The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-10-17
Systematic Child Murder in France
The Paris correspondent of the London

systematic Child Murder in France
The Paris correspondent of the London
Star tells this horrible story
A subject of deep interest is now discussed
ct the French Academy OF Medicine, to which
I have already ailuded--namely, the fright
full mortality among French children, accor-
ding to the fashion of this country put out to
nurse. Every year, twenty thousand babies
sre sent cut Of Paris under the care of pea
SAINT nurses, and Of that number i've thousand
On an average, are returned to their mothers,
the other fifteen thousand having died of cold,
starvation and bad treatment. Since ls4e il
has.beeno calculated that in the neighborhood
of Paris alone three hundred thousand of the
nurslings have died In, the hands Of their
foster mothers. Why should such bsrbarous
murder be allowed to depopulate the coun-
try? 1t is entirely owing to the bad man
sgementof the sbursasgr de nou,rtces, over
which government has not till now, exercised
proper amount Of surveillance. These Off
ees receive Unfortunately every woman
Who applies to them for employment
A frightful trade is carried on by speeula-
sors Of the lowest class, denominated naene1rs.
who enrol country women in their pay, convey
them to Parisin carts justly called "purzato-
riss, ,ebtain for them babies whose mothers
have APPLIED at the offices for . nnrse for
their child, and convey them and the chill
dren,t 70 the country. The horrors that take
place during the journey to Paris and back
in the vehicle Of the n,ereprs are Of 50 start
ling nature that one could hardly believe
them t9 be true were it not for tho undoubt-
I'D proofs which have been laid before the
Academy Of Medicine. Thus the country
women make no scrupls in exchanging the
babies entrusted to them, and several among.
them undertake to nurse two or three chill
drsn at time. II have seen" exclaimed
II. Chavalier, addressing the Academy, "one
woman protesting to nurse seven infants, and
yet she herself had neither milk nor cow"
Fed with bad BROTH, exposed to every
species ofdirt and neglect the miserable JIM
FAINT sickeps and dies. The nurse, however,
writes to its mother that her baby is prosper
iEg, that il had grown out of its clothes, and
required fresh supply. The mother natur-
ally spends her months wages in, supplying
her child's wants and goes on paying it's board
for months after 1t has been lying in the viii
lags cemetery, "A, considerable number i of
nurses come annually to Paris and carry back
esupply of children, and not one was ever
known to bring child back to the capital =
In their charge the children simply appear
and disappear. DR.. Brochard cited in his
speech to the Academy two communes Of the
Eure at Loire Department., where the nurs-
lings invariably die. -
It appears there are women among the
nursss whose reputation is we'll known, and
A0Fvesco refcrens, these nurses are specially
sought for by certain illfamed houses. En-
trusting newborn baby infant to one Of
them Is tantamount to infanticide. DR.. Bro
ehard read several copies Of tho lying letters
written by nurses to the children's parents,
describing in pathetic language the rosy
cheeks and increasing charms OF their infants
dead weeks before the epistle was indited. -
The doctor also gave several curious details of.
the annual pilgrimage to ST. Crard, in the
department Of La Perche, st. Criard, be it
ssmarked, lis the real name of the place, and
not a luxembourg. On q given day, late in
Autumn, il is the custom of the country to-
bring every infant in the Wei ity, before the
painted image Of the saint, there to do him
homage. The said statue happens to be in a
chapel at the top of steep hill, exposed to
all TIE winds of heaven5aI 9E@ 5sF % '~~
The country itself is bleak and the climate
peculiarly cold at any time of the year. Nat
arally, ,thisalong pilgrimage at the worst sea-
son OF the year to the top Of d great height
proves fatal to delicate infants who are car
rlsd in the procession d and the amount of
deaths from bronchitis, which ensue in the
course of the we. i following, is something in
credible. These horrible facts are highly dis
ereditable, TO the mayors of the various
villages where these infants are nursed. Nat.
urlallys if N, LIE Marie, instead of cultiya-
tang bis apricots and peaches and gaining
prizes. atlagrioultural shows for his fat pigs,
was to look after the extraordinary number
Of little graves in ohis village cemetery and
insist on medical reports as to the cause
thereof being laid before him, infant MGR
tally would rapidly diminish. Messrs. les
Mares will probably read this opinion from the
pens Of their respective projects, expressed in
= somewhat startling form, as once the, French
Government takes up subject it does not
trifas with it,gand undoubtedly prossesses the
rass giftsof nal ing itself obeyed, 81
TheSMorais or San Francisco.
The morals Of Sam Francisco are not of a
very encouraging. description Not TO speak
rf Il