The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-28 00:00:00

LiOIV-S TREET.

Two miserably clad and impoverished children, the
eldest of whom was named Mary Ann Murray, aged
13, and the other about two years younger, were
brought before Mr. Hall, in the custody of Dodgson,
of the F division, upon the following horrible
charge :
They had been in the habit of singing and begging
in the public streets for the support of their worthless
parents in idleness and debauchery. On this occasion
they were found in Holborn. A male infant, about
two years old, was in the arms of the eldest girl, the
pitiful cries and apparent suffering of which excited
the sympathy of by-passers, and caused them to be
surrounded by a mob of persons. An elderly woman,
perceiving that the child was writhing in agony, and
feeling satisfied that it was undergoing some torture,
mentioned her suspicions to the constable, who de-
sired the two girls to accompany him to the police
station. The eldest girl dropped a large pia at her
feet, and it was instantly discovered, upon examining
the child, that his sufferings had been caused by its
continual incision in the lower part of the body,
while being carried in his sister's arms. The condi-
tion of the infant was altogether so deplorable, inde-
pendently of the punctures and lacerations caused by
the pin, that it was deemed advisable to take it to St.
Giles's workhouse, and put it under the care of the
medical officer.

The constable, by direction of his Worship, ascer-
tained that the inhuman parents lodged at 4, Tyn-
dall's-building, Gray's Inn-lane, and that the father,
who received is. and some bread per week from the
parish, spent nearly his whole time in a neighbour-
ing beer-shop, waiting for the alms brought to him
daily by his wretched children. This man admitted
to the officer that he sent the girls out with the
baby to sing ballads in the streets, but denied that
he either sanctioned or knew of the torture in-
flicted upon the child. He said that he had no parish
settlement himself, having been born at Edinburgh
Castle while his father was serving in the 92d Regi-
ment of Foot.

One of the beadles of the parish proved that the
father, with his children, had been repeatedly offered
shelter in the workhouse, lsut that he had always re-
fused to go in—preferring, in fact, to live on the pro-
duce of his children's begging exertions in the streets
of London.
Mr. Bennett, the medical officer of the parish, said,
that the child, when shown to him, was in a shock-
ing state of debility and disease, the result of neglect
and ill-treatment. The body was covered with ulcers
and otherwise disfigured by the itch ; the lacerations
caused by the piercing of the pin being almost im-
perceptible in consequence. He did not think the
child's life was in danger, but it was in a very sad
condition.

vv
Mr. lIALL did not feel disposed to put the children
in the witness-box, as they would hardly dare to tell
the truth in the presence of their father; and, indeed,
if they did, it would only be exposing them probably
to more brutal treatment by the parents hereafter.
lie desired the father, however, to be brought before
him.

The father, who said his name was John Murray,
and that he was a working man, appeared to be rather
elderly, but quite able bodied. He again denied that
he was aware of the fact that his two girls were in
the habit of pinching and torturing the infant to make
it cry and excite compassion, although the bruises
and other evidences of such treatment were suffi-
ciently apparent. He admitted that he sent them out
to sing and sell ballads, not thinking there was any
harm in that.
Mr. Ham, had never heard of more horrible bru-
tality by a parent. He was convinced that ha was
living upon his wretched, half-perished children's

labours in the streets, and he must have been con-
scious of the state of the infant which they were car-
r3-iog it, -their af4115. It was higi, tune Lila, they
should be separated from him for a while, and as the
parish officers would take care of the children, he
should commit him to one month's hard labour.