The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-31 00:00:00

TEE SWEA7ING SYSTEM.

1
Yesterday morning Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the
deputy coroner for East Middlesex, held an inquest
at the Lamb Tavern, Dorset-street, Commercial-
road3 East, Ratcliff, touching the death of Mary
Ann Pickering, aged 12 months. Ann Pickering, a
poor woman, of No. 15, School-hoase.lane, Ratcliff,
deposed that the deceased was her daughter. She
was a sempstress, and obtained a scanty livelihood
by making flannel shirts for a large City firm, for
which she was paid 3d. each, and had to find needles
and thread. Witness had five children, and had
been deserted by her husband about two years. He
vvas lazy fellow, and wished her to work and
keep him in idleness. She had suffered great pri-
vation, and they all slept in one small room. On
Friday last deceased, who had been ailing and
speaffinesrinign
the stomach,
the diarrhoea, had excruciating
etomach, and witness sent for tho
doctor, but lie gave no hopes of her. He thought
the deceased had been starved, and shortly after
he left gleceascd suddenly fell and expired. She
believed that the deceased required better nourish-
merit than she could afford to give her. Witness
e'antinued, crying, and said, "I would rather suffer
anything than trouble the authorities of the work-
house. If I and my child work all day and great
part of the night we can earn 9d. for three shirts.
The price is very small for so much labour. I have
them from a woman who gets a trifle profit out of
them, and she gets them from Messrs. Moses and
Sons. I have never earned more than Cs.
i a2sw. week,
with my little girl's assistance, which s all the
money we have to live upon. I have paid
of that for rent. Mary White, the landlady, was
examined, and said that the mother of the child
was an industrious woman. She had been a book
folder, and was of respectable parents, but since
her husband had left her she had taken to shirt
making. She believed that the poor woman and
her children had suffered great distress. Mr.
Hawkins, of Ratcliff, said that he was called to see
the deceased, who was suffering from weakness
and general debility. There was blood passing from
the body, showing that the deceased was labouring
under ulceration of the bowels. He prescribed for
few
we
rhours
ffering afterwards.from.
Severalthe d e c e a
os ef dt,
hweh oo
tehxepri
childrenexpired i na
the small-pox, and no doubt would die very soon.
The room where the family lived was small and un-
wholesome. The house was badly drained and
unfit for habitation, The Deputy Coroner remarked
on the painful nature of the case, and, after giving
her some cash out of his own pocket, advised her to
seek parish assistance, and the guardians would
find her husband, and punish him for his cruel con-
duct. He was quite sure that she could not subsist
upon the paltry money she received for making the
shirts, and he hoped that she would at once go to
the relieving officer of the parish, and make known
to him the facts of her case. The jury at once con-
curred in the opinion of the learned deputy coroner,
and returned a verdict to the effect—. That the
deceased died from ulceration of the bowels, brought
on by want of the common necessaries of life."