001. would be required for the proper conduct of
their defence. In consequence of that appeal the sheriffs•
with others of the managing committee of the Sheriffs
Fund, established about 60 years ego, held • special met'
log on Monday, and arrived at the oasolulon that they
could not ouscientiously extend the required aid. Mew
while, as an act of gram, the mown solicitors, ea a reapers:
fed representation bang made to them as to the want r
means of the seven prisoners charged with the Clerkenwell
murder, lave erseemitted to each of them, through /ll'
Jonas, the governor of Newish., • printed guy of By
whole of the deposition' taken beim the owned .Wft IP •
=t, and which are very nonvolnin On the other
ithe three men charged with -filmy do riot
to want either friends or assistance, eoliciters—dS
6ZairMr. Roberta, of Manchester— being now era
their ddenoe, and they will, doubtless. mere
PserXraey osenast.—Tista.