Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-12
BABY FARM HORRORS.
Startling Revelations Follow the Ar.
rest of Its Owner.
THE INFANTS STARVED TO DEATH
By the Propristress, Who Kept Up an
Outward Show of Virtue.
DAMAGING EVIDENCE BROUGHT OUT

SPECIAL TELBGRAM TO TEE DrsPArcHt
SYRACUSE, April 11.-Miss Anna N.
Purdy, the proprietor of a maternity hos
pital in this city, was arrested to-day,
charged with manslaughter in the case of
an infant child, born out of wedIock in her
establishment last month, the death OF
which led to searching investigation Of
her business. Miss Purdy has grown rich
off her baby farm. She moved from an OBJ
scure part OF the city three years ago to
costly mansion, built in q neighborhood
adapted to her purpose by an eccentric
millionaire. At the death OF the millionaire
she bought his property. There she has
conducted her business quietly, and has
escaped interference. ..--...,
The rate of infant mortality at the Purdy
house has always been alarming, but as
Miss Purdy usually had plausible excuse,
the criminal authorities have been content
to let her alone. Miss Purdy is a woman Of
motherly appearance and is we'll educated.
Outward Show of Virtue.
She attends the Episcopal Cathedral reg
ularly, usually leading by the hand one or
two childrea, dressed most tastefully. She
gives to charity, and in other ways keeps up
an outward semblance of virtue. She wSs
never arrested before. She has pretended
that the infants left in her care to be dis
posed of have been adopted into respectable
homes. In q few cases this has been done,
but the records of the county court show
that there has not been a legal transfer Of
custody from the Purdy establishment in
four years. -.-,~. -
The case which led to the arrest of Miss
Purdy was that of a child, the death Of
which at the Purdy establishment was not
properly certified to by a physician. The
return to the Registrar of Vital Statistics
did not even contain a name for the dead in
FAINT. 1t was finally named Fred o. 'Connor,"
though neither its mother or father, sincs
discovered, bears the name of O'Connor.
At the Coroner's investigation the doctors
testified that the autopsy showed uDmIstak-
ably that the child had been starved to
death. Nothing resembling nourishment
was found in its stomach, which was in-
famed and empty.
Many Infants Were Killed.
Several other women who had been In
mates of the Purdy place testified reluctantly
to being confined there and to the deaths OF
their babies. II was also discovered that
Maggie Wood was being held in duress by
Miss Purdy, because she had been confined
there and was being threatened with ex-
posure if she left. Miss Purdy was making
this girl do the house work. The testimony
of all the witnesses was most damaging.
The jury, composed of business men OF
the city, rendered this verdict: "We find
that Fred O'Connor's death was caused
from lack OF proper nourishment, care and
medical treatment, for which Miss A. NJ.
Purdy, proprietress of her So called lying-in
hospital, is wholly responsible. We further
find that said Miss A. NJ. Purdy is not
proper person to care for young children
and that her institution is menace 10 the
moral welfare OF society and should no
longer be tolerated"
Miss Purdy was required to furnish bail
in the sum of 81 500 to await the action Of
the grand jury. In the meantime her back
yard is to be e1cayated. it being suspected
that she has little cemetery of her own on
the premises.