The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-16 00:00:00

THE ALLEGED PROFLIGACY IN A

WORKHOUSE.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY.

Yesterday morning Mr. R. B. Cane, one of the
Poor-law inspectors, resumed thP investigation into
the charges against Mr. Theobald Meyrick, the
master of the Bethnal-green Workhouse, in the
board-room of that union, Waterloo-road, Victoria-
park.
Mr. Angel, solicitor, represented Mr. Onion and
the other memorialists who had procured the in-
quiry ; and Mr. Lewis, of Ely-place, appeared on
behalf of Mr. Meyrick.
The case of Sarah Anne Sioith was resumed.
Mr. Cane, on taking his seat, said that he him-
self wished to call the medical officer' of the work-
house.
Dr. Smart, medical officer to the Bethnat.bareen
Workhouse, said—l produce the medical relief bok.'.k
of the establishment. By that book I find that
Sarah Anne Skinner was admitted to the infirmary
on the 20th of April, 1861, for a contused knee. I
do not recollect the particular case of Skinner, but
from the fact of the entry being " A contused
knee," I infer that the case was not one of a
" housemaid's knee," but that the injury arose
from direct violence. I do not recollect what
account she gave me about her knee. The
entry is not in my handwriting, but in that of my
assistant, but he may have copied it from my card.
She was discharged on the Ist of May.
Cross-examined by Mr. Lewis—l cannot say
whether it was the right or left knee. Ido not
call to mind whether I saw her knee personally at
all.

By Mr. Cane—ln the ordinary course of my
duties I should have seen the knee myself. lam
responsible for the accuracy of all entries in the
book. I have not a distinct recollection of the case.
I am supposed to see every case admitted, and I do
not think this case could have remained from the
20th of April to the Ist of May without me seeing
it. If the case had been wrongly described in the
book I should, by the examination, have detected the
inaccuracy and have altered the book.
By Mr. Lewis—l do not saj positively that I
ever saw the girl's leg. Unless the case was a very
remarkable one I should not remember it so long.
The workhouse books were then produced, and
at the request of Mr. Lewis the following dates
were taken down :—" March 16, 1861—Sarah Anne
Skinner admitted to the house. April 16—Mr.
Smyth applied for a servant. 17th--Miss Meyrick
removed Skinner to the kitchen. 20th—Skinner
entered the Infirmary. 22d—Gibbs left the house.
May I—Skinner discharged from the Infirmary.
3d—She left the house and went to Mr. Smyth's
as a servant, and June 10 and Sept. 2 she called to
see the matron."
Mr. Angel requested the entry, " Oct. 24—Mrs.
Hickman called to see the master," to be taken
do .vn.
Mr. Cane, on referring to the entry in question,
said that the three first letters of the name in ques-
tion had been erased, and the letters " Bin"
written in, so as to change the name to Binkman.
Mr. Angel then tendered Mr. Onion for exami-
nation.
Mr. Joseph Robert Onion, 12, Wilmot-square,
was examined by Mr. Cane, and said—l am one of
the guardians of the poor in this district. I only
know through Mr. Angel, my solicitor, of Mr.
Meyrick's taking steps to compromise Skinner's case
before the Police-court. On the sth of July I at-
tended the Police-court, and I hand in a copy of an
affiliation summons obtained at the court against
Mr. Meyrick. There is a memorandum on the back
of it, " Adjourned to the sth of July by mutual con-
sent, and on that day no attendance." I know no-
thing of my own knowledge about Mr. Meyrick
being the father of Skinner's child. Of my own
knowledge I can give no information about Mr.
Meyrick's attempting to see the girl in the Mile-
end Workhouse. Ido not call myself the prosecu-
tor in this affair.

The witness was not cross-examined.
Catherine Brown, called by Mr. Cane, said that
she had been an inmate of the workhouse for over
two years. She remembered the girl Skinner. Wit-
ness had to wait upon Miss Broad (incorrectly
named Brewer by a previous witness). Witness did
not remember meetino• the girl Skinner crying on
the stairs as she was going up to Miss Broad's room.
Witness never saw the girl abed he was leaving or
about to enter the master's room. She never
told witness that the master had taken her into his
bed-room and assaulted her, 0 one occasion wit-
ness Was called up to the master's office, before Mr.
Meyrick, about some indecency. The girl Skinner
was not there. Witness was never called there about
Skinner's case. Mr. Meyrick never said he would
punish witness for talking about Skinner and him-
self. It was false to say so.
Cross-examined by Mr. Angel—Witness never
spoke to Martha Marshall, before the pantryman
Jones, about the girl Skinner. She never told any

one about that girl. Witness never spoke about
Skinner, except in reference to the charge of inde-
cency against two officers. That was with reference
to the case of Balderson the engineer. Witness was
never asked to be a witness, but of course she
thought she would have to be one. Miss Broad was
the niece of the master. There was a Mrs. Rawdon
who visited the house. That was in the daytime
She never slept in the house. Witness never said
anything affecting Mrs. Rawdon.
By Mr. Lewis—Witness used to take the water
to the master's room always about seven o'clock
in the morning. He used to leave his room about
eight o'clock, and witness made the bed about
nine o'clock. On Sundays chapel was attended
by the master at nine o'clock, and service was over
about half-past ten. Witness never saw the master
return to his room after the bed was made up. It
was witness's duty to take the water to Miss Broad's
room. Skinner was placed in the kitchen on a Wed-
nesday, and was removed to the infirmary on the
following Saturday for a bad knee. She told wit-
ness her knee got bad through kneeling. About
three months after she left the house she called and
said to witness that she thought she should have to
return to the house again, as she believed she was
in the family way by the sweep Gibbs. She asked
witness to keep it quiet, and not to tell any one.
Skinner told witness that she looked through the
keyhole of the insane ward, and saw indecency be-
tween Balderson and a Mrs. Donne. Witness
reported the matter to the master, but when before
the master Skinner denied all about the affair_
Mr. Christie, late deputy medical officer to the
establishment said—On turning to the medical
officer's book, I see the entry about the girl Skinner
in my handwriting. Looking at the book I should
say most decidedly that she was suffering from a
contused knee. Ido not recollect the case.
By Mr. Lewis—Contused knee might arise from
different causes. I never heard of a contused knee
being caused by a housemaid kneeling down sud-
denly. In such a case the knee would have been
inflamed, and the entry would have been " inflamed
bursa," and not " contused knee."
Mr Keeble Smyth, South Hackney, said that the
girl Skinner entered his service from the Bethnal-
green Workhouse. He got a very good character
of her from Mr. Meyrick. She remained with him
six or seven months and her character was fully
borne out.

Mr. Lewis objected to witnesses as to characters
of the witnesses being produced.
Some discussion arose, and Mr. Cane remarked
that it was significant that the master gave the
girl a good character at that time.
Witness cross-examined by Mr. Lewis—The
master gave her a good character for the time she
was with him. He said she was a respectable girl,
and that he always had such girls to clean up his
own room. There was no doubt that he said his
own room, and not the general rooms. Skinner
resided with witness in both his houses. He de-
clined to say whether they were both licensed
houses. Witness did not see the matron about the
girl's character.
Mr. Angel said that, so far as he was concerned,
the case for the prosecution was closed.
Stephen Ayles, porter at the Hackney Union-
house, said that he was formerly porter at the Beth-
nal-green-house. He remembered the girl Skinner,
but never heard anything about her and the master.
After she was discharged she came to the house two
or three times. He did not recollect her taking a
parcel away with her after these visits.
By Mr. Lewis—Knew Mr. Morton. Never saw
the girl Skinner with him, or going to his office.
By Mr. Cane—lt was witness's duty to search
any one who was leaving the place and excited his
suspicions. His suspicions were not aroused that
Skinner was concealing anything.
Matthew Jones, pantryman, said that he remem-
bered Brown had been talking about Skinner and
Mr. Meyrick. There was a general report about the
house, but witness did not know what it was about.
It was that Brown had caught Skinner and Mr.
Meyrick in the latter's bed-room. Marshall was
removed from the kitchen because she and Brown
had been talking about the master.
Mr. Thos. Angel, Guildhall-chambers, was called
by Mr. Cane, and on being sworn said—l have ap-
plied for a summons to affiliate a child of Sarah
Anne Skinner's, As her attorney I wrote to Mr.
Lewis, Mr. Meyrick's attorney, stating that one of
the witnesses had been just confined, and with his
o nsent the case was adjourned. I never proposed
that the matter should be compromised. 1 declined
to enter into a compromise unless the money was
brought to me to take to the girl. Mr. Fleck brought
the money, and I thought it would be more to the
girl's interest to take the £2O than trust to what
the law would give her. Of my own knowledge I
do not know Mr, Meyrick was aware of the com-
promise. I can only say what Mr. Fleck said.
It was Mr. Fleck proposed the compromise. He
said, " I suppose you have no feeling in this matter?"
I said I had not; and he then said, " Would the
girl take £2O ?" I said I thought she ought to
have that sum clear. He replied, "If we pay
the money will Mr. Onion keep quiet ?" I said,
" Mr. Onion has been badly used by the
master. If the master kept quier, I should advise
Onion to have no more to do with the matter." Mr.
Fleck then arranged that Mr. Ashford should see
me, and on the Monday following I was brought a
cheque for £27, and Fleck and Ashford both said
they hoped there would be an end of the matter. I
called on Skinner at the Mile-end Workhouse. She
accepted the money, and I subsequently paid the
Hickmans, and retained £5 for costs, according to
agreement. Afterwards the parish took the matter
up, and the inquiry was brought about.
Mr. Lewis called Miss Anne Broad, who said—l

reside near Andover. In March, 1861, I was on a
visit to Miss Meyrick, the matron. I occupied a
_separate bed-room, and was waited on by the woman
13,07 n. The girl Skinner never waited on me, nor
did any other young woman. I never heard the
screams of t: woman in distress while I was in the
house. Mr. 11.,t;_,vrick is my uncle. On no Sunday
did I hear the voicb of a female in distress near my
room. I never heard
the name of Skinner men-
tioned. I have come up
from Hampshire on pur-
pose to give my evidence to-day
gel.—l have not spoken
Cross-examined by Mr. An
to Mr. Meyrick about the case, bt:t I have to Miss
Meyrick. I was not in the house before March,
1861. I left on the 17th of April. I only visited
the place a second time this summer. My father
was a farmer and builder, and is now indepaident.
I reside with him at Chute, Andover. I swear that

no one waited on me but Brown.
John Gibbs said that ho had been an inmate of
the workhouse, off and on, for four years. He was
the chimney sweeper, and
H he had to go about ter,
he
house every morning. e knew the girl Skinner,
and saw her scrubbing about the house. On one day
she made a proposal to him. He saw her the next
evening in the lavatory of the women's yard, and
had connexion with her. The intimacy was re-
newed the following evening in the same place.
After that she was employed in the kitchen for
three or four days. She then went into the infir-
mary. He had connexion with her the 2Uth April.
He remembered the date because he went out to
join his militia regiment. She asked him to
marry her on the last occasion. It was false if she
said they had not had any connection. She was a
most forward young woman.
Cross-examined by Mr. Angel—The connection
took place in the second week of March, not before.
He had seen her a few times before : he would say
as many as four times. Did not recollect the day
of the week on which it occurred. He had con-
nection with two or three other women in the
house. It might have been 12 months before Skin-
ner's affair. He did not think he had had con-
nection with any woman who was an inmate of the
house within the house since Skinner's business.
When witness spoke to Skinner other women were
about. The woman Marshall saw them leave the
lavatory, and made a remark. Several girls be-
sides Skinner used to chaff witness. The lavatory
was indicated by witness, and Skinner walked
there. Witness climbed a gate six feet high to get
there. Could not say that it was pitch dark; it
was between the lights. On the last occasion he
had connection with her in the lavatory of the in-
firmary. She was then an inmate of the infirmary.
When witness left the house on the 22d April he
went to Hounslow. He had connection with her
after she left the infirmary and the house. He
could tell when if he stopped to think. He never
had connection with the girl Skinner after she left
the house. He thought Mr. Angel meant some
one else. Would not swear he thought so. On the
4th of June he was passing the house, and he met
the master, who asked him whether he had ever bad
connection with Skinner. Witness told him the
truth. He got a summons, and attended at the
police-court. He only received two half-crowns
from the master for loss of time at the police-court.
Mary Marshall, chief laundress, said she was an
inmate of the house for five years. The girl Skin-
ner got witness to speak to the matron to procure
her a situation. ch© had a bad knee, which
she
said she got through cleaning. She never made
a complaint of the master assaulting her. Witness
had seen her repeatedly speaking to one of the
clerks, and once, when witness saw her leaving
the clerk's office, witness said she would report her.
Witness met Skinner subsequently in Sept. 1861,
Skinner said that
child,l.tand that she be-
lieved ,
as th
eh
fear t
her
of appearance.
her
he would marry her.
Ir
and
dbbs noticedw
month of March seen Gibbs and ski
Skinner leaving the
ness had in the
lavatory, and she spoke to Gibbs
was a very forward girl, constantly about it. Skinner
speaking to the
men. Mr. Meyrick was
a very correct moral gen-
tleman.

Cross-examined by Mr. Angel—The affair of the
lavatory WAS in the latter part of March, and not in