The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-27

A committee Of the House Of Lords Is pur-
suing an inquiry to determine the accuracy
Of an assertion made by the Rev. BENJAMIN
WAUGH that In England "a thousand chill
dren a year are murdered for insurance
money" Judges, eoroners, clergymen. and
| physicians have been examined at length,
and the testimony so far is that he does not
exaggerate in his estimate Of the prevalence
OF child murder from sordid motives, but
rather keeps far within the actual truth.
Two criminal Judges OF long and large
experience, Justice DAY and Justice WILLS,
testify that child murder Is frightfulIy COM
mon In England; but the greed for insur-
ance money does not seem to them the sole
motive. They attribute it also to the desire
to get rid OF the burden OF children and
to the total absence Of natural affec-
ton in many depraved parents.
cannot hut believe" said Justice WILLS
THAT there are thousands OF mothers In
England who would murder their children
for half crown" But both Of these com.
petent witnesses regard the practice Of child
insurance as the principal cause. Two years
ago Justice DAY, at the Wiltshire Asslzes,
denounced "those deadly societies which
for the destruction OF children. for tho per-
petration OF murder" "Those Insurance
clubs or societies." said Justice Wills at
the Derby Asslzes last winter. have their
agents all over the Kingdom. persuading
people to insure the lives Of their children
for sums which are great temptation
to work their destruction. Ottentimes ID
would be much more correct definition Of
these so-called life insurance societies to say
that they are death insurance societies"
Corroborative testimony comes from all
parts OF England. rural and urban. The
Coroner for northeast London. speaking
as an official and physician, expresses the
unqualified opinion that "infantlle insur-
ance s an incentive to crime" THE gem
eral rule" he explains, is not to kill the
children outright. but to let them die gradu-
ally from bad feeding, not having medical
attendance. and SO on" SIch insurance
says deputy Coroner OF the city OF Lon
don, Is an inducing cause at times, but only
one out of many"
Testimony to the same effect has been
given by rural Coroners and the Coroners OF
the great provincial towns. The increase In
infant mortality In Coventry, explains one
Coroner. Is duo to the increase of the prac-
tico of insuring children. and allowing them
10 die away through neglect" DR.. BARwBR
OF Birmingham declares that every
year hundreds OF parents are guilty
OF child murder In this town."
The Bishop OF Peterborough reports a
medical man as having told him
that when he was called In childreIrs cases
aud found out that the children were in
sured hs refused TO tako medical charge.
The Coroner OF WhItechapeI reports that
out Of 2lo inquests held by him during six
months on children under 10 years old
dying from violence or neglect, as many as
IIs brought money to their parents. When
the burial society Of Lsek In the PotterieS
discontinued the Insurance OF infants
under one year, the infant mortality
was 1856 10 1000 horn. Tho next year
Il dropped 10 100. tho lowest point ever
reached Then branches of several large
Insurance societies vigorously eGnva sd for
policies. ana tho mortality for tho year
ross 10 40. and In q few years got up TO 1856.
IN general, the vital statistics Of tho ReRiss |
tEGI~d General show that whore child Insurance.