The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-07 00:00:00

BOW. STREET.

We have already detailed the circumstances attending
the stealing of an infant, the child of Mrs. Gilson, the wife
of a baker living in Princes-street, Drury-lane, together
with the facts connected with the discovery of the baby,
and by which it was sought to bring home a charge of felony
against a young woman, then confined in Tothill-fields,
Bridewell, on a charge of being a disorderly person. We
intimated also the person suspected would undergo an exa-
mination at this office so soon as the term of her imprison-
ment should have expired.
Yesterday accordingly the woman, who stated her name
to he Ann Frances Bennet, was brought up from Tothill-
fields prison in custody of Charles Otway, a sergeant, No. 7
of the A division, through whose instrumentality principally
the charge was brought forward, and placed at the bar be-
fore Mr. TWYFORD and Mr. P. MALLARD, a county Ina-
gistrate.
Mrs. Gilson stated that her husband was a baker. On
the afternoon of that day fortnight she sent out her infant
daughter Catherine, four and a half months old, in the
care of Emily, her eldest daughter, who was nine years of
age in the month of June last. She saw no more of either
of her children until five o'clock, when Emily returned
home, but without the infant. She had previously been
informed by a constable that some accident had happened,
but she did not until then know that the infant had been
stolen. She never again saw the child until Wednesday
when it was given to her by a woman named Twiner. The
child when it was stolen wore a pink frock, a brown silk
bonnet, and shoes. On her return, all the clothes which
she had on, were gone, except a pair of shoes, and a flan-
nel petticoat ; but other clothes were substituted for them.
Mr. TWYFORD asked whether any change had taken
place in the infant's appearance ?—The witness said that
its hair had been cut quite close. On its being stolen its
hair was long, but it was now quite short, and the child
was so disfigured that at first she hardly recognised it.
Mr. TWYFORD asked whether the child was in good
health ?—The witness said that it was not, and that on its
being first brought home to her she hardly expected that it
would have outlived the night.
Emily Gilson, aged nine years, the daughter of the last
witness, repeated the statement she had before made to
Mr. Twyford. Her mother, she said, had desired her to
take the infant out for an airing, and while she was walk-
ing in Prince's-street the prisoner, whom she knew, beckoned
to her. She knew the prisoner only from their having con-
versed together in the streets a fortnight before, when she
had then asked her how old the infant was? On her
going to her the prisoner said she was waiting for her
sister, who was going with her to buy some rings ; but
after some time she said she would wait no longer, and they
then walked together to the corner of Bow-street, when
she said she had seen some rings which would answer her
purpose. The witness ,however, saw no rings, and the pri-
soner pointed out some penny dolls, and asked her whe-
ther she would go in and purchase one ? Witness said she
would not, because she had no money, and the prisoner
then gave her sixpence, and told her to go and buy a
doll and to bring back the change to her. Witness went
into the shop, and after a very short absence she re-
turned to the street, but then found that •the prisoner
had gone off, carrying away the infant which she had taken
from her arms on going into the shop with her. Wit-
ness began to cry, and a policeman coming up, she informed
him of what had taken place. She did not again see the
prisoner until that morning, when she was conducted to a
cell in the office, in which were about a dozen women and
men. She was asked if she could point out the person
who had stolen the child, and she directly pointed out the
prisoner. She was dressed now as she had been at the
time witness saw her last.

Lucy Twiner was the wife of Henry Twiner, and lived
at No: 11, Lewisham-street. She knew the prisoner, who
had been in the habit of visiting her during the last six
or eight months. She had taken the child out several
,times since the prisoner brought it home, and she conti-
nued doing so until Wednesday afternoon, when, in con-
sequence of some information which her husband had
given, the infant was claimed as belonging to Mr. Gilson.
Charles Otway, a sergea►.t of tie A division of police,
had taken the prisoner into custody on that morning on
the present charge. He first saw the child at the Two
Chairmen public•house, Dartmouth-street, Westminster,
when it wai delivered up to Mrs. Gilson by the last witness.
lie subiNuently went to the prisoner's apartment, and pro-
c.eded to search it ; and he found in a coal cupboard con-
ceale•d behind some dirty kettles, the child's pink frock and
white petticoat he produced. In a different part of the
room he also found a hall-mourning dress, which the priso-
ner now had on.
The prisoner was fully committed for trial.
It would appear that, as soon as the loss of the child had
been ascertained, the neighbours of Mr. Gilson, with a de-
gree of humanity which reflected upon them the highest
credit, assembled, and opened a subscription for the purposo