The Sun. — 1869-04-07 (London, England)

THE AIR OF THE LAW COURTS.  Revelations of the darker side of human nature nave oxupied a fair share of attention within the last few days. The murder at Norwich has caused amazement from its commencement, and bids fair to came bewilderment to its end. The career of Mr. Benjamin Higgs has called forth admiration at his cleverness, wonder at the slovenly way his employers went to work, and indignation at his villainy. The revelations of baby farming have once more raised disgust. The circumstances surrounding Sheward became more mysterious than ever. If the letter from Brighton is a hoax, it is a well-planned one. That Mrs. Sheward had a lover, one \Vorseltine, and that he died somewhere about the time of the supposed murder, has already been announced. We are now told, further, that just before his death he left his own family to live with another woman to whom he was devotedly attached. Was this Mrs. Sheward ? Mr. Higgs, the great swindler of Teddington, seems to be not only admired, but sympathised with. One would think, to read a letter about him in the Daily News, that he was the victim of some plot hatched by himself against himself. We are told, as if in extenuation of his offence, of his numerous acts of charity. The poor of Teddington absolutely love him, and some of them would not discover him to the authorities if a thousand pounds were offered for his capture. During the panic of 186 G he was always ready with a helping hand, and averted ruin from more than one person of position in the City. A kind man Mr. Higgs was doubtless with other people's money, but he did not scruple to rush away from home without a word to his wife. He did a bit of speculating, it seems, with the funds of the Central Gas Company, and in one lucky hit cleared many thousands of pounds. Then he went hone, gave it away to the poor, in concerts, and in grand entertainments. Montague Tigg, Esq., in Mr. Dickens's " Martin Chuzzlewit," though he has often been denounced as a gross caricature, finds more than a parallel in Benjamin Higg-s. Mr. James Greenwood writes to the Star complaining of the decision in the Bow baby farming case. llere was a woman who had harboured eleven babies, of whom five had died. The fifth death 's such that a coroner's jury is called upon to investizate it. It seems that the non,. creature had been round ciAztd In its nect, said bed conisting of an egg box. But what bad caused its death ? There was nothing to show; till Mrs. Savill naively explained that in the month of October she " slipped down," and, falling on the child, broke its thigh, and that it cried very much, but she put it to bed, and did not discover its dreadful injury till next day. And so it was allowed to languish and die. The coroner sent away the woman without a stain on her character, the jury wanted to censure her. Why they were not allowed to do so does not clearly appear, except that appendages to verdicts as a whole are not considered proper. But the public is likely to do what the jury could not. That a woman who keeps a child in straw in an egg box, falls upon her, and does not attend to her cries until next day, should be allowed to go away without even a word of warning, to repeat, maybe, the same thing, looks very much like misplaced leniency. If babies are to be "put away," at least let us do it without unnecesary cruelty. We do not break the legs of kittens before we drown them.