The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-01-24
TOPICS FROM ABROAD.
THE LATEST GLEANINGS FROM QUE
FOREIGN FILES.
uBaby Farming"


Convincing evidence of a revolving crime,
or rather series OF crimes. has recently been
discovered In Naples, involving the wholesale
murder of innocent babes by process which
tasks the credulity of human nature. The
person charged with these crimes Is woman
named Rose Porro, who has occupied unpre-
tentious quarters only three doors from the
little chapel of San Severe, on one OF the
most frequented streets In Naples. The at
tention of the police was first attracted 0y the
frequent appearance In the Neapolitan Journ-
ais of an advertisement the purport oil which
was tnat persons wishing to relinquish their
claim upon infaEts could find home for them
by calling upon and paying certain sum to
Rose Porro. Two policemen were assigned re-
Gently to investigate the subject, and the re-
sui. of their vigilance was the discovery tnat
an extraordinary number OF babies were
brought TO these apartments, and that they
were rarely If ever brought away. A close
search through every part of the house was
Instituted, and In various rooms Infants were
found sprawllng about the bare floors, crying
from cold and hunger. The cellar was also
searched, and here the corpses OF hVe chill
dren were found, aud beneath the tiles OF the
floor were three other bodies. The house
was taken possession of by the police, who Will
closely inspect the walls 10 find out the iull
extent of this grlevous roll OF infantlcides.
The keeper of the house is described as
strong, beautiful and cunning woman IN ap-
pearanse with an air Of Innocence that would
deceive the sharpest detective.
An Affecting Scene.
On the goth of last month the stored Basae
of Toulon, France, was closed forever, ana
new disposition made Of the forly-one lie
conyicts 1t contained. When, on Christmas
day. the steam whistle of the repair shop
sounded, these two score and one men were
drawn up in line, aware that something was
about to happen from the presence OF the
three commissioners, but ignorant ct what 1t
was. The chairman of the commissioners
then told them that thirty-one o. their num-
ber, convicted of murder, arson or robbery,
should be transported to the South American
colony Of Cayenne, and the other ten were to
be set at liberty through Executive clemency.
The names of these latter he proceeded 10
reaa. AS they were pronounced the iortu-
nate convlcts broke into untounded express
sions of delight. and as the last one was given
those who still remained in durauce uttered
cries of heartrending despair and curses too
blasphemous to be repeated, Until the keepers
dragged them to an adjoining corridor, beating
them with their sticks, and threatening them
with still further penalties If they continued
to violate the rules OF the Bague. The chains
we're then stricken from those who were again
to taste the air Of freedom, and with sum
Of money they were sent on their way. There
was not one of the ten who had not been In
confinement for upward of twenty years, and
one old man, Andre Freron, had been there
for forty.sev years. His offence was pocket
picking. For the first violation he had
been fogged, for the second pillored and
branded, and Tor the third sentenced 10 i'm
prisonment for life. During his imprison- |
ment he had never slept in bed, but always
on wooden bench, and his chain, which ne |
had to bucnish twice week, was his insepa- |
rsble companion. For all that he was scarcely |
ever sick, and expressed almost childish |
delight when told that he was free.
Starvation Fever In LoEdon.
The London journals have been congratulate. |
ing their readers this season upon decline IN |
the mortality Of the city, an improvement in
the condition Of poor people, work plenty,
wages good and rising and the hours of toll
diminishing. Just as this representation has
gained general currency and credence, horrld
fact arises all at once to confront it, that the
disease known as starvation fever threatens TO
become epidemic in that great municipality.
The greatest personal predisposition to this
fever is given by conditions Of poverty and pri-
yation. Where desttution does not exist 1t
cannot become epidemic, with all ai!s ghastly
concomitants, and the near approach OF such
calamity therefore tells its own tale. Arecent
investigati in London revealed the fact that
the needle woman. the silk weavers, the stock
ing weavers and the kid glove makers, with
great many other classes and individuals in the
working community, did not consume on an
average sufficient quantity of wholesome and
nutritious food to avert starvation diseases.
The disease is infectious and carries with it
typhus and other deadly disorders. Although
it rever originates with the rich, it sometimes
oyersteps it's natural boundaries, when it is In
dIgenous and always latent, and takes hold OF
rich and poor alike, becoming exceedingly
difficult to Danish. This is one Of the instances
where the ounce Of prevention is worth more
than The pound Of cure, as the rather short
sighted managers Of poor laws may find out.