The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-24 00:00:00

JXTBAORDINARY CASE OF ALLEGED
INHUMANITY..

The ease of the young woman, Elizabeth, Joyce, who a
few days ago complained that she had been turned
afterout
of her lodging, near Red Lion-square, immediately
being delivered of a still-born child, on the evening of
the 6th instant, was formally brought before a Bow-
street magistrate yesterday, on a summons charging
Isabella Ward, servant at the house in question, with an
s,3sault, alleged to have been committed in expelling the

complainant.
The chaplain of King's College Hospital again attended
on behalf of the authorities of that institution.
The complainant, a single woman, apparently of about
20 years of age, stated that she had no place of abode.
At about 10 o'clock on the night of the 6th inst., when
in momentary expectation of being confined, she went to
St. Giles's Workhouse and applied for admission, stating
the nature of her case. The porters sent her in to the
midwife, who said there was nothing the matter with
her. The nurse then said, "You must go—we have no
room for you here." She went down stairs, and one of
the porters ordered her out of the house, advising her to
go to a hospital. He then took her by the arm and put
her out. She walked as far as Drury-lane, where she
met with a friend, who undertook to find a lodging for I
her, and pay for it. He took her to a house in Eagle-
court, near Red Lion-square, where he engaged a bed
fir her, and paid the landlady for it. She saw him grese iv
e
the landlady the money. The defendant was pnt.
After her friend had seen her into the room, he went
downstairs, and left the house. She knew that he intended
to go away. As soon as he was gone, she undressed her-
self, and got into bed. That was about three-quarters of
an hour after she was refused admission at the workhouse.
• She had not gone with her friend to any public-house,
nor to any other place but Eagle-court. In about five
minutes from the time she got into bed she found herself
much worse. She then went to the door, and called to
the landlady forhelp. She was just shutting the door again
when she was confined. The landlady then came up
stairs, and asked her what was the matter. She replied
that she had been confined, adding that she did not
think it would have happened so soon. The landlady
replied " Dress yourself immediately and get out of my
house, or I will give you into the custody of a police-
man for coming into a strange house for such a pur-
pose." The defendant, who came into the room at the
same moment, went and fetched a piece of an old shawl,
in which she wrapped the child up. The child never
cried ; it was born dead. The defendant made witness
get up and dress herself, and, taking up the child, car-
ried it down stairs, desiring witness to follow her.
When they got down stairs, defendant took her by the
arm and assisted her out of the house. As she (witness)
could not walk quickly, defendant pushed her along.
Defendant conducted-her to Red Lion-square, saying,
as they went along, " Now, you are not to contradict
what I say. I will leave you in the square while Igo
and fetch a- policeman, and I will tell him that I was
passing when I accidentally saw you and went to your
assistance." She asked witness to sit down on the
stones, to make it appear that she had been confined
there, but witness refused to do that as the stones were
so cold. Defendant said that if witness did not do as
she desired her, arid say she was confined in the square,
she would not go for a policeman, but leave her to her-
self. Witness accordingly agreed to say what defendant
desired her to say. Defendant then went away to fetch
a Policeman, and returned with police-constable A 340.
Witness told the constable that she had been confined
in the square. He went to a public-house and fetched
some brandy and water, and when she had drank it he
called a cab, is which he put her with the assistance of
the defendant, who also entered the cab, and they pro-
ceeded to the hospital, where the defendant told the doc-
tor the same story she had told the policeman—that she
had found witness in the square as she was passing.
William Smith; police-constable 340 A, confirmed the
previous witness's evidence with respect to finding her
in the square, as stated, and added that he asked com-
plainant why she had not gone to ti .e workhouse iintne-
. diately on finding herself unwell ? She replied, " I did
apply there this evening, but, after being taken up stabs
and examined by the midwife, I was told there was
nothing the matter with me, and they turned me out
again." lie said, " Did you tell them that you hol no
money, and that you were destitute ? " She replied, " I
did, but they told me I must go out, as they could not
keep me there." Witness then procured a glass of het
brandy and water, which he gave her, and sent for a cab.
• The defendant and another constable assisted him in
getting complainant into the cab, and he took her t
King's College Hospital. Defendant asked if she wouel
be wanted, and he replied, "Yes, it is a very serious.
case, and you must go with us to the hospital." She
accordingly went with them in the cab. From informa-
tion which he received on the following Sunday, he found
that she was not confined in the square, but in the hou e
3, Eagle-court. The next day, Monday, he went to the
hospital and said to her, "Now tell me the truth; were
you confined in the square, as you have stated, or in a
house ?" She then admitted that she was confined in
the house, but said she had been induced to make the
contrary statement by the threats of the people who bad
turned her out of doors. He went to the workhouse and ,
saw the porters, who said the girl had been refused ad-
- mission because she was
,not in the family way, but cis-
eased. Another person who was standing by told the
porters they had no business to open the house, at that
time of night, to any one.
Eliza Anderson, a girl of about 18, said she was a
friend of the complainant's. She lived at 5, Essex-street,
Guildford-street, B!ackfriars. On the evening of the
' 6th October she was with complainant. Knew that the
latter was in the family way. At about eight o'clock con -
• plaioant was taken ill. Witness took her to a doctor's
in Drury-lane. The doctor gave her some medicine and
said she bad better go to the workhouse. They teen
went to St. Giles's workhouse, and witness told the
porters that she thought her friend (complainant) was in
labour. The porters spoke very sharp, and said she was
not in labour, she only wanted a night's lodging. One
• of them said she ought to have brought a certificate.
Witness replied that she was too ill to go about to get
one. He pushed complainant rather hard in tae
stomach, and said, " Oh, there is nothing the matter
with you, you are not in labour." There was a gentle-
man present who looked like a doctor, and after asking
her several questions, he said, "Let her go upstairs and
be eeamineti." She was taken up, and witness went
away, but in about a quarter of an hour complainant•
came to. her at a coffee-house in Drury-lane, and said
••. they had turned her out. Witness then took her to toe
police-station in Bow-street, and asked the inspector on
duty to 'send a policeman, and &impel them to admit
her as she was in labour. The inspector said he could
not compel them to admit her, and advised witness
to take her back again. Witness said, "that would ho
of no use—they won't take her in." After this witness
met a young man; named Henry Baker, and asked hit-
to pay for a night's lodging for complainant, and he said
' he would. They went away together, and she saw no
' more of them.
Mr. Frar. Workman deposed that he was house phy-
• sician at king's College, Hospital. He was not present
when-the complainant was received into the hospital, as
she
plaeed
was surgeon,
admitted by the house but she was
in his ward about midnight. Her sufferings
wereof
course increased by want of proper attention,
arid by so much walking about as bad been described.
The alleged examination at the workhouse must have
taken place an hour or two only before her confinement,
add the nurses ought to have been able to judge of her
c eadition. •
The two porters mentioned above, and -the nurse of
the lying-in-ward at the workhouse beinattendance,
were here called upon to statetheirvehretio ; n
of
portersth e case,
but were not regularly examined. l
in stating that the complainant came to the workahroeect
, with the witness Anderson between 8 and in the even'
t'
lug. They had two medicine. bottles with them, and
complainant said she was in labour. It being a, common
trick for girls to say this in order to-get into the work-
house, they (the porters) did not believe thestery. corn.:
. plainant, however, was sent up stairs to the widwife,
who sent her down again, stating that she was suffenee'
, kern' disease, and not from • the pains of labour. tegii"..
nesses both believed, from the manner in which the girls,.
were giggling end joking, that it was a ruse, and. one of,.
them expressed-his belief that Anderson was drunk, ;1
Anderson, on being; recalled and questioned on this,..
point, positively declared that she was.perfectly ber,
not having drunk anything for a week or more.
The nurse of the lying-in ward at St. Giles's work-
}muse stated, that on the night of the 6th instant corn-
• ; plainant was brought to her to be examined. She could
perceive no signs of labour. She told complainant that
she had no doubt of her being in the family way, but
that she was not' more than three months gone. Sha
cautioned complainant that she was suffering from a
serious malady, and that she ought not to be walking
:abort, but informed her that as that ward was exclu-
sively for patients actually in labour, she could not be
admitted, and must not stop there. She said she was a
poor utiforninate girl, and had not a single friend in the
whole world. _Witness said she was very sorry for her.
'At this moment another case came in—a youngs woman
on the point of being confined—and witness
to attend to her. Witness thee told' the porters to obliged
complainant somewhere else, adding that she might ho
taken into the receiving ward, but they said she had de-
clined to go there, and would not wait in the house. She
desired them to take her into the receiving ward, on the
ground that she was destitute. •
Mr. Jardine inquired to which of the porters Witness
bad said this ?
Witness--To both of them, I.think. (Neither
porters had made any statement to that effect in
of th©
time
evidence-) ,
The defendant, after describing the .circumstances
`tending the birth, and the complainant's expuleion Icons
'the house,' said she asked complainant if she would take'
any refreshment. The landlady said she had nothing in
-the house, and as complainant said she should like a strop.
of gin, a quartern was sent for, and a glass of it given
to
They then went down stairs together, defendant
carrying the baby. On reaching the street, defendant
asked her if she could walk any further, if not, she
would at once call a policeman, but she replied that she
could walk as far asi the square. They went to Rent
Lion-square, and defendant said, "The policeman will
not do anything for you unless you . tell him that you
were, suddenly confined in the street. If you say it took
Place in a house, he will notinterfere." She consequently
agreed to say this, and defendant told the same story for
her good, both to the eoustable and afterwards at the
hospital.' Defendant went in the cab with complainaut,
end' called at the hospital twice or three times afterwards
to inquire how. she was getting on,
The complainant, to
in answer the magistrate, de-
dared that she never had t w
the offerou,d
lav
made; to her to go
into the receiving ward.
Sheif
she
had
be ndbeen glad to
get there, or anywhere else,
the chance.
On the contrary, the porters turned her'out and shut the
gates upon her..
Mr. Jardine said the only coarse open to him wa
refer the conduct of the workhouse officials to the.soconduct