The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-01-09 00:00:00

INHUMAN NEGLECT OF AN INFANT.

On Saturday last, at the New Bailey, Mr. Thomas said he-
had to bring under the notice of the magistrates a case of ex-
treme cruelty and neglect towards an infant of four months old,
on the part of those who ought to.take care of it. It had been
found about an hour before, by some of the neighbours, in a cellar
in Rainsford-street, Peter-street, and was lying, wrapped in a
dirty bit of flannel, on a little atraw on the stone floor, there
being no fire in the place. When taken up it appeared to be
dying, and did not recover fur some time. It was, however,
kindly taken care of by a neighbour, who, having restored the
child to a state of warmth, fed it with bread and milk, which it,
swallowed with an eagerness which of itself was sufficient proof
that it had not been fed sufficiently fur a long time. The child.
was in court, and we have never seen so frightful a picture pf
the effects of starvation on a human being as it displayed. Its
face resembled that of a little old woman; its cheek bones pro-
truded; its eyes were sunken, and altogether it presented a
Pitiable spectacle of suffering froth cold and hunger. Its limbs
were attenuated to a degree almost incredible by those who have
not seen it, resembling those of the anatomie virante ; they were
crooked. and contracted too, frorn bad swathin and cold.—Mr.
Thomas said that the mother of the child, whichg WEI.3 an.ille.iti-
mate one, worked at a factory, leaving the poor intent in the
care of its grandmother, who, hoWever, neglected it in the most
shameless way, going out for the greater part of the day, drink-,
hag. He therefore applied for a warrant in apprehend the
mother.—Mr. Foster said that the child had better be taken to
the churchwardens' offices, and there it could be ascertained in
whose district the cellar was situated ; and further steps might
be taken after conferring with the visiting overseer, if the child
was found to be in danger. Mr. Thomas pursued this course,
and the surgeon at the workhouse, on examining the child, cer-
tified it to be in a state of great danger. Mr. Thomas, therefore,
caused the mother' to be apprehended on Saturday evening, and '
she was brought up at the New Bailey on Monday. One of the
neighbours stateA, that ou Tuesday afternoon week she had
heard the child crying in the cellar, no one with it, and
no fire in the place ; she accordingly fetched it put and
warmed and fed it. No one came to inquire after it till.
nine o'clock that evening, and then the mother came.—
The neighbour remonstrated with her on her neglect of the
poor infant, and she replied that she was desirous to have it
placed out somewhere to nurse; but her mother would insist
upon having every farthing of her wages, and then neglected
the child. She added that her mother had threatened to pour
boiling water on her if she kept back any of her wages.—Another
neighbour spoke of the intemperance of the grandmother, and
of her own fear that she would either kill the infant by falling
with it when intoxicated, or let it perish from cold and want of
food. Several other neighbours gave their concurrent testi-
mony to the neglect of the child by the old woman, and in some
measure exculpated the mother of the infant.—The prisoner
said that she was obliged to go out to work and leave the child
with her mother; but she had arranged to send it out to nurse.
Mc. Foster said it was a great disgrace for her to leave the child
with any one who could neglect it so cruelly, and if the child
died the prisoner might have to answer for it. She was then
remanded till the child should be declared' out of danger.—On
Tuesday, the prisoner was again placed et the bar, together
with Bkty Whaley, her mother, who had been apprehended the
day before. Mr. Theinas stated that the surgeon at the Work-
house had declined giving another certificate, considering the
infant still in danger. Several neighbours „gave further evi-
dence, by Which if appeared that the poor infant had been left
alone •in the house on Saturday morning, at six o'clock, and
though taken out by some of them at eleveu, neither its mother
nor grandmother, nor her husband, had ever made any inquiry
after it, till a boy, a younger brother of its mother, came to ask
where it was between six and seven .o'clock in the evening.
The grandmother, defence, said that the child had been
always very sickly from birth, and for a month she had fed it
on arrow-root and cowslip wine. Mr. Foster said she had be.
hayed most shamefully, lend deserved more punishment than
she was likely to get. However, he would require 'both pri.
soners to give bail for their appearance to answer any charge
Which might be preferred against them at the sessinns.—No
bail being offered, they were committed.—Manchester Courier.