The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-12 00:00:00

INQUEST THIS DAY.

This morning Mr. Humphrey, the coroner for East Mid-
dlesex, held an inquiry at the Angel Inn, Whitechapel, in
reference to the deaths of the bod ies found in the roof and
belfry of Whitechapel Church.
Mr. Mitchell, solicitor, appeared cn the part of the Rev.
Mr. Cohen, the rector, and the churchwardens, and ex-
pressed their disgust at the facts which had transpired, and
assured the coroner that every means should be taken to
prosecute a thorough investigation. He added that still-
born children were never buried in the churchyard at.
Whitechapel. _ _

Charles Wolfs, of 62, Iligh•street, Whitechapel, said he
remembered a man named Smith. They called him " Bill
Smith." He had seen him about the churchyard. It was
about three years ago. One evening he saw Smith go into
the church with a black bag. There appeared to be some-
thing in it. He had no reason to form an opinion that the
bag contained a child's coffin. He had thought nothing
more about the matter.

Joseph Bradley, of 37, Great Hill-street, plumber, said
he had been an undertaker, in fact he Ns as born an under-
taker. (Laughter.) His father and brothers had been under-
takers.

The Coroner said he was lucky in getting such evidence,
It was difficult to get evidence from present undertakers—
they were obliged to go to the past.

Witness said it was the custom ;of the undertakers to
hand over stillborn children to the sextons to be buried
where they could. Parents did not generally follow still-
burns to the grave. It was not usual to have certificates
with stillborns. As far as ho was aware, it was not the
duty of the undertakers to ascertain in any way whether a
child brought to them was a stillborn. The undertakers
relied upon the statements made by parents and nurses.
There was a keen contest amongst undertakers for business,
and no doubt that sometimes young children were buried at
unremunerative prices. Of course if an undertaker could
save the coffin and burial fees he would be the more in
pocket.
By Mr. Mitchell—He never heard of certificates being
given for stillborn children. He had had no experience
since the passing of the Burials Act, but he did not believe
the practice had been in any way altered.
Mr. Mitchell—lt is evidently a very loose practice.
Mrs. Allen, who was called on a previous occasion, said
she thought she could recognise the man who fetched away
her child (one of those found), and four very doleful lcok-
ing men were introduced, but she failed to identify either
of them.

George Shakes, of Hayfield-lane, Mile-end Old Town,
engine-keeper, said he was formerly employed by Mr. Can-
ham, an undertaker. He had taken a good many children
from Mr. Canham's hop to Bow Cemetery. He never took
any to Whitechapel. How they came to Canham's he
did not know. Sometimes people used to bring stillborn
children to Mr. Canham's house themselves. In all cases
they were given up to the gravedigger. Half-a-crown was
the general fee at the Cemetery for a stillborn, so that a
parent would save 7s. 6d. on burying a child as a stillborn.
Sometimes he had a certificate, but he never thought it
worth while to look at them. He could read a little, but
he had no idea by whom the certificates were signed.
John Davis Filly, an undertaker, of Wellington-place,
Stepney, said he bad occasionally gone, on funerals, for Mr.
Canham. One he fetched from Calvert's Brewery, in
Thames street, but he did not know what became of it.
Another he bad he took to Bow Cemetery. With the last
he had a certificate, which he gave up at the office when he
paid the fees. He could not say whether it was signed by
a midwife. He sometimes received stillborns on his own
account. He fetched them from the people's houses. If a
stillborn were brought by a midwife he did not know that
he should refuse it—in fact, he would take it. If he gave
credit for a stillborn it would be 7s. 6d. ; if the people
paid prompt, it would be 6s. He paid 3e. 6d. for fees, and
the coffin cost about Is. 9d.
By Mr. Mitchell—He never buried children in a church.
yard closed by order in council, nor any other churchyard.
Robert Dormer, of Bancroft-terrace, Mile-end-road, un-
dertaker, said be used to assist Mr. Lanham. He fancied
he fetched two bodies from Mrs. Allen's house in Bedford-
street. The last one he fetched away about ten o'clock on
a Saturday night. He left it at Mr. Canham's, and did not
know what became of it. It was not an usual thing to
fetch still-borne from the parents' houses. Sometimes an
undertaker would take a shell and bring the body away
and keep it in his house until he had a funeral. He could
not say whether the children brought away were still-born.
A Juror—Children might be murdered and taken away
in this way.
Witness—Fie did not know any case in which a child was
taken away without a shell. In such cases children were
put in a bag or wrapped up in anything that was handy.
The usual charge for burying a stillborn v. as 6s 6d, includ-
ing 3s 6d for the ground.
The Coroner—Does it not sometimes happen that when
an adult is to be buried a child is put in the same coffin ?
Witness—I never did it, but I have heard of its being
done in the trade.
The Coroner—ln that case the 3s 6d for the ground would
be saved? Witness—Yes, it would.
William Barker, an undertaker, who said he was an
undertaker and patronised-" Victoria," had worked for Mr.
Canham. He knew that stillborns and adults were brought
to the establishment. He had known nurses come for
shells and bring stillborns back. Mostly a paper was
two or three stillborns there at a time. For Mr.
Canham brought with them, but he did not know whether it was a
certificate,anhata hne orby whom it was signed. He had never seen
more
had buried about three dozen stillborns a year,
but Mr. Canham was not his largest employer. He made
about 150 coffins for stillborns a year for Mr. Canham and
others. When he was at Mr. Canham's he saw many still-
horns come in, but he never knew how they went out. Oi
500 coffins he made in the year 150 were for stillborns. The
very lowest he could charge for a stillborn was 4s. 6d. up to
a pound, if he could get it. He paid 2s. 6d. at the Vic-
teteey fastened up, and the
Vic-
toria for the ground. He fetched the bodies from the house
d took them to
a the
shellcem they
were
When nurses or others
brought bodies in
undertakers did not consider it to be their business to in-
quire whether they were stillborn or not. Certificates were
brought, but if a certificate was signed " Anne Thompson,
midwife," the undertakers would accept it without inquiry.
It would not pay them to go to inquire whether there was
any " Anne Thompson," or if there were, if ehe was a mid-
wife.
The Coroner condemned the lax way in which the busi-
ness was conducted by undertakers, and remarked sternly
upon the way in which bodies of children were disposed of
without any examination whether they were born or not.
He thought the jury might come to the conclusion that the
bodies had been in the church. two years and upwarda, but
that there was no direct testimony as to how they were
placed there. He did not think that violence of any kind
had been offered to the bodies, but that they had been
placed where they were found to save the burial fees and
with the connivance of some one connected with White-
chapel church. With regard to the low cutting under-
takers who buried far 48. 6d. or 55., he believed he might,
without disrespect to that business, express his opinion that
they frequently dropped bodies about the streets to avoid
the expenses of coffins and burial grounds, leaving those
who were fortunate enough to find the bodies the responsi-
bility of burying them. He could not in any other way
account for the large number of childrens' bodies constantly
found about the streets. It was impossible that any under.
taker could possibly undertake to bury a child for 4s. 6d.,
when he had to pay 2s. 6d. or 38. for the ground and some-
thin g for the coffin.
The jury then deliberated on their verdict with closed
doors for about half an hour.

On the admission of strangers to the room the jury
found, the verdict being only on one child, that the said
female child, being of a tender age, to wit, of the age of
about three months, was founi dead on the roof of White-
chapel Church. And the said jurors do further say,
from the decomposed state of the body, the evidence
also
evidence
fails to prove the cause of death. T
added these words, that the jury finding from the
evidence that it was the practice of undertakers to receive
certificates of still-born children from midwives, ci• any
other women, they feel that the perpetration of abortion
and infanticide may be. facilitated by such a practice, and
suggest that any person burying, or assisting to bury,.
opfingi7eatthirartegtuhlearsietyxtoinn
.without a certificate from a legalivid or qualified resident
gthne.ilirtyo
parishioner, or registered midwife, shall incur thereby a Pe-
nal t.y of the law as in cases of misdemeanour. They also declare
buryingsoefcrWetlhyiteeh
children. without certificates, as well as of culpable negli-
gence in hip. want of the care of the church for which be
is.rtesp!msible, an entrance to which ho knows is entirely
whimself. They reconimennd that 'the various officers
ap el has
still-born been
represent their recommendation to the Secretary of State
for the Home Department.

A WORD TO RAILWAY DIRECTORS.—AII in•
conveniences would be remedied if our companies
would consent to the simple expedient of establishing some
means of communication between the passengers and the
guards. Meohaniaally, there is absolutely no difficulty
about Mich an arrangement. In the United States the
contrivance employed is of the simplest. A cord rune from
car to car, fastened by loops to the roofs. The guard at the
end of the train ean stop the engine at once by jerking the
cord a curtain number of times, and the patmengers can
summon the guard at any moment by pulling it. More-
over,' as each car contains from twenty to sixty people,
according to the fulness of the trains no mischievous or
nervous passenger can stop the train without sufficient
cause. If he did so, his fellow-travellers would be there to
report him. There is really no reason, however, why, with
certain modifications, a similar plan should not be intro-
duced here. If the footboard alongside our carriages were
made a little broader, and projected a foot or so beyond the
carriage, and if a stout rail was fixed to the side of each
compartment, a guard might walk with perfect safety from
carriage to carriage, no matter -what the speed of the train
might be. It is done in Belgium, a 0 raigl4t be done
e4t4311Y well in EPglaWl,—One a Week.