Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-25
BABE IN A MUFF.
Though Dropped Into a Coal Hole About an Hour After Birth the Little
 Fellow Lives.

InOuBn dropped Into a Coal Hole About
 an Hour After Birth the Little
 Fellow Lives.
 St. Louis Post-Dispatc tch.
 Within an hour of it's birth a baby was stuffed headforemost into huff, then thrust into hole opening into the cellar of the Spruce Street Mission, 507 Spruce street.
 The babe dropped 6 feet onto pile of coal dust and rubbish. The huff struck first saving the little ones skull from being crushed, but the impact shook the child out and it lay naked in the rubbish
 How long 1t remained exposed in the damp cold air of the cellar Is not known
 About 10 o'clock Janitor Sam Sampson of the Mission house went into the cellar for coal. He heard faint noise that sounded to him like whine. The cellar is dark hole and he could see nothing. Thinking it was some sort of strange anil maj that had strayed in he beat nasty retreat. He called to Mrs. Wingate, who lives over the Mission, to let him have a light, but she could offer nothing but matches. In their faint glare Sampson could barely discern the fur huff. He felt sure that he had a strange animal to deal with and as he has only one arm, he went out into the street to look for as- sistance. He called in young man and armed him with stick. Then he twisted up newspaper, made torch of 1t and resumed the investigation.
 To their intense surprise they found the naked infant lying beside the huff moan ing and gasping for breath.
 The little one was cold as ice. Its nose and mouth were cut and bruised from rude contact with the coal dust. Its en- tire body was blackened with the filth of it's resting place.
 They picked it up and carried it to the mission house, where they wrapped it in cloths and summoned the police. n6icar White rI IfffIe thpD i'm a chip basket and hurried it to the dis pensary.
 The dspensary physicians found the little thing almost dead from cold. It's tiny body was bathed in warm water and then 1t was swathed in huge wads of ab- sorbent cotton. Bottles filled with warm water were tucked in around 1t to bring its temperature to proper point
 The little fellow made & brave strug- gle to live after its unfeeling entrance into life. After half an hours gentle treatment by dry nurses Drs. Thompson and Lippe, the youngster got up quite a squall for half-day-old kid
 For two hours the little bundle of hu- manity lay on the operating table in its shield of cotton and hot bottles. Only it's little face was exposed and this presented pitiable appearance, blackened as 1t was by coal and bloody from it's cruel fall. The little thing seemed to prosper, though and seemed to get up quite an in- terest in staying alive after 1t got few swallows of warm milk administered through a nursing bottle. The baby was transferred to Dr. Sut- ters care about noontime, and will be raised at the hospital
 There is absolutely no clew to the mother of the waif or the perpetrator of the inhuman attempt to do away with 1t.
 The muff into which 1t was stuffed Is cheap affair, of the sort that retails for about $1.50. The inside lining Into which the little fellows head was stuffed is torn and dirty.