The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-11-06

arly romantic and highly wrought stories as
weekly appear in the Led .er were founded
more upon fancy than fact, but after read
ing the extraordinary accounts Of the dcings
Of "Richard Guinness Hill, nephew ofthe Gel
ebratcd banker, and brewer Of Dublin
stout" as chroniclcd in late English papers,
We have concluded to entertain higher
opinion in the future Of those tales Of hun
ted lives"
The particulars of the affair, as laid before
the magistrates at Rugby, present one OF
the most remarkable cases Of fraud, duplcty
and cruelty which prob,bly ever occurred
in England. l. appears that Hill, who is
about 80 years of age, and man of gentle
manly bearing, a few years ago married a
grand. daughter of Sir Francis Burdett and
Of Miss Burdett Coutts. The interval be-
! tween the time of marriage and the, begin
ning Of 1859 was passed by the happy pair
! in travelling AMI without any arparant DIS
turbance of their domestic felicity. In the
early part of the above mentioned year, how
ever, appeared a little stranger, for whose fu
ture welfare Hill became desirous to provide
in manner not at all usual except in those
afore mentioned narrowing tliss a few
days after the birth of the child, Hill adop
ted course to destroy its Indemnity with the
presumed object of possessing himself of
certain property devised by will made by
Mrs. Hill, giving the whole of her property.
which was considerable, absolutely to her
husband in the event of no issue surviving
her decease
He first registered his child under false
name and description, and then Induced his
wife to consent to its being pat out to nurse
in London, to which, place he proceeded and
on his return state that he had procured a
suitable person TO take charge Of it. The
mother, believing her husbands representa-
tons, entrusted her child to the cire of girl
II yearS..of age the daughter oft woman who
..copyeyed It by specialtrain to the city, where
she was met by HI, hif Ehe dsore her to some
portion of London, with which ssss-aa -aa-col,ntry
girl, shc WIS nnlcq iaintel deposited a
box contained the chi,ds clothing
and then returned to the railway sta
ton, when they were met by two women to
i whom the child was given. Upon the return
! of the girl to Rugby, she intimated to Mrs.
| Hill that the child had been put into the hands
of improper persons. Hill, however, COM
batted this assumption by assuring his wife
that the girl was mistaken
! From time to time Mrs Hill expressed the
greatest anxiety regarding the welfare Other
child, but her husband always a<severated
that it was in proper hands, AMI was prog
ressing most satisfactorily. This state OF
things continued for about two years, and
at last Mrs. Hill told her husband that she
insisted upon seeing her child. He refused
to comply with her request; serious alter
cation took place, and he ultimately su,jec
ted her to gross. jill usage. Upon this seper-
alton took place; but short time snbsc-
quently he made ovcrtures to his wife to
live with her again. She Indignantly repel.
led his offers for time, but at length prom
ised to consider them favorably provided he
satisfied her a ito,,what he had done with her
infant. He informed her in return that il
! was dead; and she then demanded the reg
ister of its death, and pressed him upon this
point. Being thus placed in a difficulty he
altered his story, stating that the nurse in
whose care he had placed the child had lef
England for Australia, he providing the pas
sage money.
Mrs. Hill, still doubling the truth of hi,
statement, placed the matter in the hands o
her solicitor, who at once employed detec
/ tive officer to clear away the mystery whicl
, surrounded the case.
The officer ascertained tha. child hat
: made its appearance in house in St. Giles
about the time Of the disappearance of the
child in question, and after much troutl
succeeded in tracing it toa tenement in 6
filthy alley in Drury Lane After searching
various rooms, Brett, the detective, procee
ded to small apartment in the second floor
In one corner lay man nearly naked, ap.
parently in dying state, and found squat
ting all over the floor were several women il
most ragged and filthy condition. Thi
! whole place was in dreadful state; thc
stencil from the filth being almost overpoH
e,ing. On the floor of this horrible den
Brett discovered the heir to e14 900 year
almost in a state Of nudity, and coyeret
with vermin and filth. No shoes were OF
his feet and only one dirty rag envelopet
; the entire body. The toes were dreadful,
: Scared with the impressions of wounds, m
doubt inflicted by walking on stones, while
the head and body generally showed unmis
taxable marks OF negligence and i'll usage.
: The house from bottom TO top appeared I,
be occupied by prostitutes and beggars, an,
= he only escared with the child in safety by
literally paying his way through tn
swarm of people who blocked up ever,
: means of egress.
! Mrs. Andrews, in whose charge was III
4 child, being arrested, the detective ascer
4 tanned that on one Saturday she was stan
n ding in Windmill street, Haymarkct, appa
/ rently selling songs and staylaccs, but in re
. ality begging, with her two children, one il
, arms and the other in the gutter by her sid
Il when Hill, passing her, in a furtire manne
e slipped shilling into her hand. Havin