The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-12-25
Variety.
The Lost Found.
SINGULAR AND PAINFUL CASE.

SINGULAR AND PAINFUL CASE.
Many of our readers will recollect, that
about six months ago, good deal of excite
ment was occasioned by the fact thar an in
FAINT child of Mr. james Hamilton, of the city,
had been stolen, under most peculiar crcum-
stances. They were, in brief, as follows.
When tho infant was three weeks old, the
mother became alormingly i'll. A woman,
whose name we have not heard, learning the
circumstances, represented that she knew of
another who would gladly take the infant TO
nurse during the illness of Mrs. Hamilton
Upon this representation, the proposition was
acceded to in the emergency, and tho servant
girl was directed to take the child and &C
company the woman to tho house of the
nurse. The woman, after taking circuit
Gus route, at length protested to have reach
cd the house, and taking the infant from the
girl, remarked that she would carry it in to
the nurse, and that the girl might retire.
The girl reluctantly complied. This was in
the evening, and the recollection of the girl
is, that the house was somewhere in North
Pearl street.
About 10 or IL days after this occurrence,
the parents, hearing nothing from the child or
the nurse, became alarmed, and the result of
their efforts to find the infant convinced them
that it had been taken away. Search was
Immediately instituted,& kept up for months,
but every effort to ascertain the fhtc of
the little creature, or obtain n clue to tho I'M
ravelmcnt ofthe mystery that hung about it,
proved unavaling, and at last the grieved pa
rents gave it up as iTretrevaby lost. So
deeply were they affected, and SO incurabe
seemed to he tho anguish Of the mother, that
Mr. Hamilton, who is Il baker, and who was
doing good business here, made arrang-
monts to relinquish it, and move to New Or
leans, in the hope that change Of scene and
location would prove an antidote to the NAL
ady. But suddenly and curiously this long
lost one is restored to them.
Some three days ago n woman, calling
herself Marg aret Smith, asked aims at the
Townsend House. She had a young child
with her, which it was surmsed she was
nursing artifcialy; and as she told a crook
ed story about herself, and it was late hour
in the evening, suspicion was aroused, and
she was locked up in a third story room of
the hotel, and an officer was made acquaint-
ed with the circumstances.
He suspected that the child was the one in
question; but after searching her baggage,
it was concluded TO let her remain till morn
ing. At four o'clock in the morning the Off
Ger went down to convey her 10 the Police
office, but on going 10 the room in which she
was locked the night before, it was found
open, and the woman and child were GOMEZ
This was strange, for one of the proprietors
had the key in his pocket. Search was made
but no trace of the fugitive could be found.
She left all her clothing at the Townsend
House, and this led to her final arrest, for
yesterday she called for them, and was de-
tanned until officer Jenkins took her into Gus
tody. The child was found on canal boat.
To-day she was brought up for examination.
She acknowledged that the child was not
her own, and alleged that it was given TO her
by woman in the city, and expressed II
willingness to give it up to Mrs. Hamilton
Witnesses testified thar, to the best of their
recollection and belief, the child was the on C
that had been so strangely lost. They had
attended it constantly until it was sent away,
and were quite confident ofthe Identity
The parents too, were quite sure; but still
there was room for doubt. The infant was
but three weeks old when last the parties saw
it. Now it was eight months of age, lift was
the Same child, There was probability al
most to certainty; still the certainty was wan
ting, and the doubt was of the most painful
character. The secret was locked up in the
breast of the accused To confess would
consign her to state prison. There was no
proof against her. If she choose, she could
take the child and walk away with it. Yet
they had fifty reasons to believe it was their
lost one. They carried it in their arms, fon-
died it, aud it dropped asleep in the arms of
the woman who had been its first attendant.
In this stage of the proceedings, the coun-
sci for the accused made proposition to this
effect that the lTamiltons should take pos
session of the child, and If, in Que month, the
defendant did not show whose it was, or come
forward and claim it, that it should remain
with them forever; and at &le same time as
sured the father, that if this proposition was
accepted, he would in three days satisfy him
s1lfas to the identity. This amounted to
confession that the child was indeed the Ham
iltons, was accepted, and the parents and
their friends went away delighted, bearing
with them the recovered darling. The scene
was strange and deeply affecting one, which
we will not attempt to describe.
There is now no doubt that the woman who
first induced the Hamltons to put he child
out to nurse wns instgated to do so by Mar
garet Smith, and paid for the job. 1t is hop
ed that she will be arrested. Marg aret Smith
is professed begg ar. Her practice is to call
upon clergymen and others ofnote and stand
ing, tell sorro wfu tale of misfortune, death
of her husband left with an infant child, and
all that sort of thing. For this purpose, no
doubt she got possession of this child. lii
bright and handsome little creature, but has
been badly used-.aba,W Express.
A good man was lately attempting the con-
version ola fellow in prison, who had shown