The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-15 00:00:00

CURIOUS CASE.-BLACK VERSUS WHITE

On Tuesday, Stephen Simpson, a man of colour, was put
forward at the police-court, on a charge of having refused to
support his alleged child. Harriet Simpson, a white woman,
deposed that she was the prisoner's wife, and that she had
been relieved by the parish. The prisoner (who was a sailor)
had refused to do anything for her, and was at present about
to ship on board a vessel for the East Indies. He had also
refused to provide for the baby she held in her arms, alleging
that the child was not his own. The grounds he had given
for this allegation were these—that his own colour was black,
while that of the child was white.

On her cross-examination by Mr. 'Wardle, she stated that
herself and her husband had been parted by Mr. Hall, of
the Liverpool Police-court, about four or five years ago.
She had another child at-that time, but that child had since
died. It was then arranged that the prisoner should pay her
ss. a-week for the maintenance of the former child. She
had never lived with the prisoner since that time, nor had she
received any sum of money from him with the exception of
the first ss. The present child was about ten months old.
The prisoner was positively the father of it, although it was
white. She had seen the prisoner while she was in the family
way with it. She had seen him about four months before
the child was born. The child was born on the 9th Septem-
ber. She saw the prisoner in the month of May preceding.
She also saw him on the sth of the preceding December. He
did not• remain with her that night, but on the following
Monday he called for her to go with him to the Social Hall.
(A laugk.) _ • _ _ _

Mr. NVEirdle asked whether the prisoner had slept with her
on this latter occasion ?

Mr. Rushton said that it was unnecessary to have the
question answered.

A female witness deposed that upon one occasion the pri-
soner had come to a house where his wife had been employed,
and declared that he would break the windows if he were not
permitted to see his wife.

Mr. Rushton said that the case had been cleared proved.
If the wife had been in the habit of committing adultery the
fact was capable of easy proof.
Mr. Evans of the parish-office, stated that the prisoner
had, upon one occasion, given £3 to provide for his wife
during a voyage.
Mrs. Simpson was again examined. She stated that she
had been at the house of a Mrs. Manners since the prisoner
had come home from sea upon the last occasion. The prisoner
was there at the time, and, after having looked at the child
for a long time, said, " I see you have got a young child."
She replied, " Yes, and you are the father of it." " What!"
said he, "am I the father of a white child ?" " Yes," she
replied ; " the just God above knows that it is your
child."

Mr. Rushton said that no real attempt seemed to have
been made to refute the woman's story.
The prisoner protested that the child was not his own, and
said that his wife, in the presence of Mrs. Manners, had
openly admitted as much. " The child," said he, "is too
clear for me."

Mr. Rushton.—Do you rely on: the colour?
Prisoner.—l should think so.
Mr. Rushton.—You are aware that there is nothing so de-
ceptive as the colour of children.

Prisoner.—But this is white, an d. lam black. (A laugh.)
Exhibit the child. Let his Worship see the difference.
The child was here shown to the bench : the colour of its
skin was perfectly fair.
Mr. Rushton.—Upon a view of this kind, the facts are
certainly rather against your being the father. Are you a
mulatto ?

Prisoner—l believe I am.
Mr. Rushton—You are not quite so dark as a mulatto

Prisoner—No.
Mr. Rushton—lt certainly is a very difficult issue to try—
(a laugh)—but you know colours deepen with age.
Prisoner—That may be. The other two children I had
were a little fairer than I am, but then they were dark like
me.

Mr. Rushton—This child is a fair child, and not the usual
result in such cases.
Mrs. Manners, the witness alluded to by the prisoner,
was then sent for to give evidence. She refused to come,
but sent word that she knew nothing about the case.
A Doctor was then sent for, and, after a long delay,
Mr. Cripps, surgeon, of Dale-street, was examined. After
having looked at the prisoner, and examined the child, lie
thought there was no doubt in the case as to the possibility
of paternity. He stated that the contour of the countenance
of the child was like that of the father.

Mr. Rushton then told the prisoner that the child was
like him, and that he had no doubt that the child was his
own. He concluded by directing him to pay five shillings a
week for its support and that of his wife.

The prisoner, who seemed to think the question of pater-
nity very doubtful even still, consented to make arrange-
ments for the payment of the money accordingly.