The Atherstone Times. — 1879-09-27 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

THE ALLEGED WHOLESALE BABYFARMING.  VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER, The inquest on the bodias of the two children who died recently at the Birkenhead Workhouse, and in respect to the neglect of whom John arid Catherine Barnes, of Higher Tranmere, are now in custody, was held on Wednesday, before Mr, Churtoo. The names of the children were Alice  and Mabel. The first witness was Alice Maria Rodenburst, a young lady residing at Hereford. She said she was the moth. rof the child Alice Hamilton. Its proper name was Alice Maria Emily R.wlenhuret, and i.. was born on the 15th of April in this year, at Hereford. The child always seemed strong and healthy, and it remained under the care of witness until the 17th of May, when she gave it to the woman Catherine Barnes. She parted with the child at Hereford Station, and she ideatified Barnes as the woman to whom she gave it. The child was well clothed, and she supplied Barnes with other clothe for it. Witness arranged te give tier "30 to bring up the child as her own, and she gave her a sovereign for her expenses in going to Hereford. Witness advertised in a Liverpool paper for someone to adopt a baby, oud that was how she got to know Barnes. She saw the child next at the Birkenhead Workhouse ou Toured ay last. It was then vary much emaciated and wasted away. At. the time he gave the child to Barnes i was strong and healthy, but had not been vaccinated. See identified the following document, signed "C. Hamilton":—" I agree to take your little child for ever, and bring her up as my own, for £3O, and never to trouble anyone belonging to her again." Barnes told her she had no children : if witness had thought otherwise she would not have let the child go. Dr. Laidlaw said the deceased child Alice Was suffering generally from inanition, and a post• mortem showed the cause of de ith to be long continued malnutrition, which bad thinned away the bowels and prevented them doing their duty. If the child had been fairly and, properly nourished it would, in witness's opinion, have lived. Dr. Spratley, wine had assisted in the examination, said the child had been 80 badly neurithed that the intestines were transparent. Ellen Long, uf 17, Portland-crescent, Leeds, said that OR the 20th April a single woman, named Emma Green, was confined of a female child at her house. When the child was a month old Green went to Manchester to take a situation, leaving the child with witness She kept the child until the 19th July, its father paying 7.1. a week for its support ; and on the latter date it was taken away by the woman Barnes, who came to the house in a cab. The father of the child was there at the time, and it was with his consent that she rifted with it. It was a strong, healthy child, anti if it had been in witness's keeping it would have been alive row. The child wee well dressed, and two or three changes of clothes were sent away with it. Witness had not seen either of the deceased children, as they were buried when she arrived, but she identified some of the clothing worn by Mabel. Witness understood from Barnes that she and her husband had a little boy, and they wanted a little girl to adopt. Samuel Blythe, of Wigan, said he knew the mother of the child. He saw an advertisement in a Manchester paper for a child to adopt, and replied to it. An answer was received from a "0. Hall," of 124, Church-road, Higher Tranmere, and he went over there, and saw the female prisener ta that address. She assured him that all was right with regard to the adoption of the child ; that the had only one boy, who was about seven years old, and at school, and she wanted to adopt a daughter. Same letters passed between them, and witness believed that the prisoner at first aolittl £5O for taking the