The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-02 00:00:00

OUTWARD BOMBAY MAIL.

The Ceylon from Southampton, March 28,
arrived to-day at 4 p.m., and leaves at 7 p.m. for
Alexandria.

FRA
BOURSE, April I—Th]
closed as follows :-
41 per Cent.
End of month... Ital'an Loan
3 per Cent
End of month 69 424 Mexican Loan
Credit Mailier
__ _

NCE.

lee o'clock. —The market

End of month... 272 50 Spanish Threes ---
Credit Foncier ...1475 Home Debt 33
End of month... Deferred — -
RAILWAYS.

Account
Orleans ... 900
Northern llB5
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern-- 576i
Western
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard 3774
North of Spain
Saragossa
Roman 45

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF BABY
FARMING.

CORONER'S INQUEST-THIS DAY.

As early as half-past eight o'clock this morning
the greatest excitement was caused in the neigh-
bourhood of the New Town-hall, New Wolsoken,
in consequence of its being known that an inquest
was to be resumed concerning the death of a child,
only 14 months old, the illegitimate offspring of a
single woman named Susanna Baker, who resided
with her father and mother in a place termed the
Timber-market hard by. The disclosures made
during the inquiry were of such a startling
character that Mr. T. M. Wilkins, the coro-
ner, described the case as being the worst that
ever had been brought before him. The child,
although never christened or registered, was named
Frank Baker, and, being viewed by the jury, exhi-
bited
..scarcely anything beyond skin and bone.
There was a burn on the back about the size of a
sheet of writing paper, and there was an abrasion
over the right temple and a cut underneath.
The Coroner, in resuming the inquiry, referred
to the depositions he had taken on the former occa-
sions, which were of considerable length, but the
following summary will be found to contain the
principal facts :—Susanna Baker, a single woman,
said that the child was her son. It was born
at her parent's house, in the Limber-
market on the Gth of January, 1867. It was
nursed by her mother and a woman who came
from Walton, but she did not know her name. At
the end of three weeks the nurse took the child
with her to Walton. She farmed the child at 4s.
per week. The child was removed in the following
March because the woman was going to work in a
field, and she did not like to leave it in charge of a
girl only 10 years old. She never went to see her
child while it was at Walton, but the woman
brought it two or three times to her parents'
house. The child was brought back to
her father's in March, and she took it to
a Mrs. Varley's, at New Wisbeach. She
did not remember ever going to see the child
at Mrs. Voulsey's. She received the child from
there at 10 o'clock at night. It was then very bad,
and Dr. Bury was attending upon it.
The Coroner said it looked to him exceedingly
strange that a mother did not go to visit her sick
child ; and, what was still worse, taking it out in
the cold air at 10 o'clock at night.
Examination in chief continued—She took the
child from Mrs. Varley's to a Mrs. Mayles, to whom
she paid 4s. per week to farm it. After that her
child was taken to a Mrs. Halls, at Wolsoken,
where he remained seven or eight weeks. Mrs. Hall
having two children of her own she thought she
could not attend to hers, and she told her that she
should remove him, giving a week's notice. The
child never thrived after leaving Mrs. Varley's.
She took it away between nine and ten at night,
and was not afraid to take it away on account of
the night air.
The Coroner—lf it is found that you have been
negligent in the case of your child the law will
punish you most severely, you brute, for I cannot
call you by any other name. He could not call her
a woman who could treat a child in the manner
she had done. A wore case had never come before
him, for even the burn on the child's body was as
long as this sheet of paper, and yet she takes it out
in the cold at 10 o'clock at night.
Elizabeth Fryett, of West Walton, said that she
had nursed the mother in confinement. The child
was a full grown nine months' one. The mother
never attempted to suckle it. Witness fed the child
with bread and milk. She staid three weeks in the
house, and then took the child away. It was a
healthy child, and thrived under her care. It re-
mained with her at Walton for four months. '1 he
child was never registered, and she took it home in
consequence, as she was afraid of being punished.
When the child left me it was thriving, but had the
thrush.

Mrs. Varley said that she farmed the child of the
mother about 12 months ago at 4s. par week. He was
then a poor sickly child. She kept it a fortnight, but
as it was not registered she refused to keep him.
No surgeon attended him whilst he was iu her
house. He was brought to her by the mother and
Mrs. Clark, her sister, at teu o'clock at night. Mrs.
Clark told her that it was her sister's child, when
witness said if she had known that before she would
not have undertaken to farm it. The child pined
and pined the whole of the night, so that she could
get no rest, and she got a pennyworth of Godfrey's
Cordial, and she gave it some of it, but it had not
the least effect. The mother told her never to
tell whose child it was. She had repeatedly asked
her to register the child, and also asked her for a glass
bottle to feed the child properly, but she would not.
The child had not proper or sufficient clothing to
enable her to take it out to give him the fresh air.
Jane Ma3les, of Wolsoken, said that at the latter
end of April the mother came to her and asked her
to farm the child at 4s. per week. She went with
her to Mrs. Varley's at 10 o'clock at night, and
brought the child away. He appeared very sickly,
and she told the mother she would do the best she
could to bring him round. The child stayed with
her till the latter part of August, and no
surgeon was sent to see him till June or
July preceding. He was better when he left
her there when she received him. The mother and
her sister came to her house at 10 o'clock at night
and took the child away, saying she was sorry to
lo so, but he had a nice house to go to in Birming-
ham, and where he would have plenty of clothes.
She had to take the child out of a warm bed. She
pressed the grandmother to have the child regis-

tered, but she refused, and said that she was not
afraid of getting into trouble by not doing so.
Betsey Hall said that she heard there was a child
to be put out to nurse, and she agreed to farm it at
4s. per week. The agreement was made, and she
took it from the mother at 10 o'clock at night. She
had the child six months, and parted with it be-
cause she was going to be confined ; when the
child left it was just beginning to pick up flesh
plumply.
Rebecca Serinshaw said that she took the de-
ceased six weeks ago. She knew the mother be-
cause she had a sister living with her.
In answer to a juror, she believed that that
sister had had two illegitimate children, which had
died.

The Coroner—What about your other sisters?
Witness—They all have had illegitimate chil-
dren.

The Coroner—How many ?
Witness-1 don't know.
The Coroner—What would be the average ?
Witness--About two each.
A Juror—Did you ever have an illegitimate child ?
Witness—Yes, but before marriage, and it is
dead.

The Coroner—Was it not your child for which a
medical certificate of death was refused, and applica-
tion made to another surgeon, and the case was
brought before the House of Commons ?
Witness said it was not her child, as it lived two
or three days.
A Juror—Why did you not send for a doctor
when you found the child so ill ?
Witness—Because she thought it was only teeth-
ing. Her husband gave the deceased some mutton
and pigs-fry, which he swallowed.

The Coroner—How did the child receive the

burn ?

Witness—l laid it on the hearth before the fire,
and left the room for a few minutes, and upon re-
turning found the child's nightgown on fire. She
did not send for a doctor, but applied some salve to
the burn. The abrasion and cut under the
temple she knew nothing about. When she went
out of a night to `hear Fidler Joss preach, she
always left the child in charge of her husband. The
last time she went to hear a sermon was by Mrs.
Joss ; it was directions to mothers.
The Coroner—lt is a pity the mother of this poor
child was not present.
By a Juror—The mother never told her what she
was to have at the death of the child. She was not
aware that the child had not been registered. There
was no arrangement made for the child's clothing
if it lived. When the child died she sent a woman
named Kitchen to tell the mother of it, and she
said, " Don't make a piece of work about it
to-day."

Mr. E. C. Bury, M.D., said that he found the mark
of a burn on the body or the lower part of the neck.
There was a cut under the right temple and abruise on
the top of it. A post mortem examination showed
nothing unnatural or signs of disease, except the
membranes of the brain, which were a little con-
gested. The child had been badly nourished. He
attributed the cause of death to natural causes owing
to the reduced state of the body. The state of
the brain might have been owing to the reduced
condition of the body or from convulsions. Pork
was very improper to give to a child of that age.
The deceased was naturally healthy, but badly
nourished. It was in such a reduced state that a
slight attack of pain might cause its death.
The learned Coroner, after reviewing other parts
of the evidence, said that as the persons were all
neighbours he should not call upon them to return
a verdict against any one, but he should send the
depositions to the bench of magistrates for them to
move in the case.

Several other witnesses were, however, in atten-
dance and were to be examined, but their testi-
mony, it is understood, will be only confirmatory
of the above.