The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-09 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.-'THIS DAY.

Hannah Bland, a married woman, apparently of d:s&-
. pated habits, was brought before Mr. HALL on a charge
of drunkenness, and wilfully neglecting her infant, aged
four months, under the following circumstances :
It appeared from the statement, of a woman who lodges
in the next room, that the prisoner had not lived with her
husband for the last seven years, but receives five shillings
a week, which is left with Mr. Parish, in Wnite Hart-yard,
by him, for the support of herself and three children. On
several occasions her conduct had been so inhuman towards
her children, by stripping them and selling their clothes to
procure gin, that women who happened to be suckling in-
fants, and were aware of the drunken habits of the prisoner,
frequently went to her room where the children were lying
in the most squalid condition, to give the breast to the
youngest, which is illegitimate, for which they met with
abuse.

Mr. Avery, of Clement' lane, who resides next door
to the prisoner, sa d that he had known presents of
clothes to be given to tie children but they had not them
on rn..re than half an hour, when they appeared running
about the streets in a state of nudity, the prisoner aving
sold them fora few halfpence to procure gin. The wA
ness hen ~00k the infant, wo ich was rolled in a dirty
handkerchief, from the woman with whom she left it in
the public-house, and on exposing it to the Court it pr:2-
sented a most horrify ng appe.;rance, being reduced to a
mere skeleton, and evidently d in j through a want of care
a: d proper sustenance.
Mr. Hata, dcc ared that a g--eater monster io the
shape of woman rn.ver was brougl:t ty,fore him,
and having directed the woman with whom the baby was
left to stand forward, she said that she had been employed
by the prisoner to look after the children, but in conse-
quence of twing continually in a state of intoxication she
was compelled to leave the children to get whatever they
could from persons who were acquainted with the conduct
of their inhuman mother, and a few days back' she of er,d
her half a crown if she would consent to wring the neck of
the baby present, or otherwise make away with it. Oa
meeting her last night in a public house, she requested of
her to hold the child for a few minutes, and she instantly
disappeared, but was sulioequently taken into custody.
Mr. HALL ordered Mr. Kirby, the relieving officer of
the Strand Union, to be sent for, and on his arrival, he
said he had known the prisoner for some time as a most in.
corrigible drunkard, and owing to the • interference of
some fellow-lodgers, he went to her room to afford relief,
when she promised to alter her conduct, and treat them in
a different manner.

The woman sho had care of the d) int?, infant was dirt ctcd
to convey the other children to the workhouse of the
Strand Union.

Mr. HALL told the prisoner he intended to commit her
for trial should the child die, and she might give some
account of the matter before she was removed from the t ar.
The prisoner said that she had had a fright in her con.
finement, and that was the only way she c..uld account for
the reduced condition of the baby.
Sho was then ordered to be locked up..