The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-07 00:00:00

BABY-FARMING REVELATIONS.

During a discussion on baby-farming at the Dialec-
tical Society's Rooms, at 1, Adam-street, Adelphi, a
statement made by the convict Waters in the condemned
cell on Wednesday, and which covers some 15 sides of
foolscap, excited much interest. The discussion in which
this statement was mentioned has originated by a paper
read by Dr. Dickson, of St. Luke's Asylum on " Baby-
Farming, and its Physical and Moral effects." Dr
Edmunds stated that on Wednesday he bad seen the
woman, Margaret Waters, now lying under sentence of
death, and he received from her a statement relative to
her history, and the 'rimy she conducted her system of
baby-farming. The facts which she gave him revealed the
particulars of a
.state of things of which few people had
any idea. Waters, it appeared, was a widow since 1864.
In that year she was settled with her husband in
Newfoundland, and was in very good circumstances.
They decided to come to England on a visit, and they
proceeded to Scotland. In Glasgow her husband
died, and she returned to Newfoundland to wind
up the family affairs, and realise whatever property
remained. Having done this, she returned to England
with £3OO in her possession. Intending to turn her
capital to account, she took a house in Addington-
square, Camberwell, and put into it a number of
sewing-machines. Her plan was to make collars and
other such articles, and sell them to the City houses.
She knew little or nothing of the business, however, and
partly owing to that circumstance and partly to the
miserable prices which are paid for such goods, she was,
at the end of the year, a loser of £250. She then resolved
to save herself by letting lodgings, and that step led her
imperceptibly into the career of baby-farming. One of
her first lodgers was a lady living under the protection of
a city solicitor, and passing as his wife under
an assumed name. Mrs. Waters did not know
that she was a single woman, but believed
she was really the gentleman's wife. She was confined
in the house, and she then left, but said she did not wish
to take the child with her, and offered to pay Mrs. Waters
for nursing it. Mrs. Waters consented, and that was the
first child she in any way farmed. The same lady came
again, and was confined, and left another child, whom she
hiA also paid every well for. Being in difiicultie3,
Mrs. Waters began to think that this would be a
good means of adding to her income, but she did not go
into baby-farming, as yet, systematically. Some more
ladies became lodgers under much the same circumstances
as the first, and two of the children were also left with
her. She thus had at one time four children in her care
in Addington-square. She never advertised at this time.
Meanwhile she was steadily going down hill, and
she found herself obliged to leave Addington-
square and go to Bournemouth-terrace, Peckham,
where she commenced the baby-farming as a
system. She advertised for children, and she had answers
from persons in all stations. Amongst others of her clients
were a Chancery barrister, a well-known gentleman in
another profession, and a gentleman whose name was re-
cently very much before the public in connection with
another matter. She drifted along in this course, getting
from bad to worse. But she protested that she had no
idea of injuring the children, though she did some
things she was very sorry for, owing to the
difficulties of her position. She sent for her mother
to come and live with her. Her father, in 1868,
died insane. Her mother strongly disapproved of
her taking in children, and she therefore opened
up a new line of the business. She took the Clerken-
well News, and there she used to find a whole string
of advertisements from women who wanted children
to nurse. She advertised herself for children to adopt,
and she generally got £l6 with one. When she got the
child and the money she went to one of the other adver-
tisers in the Clerkenwell News, and arranged to put the
baby out to nurse. Upon paying two weeks in advance
she was hardly ever asked even for her address, and when
she went away, of course she never heard anything more
of the child. She gained the difference between the £lO
given her for adopting the child, and the fortnight's pay-
ment for nursing it. This was, after all, only a very pre-
carious resource, an 4 she fell into great distress. She
went to a money-lender (whose name she does not conceal),
and borrowed £2B from him on her furniture. He deducted
£l4 of the £2B for " expenses," and made her pay £2los.
a month until the whole £2B was paid him. Whenever
shd was a few days behindhand in paying one of the in-
stall:l:tants, he threatened to seize all her things, and he
only desisted upon being paid 10s. by way of fine. When
the £2B was paid back in this way, she was so reduced that
she was obliged to get another loan from the money-
lender on the same terms. All this took place while she
was at Bournemouth-terrace. At this time the children
were as well attended to as she could manage it ; and a
medical man was always called in when they fell sick.
When they died they were buried properly, and she had
the undertakers' receipts. Dr. Pickstocke.certified as to
the cause of death of several. The time came soon when
she was unable to pay the money-lender his instalments,
and he threatened to strip her of everything under her
bill of sale. She owed besides twelve months' rent.
She took another house and removed her things
during the night. The money-lender found her out,
and said he would prosecute her for removing the
goods. She moved a second time, but was again dis-
covered by the money-lender. She then, with the help
of some one, moved again, and changed her name so
as to conceal herself from the money-lender, of whom
she was in mortal fear. This, she affirms, was her sole
motive for the change of name which so told against her.
When the policeman in plain clothes looked in through
the window in Brixton she thought it was the money-
lender's people that found her out once more. When
she went to Brixton five children died, some
from diarrhoea and wasting, and others frcm con-
vulsions. She was very poor, and determined to
save the price of burial by leaving them about. She
wrapped the bodies in brown paper and took them out
at night and left them where they were found by people
afterwards. She maintains that she did what she could
for these children, and attended to them to the best of
her power. There were also four other children whom
she got rid of in a way for which she is now very sorry.
She took them one at a time into the streets, and when
she saw little boys and girls at play, she called one of them
and said, " Oh, lam so tired ! Here, hold my baby, and
here is sixpence for you to go into the sweetstuff shop and
get something nice." While the boy or girl went into the
shop she made off. The babies, she believes, were gene-
rally taken to the workhouse. On one occasion, the boy to
whom she gave one was served so quick that he came out
again before she had time to get away. She therefore
stepped into an oyster shop, and ordered some oysters.
She saw the boy looking up and down with the baby
in his arms, and when he did not see her he began to
cry. Some people gathered, and a policeman came
up, to whom the boy sheaved the baby. The policeman
then walked away with the boy, and she left the oyster
shop and got off safe. Some of the persons who gave her
the children for adoption were evidently well off. The
babies were very well dressed. She used to have appoint-
ments often to meet parties at the railway stations, and
a gentleman, accompanied by a nurse, would give her
the child. Sometimes the children were given her within
an hour after they were born—in less time, in fact, and
before they were even dressed. One of the children
found by the police at Brixton had been given to her only
two days before. She gat £2O with it, and the people
that gave it promised her any sum if she only took good
care of it.