The Sun. — 1830-08-21 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST.  Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held before Mr. STIRLING, Coroner, on view of the body of a nude infant, aged fourteen days, which was suspected to have come unfairly by its death, and in the course of the inquiry a hideous scene of depravity was disclosed.  . _ It appeared by a mass of evidence, that a young creature, named Anne Gardner, only sixteen years of age, the daughter of poor but very industrious and honest parents, lived servant in the family of butcher in Middle.row, St. Giles's, and that while there she yielded to the wishes of a young Jew salesman in Monmouth-street, named Abraham Symmons, and becanie pregnant. She left the service when far advanced in pregnancy, and was placed by Syminons in an infamous brothel in White Lion-street, Seven-dials, kept_ by an old woman, known as' " Mother Collerton." Here she was soon initiated by the already polluted inmates, who were women of the very lowest grade, in tbe worst mysteries of the prostitute's life, and pursued that dreadful culling until within a few days of her de.;, livery. She was delivered of a male child waist Monday fortnight, and from the. moment of its birth 'it woman of the town, named Betsey Ayres, who lived in the same house, undertook the care of it, and prevailed upon the wretched mother " to dry up her milk" as soon as possible, and the usual means were taken to effect that object, in order that she might go again on the town. The woman Ayres pretended to feed the child " with tops anl bottoms," and other kinds of food usually given to children, but it pined and dwindled away (to use the words of the witness), end became very fretful, upon which Ayres procured medieine, but of what kind could not be proved, and administered to it to keep it quiet. 1 his medicine was administered very - often to the child, but it grew worse, and died in convulsions on Monday fortnight, The father of Anne Gardner, on learning these! facto, caused inquiry to be made, and it was ascertained that the child was no sooner dead than Betsy Ayres, at the suggestion of Symmons the tether, went to the shop of an undertaker in Compton. street, named Young, sad asked for a box for a stillborn child. Ayres carried the child in her apron, and Mrs. Young, the undertaker's wife, furnished a Ayres then h and ildt°n° Itikktithie box, in which .Ayres deposited the body, and tMrs. iyioox,:negwriziilneidnitdow then btohdey, to the rise of Mr. Young's name, it was interred without complaint of Gardner (the was disinterred, and an inquest farther inqUiry, Upon the girl's father), the body ordered to take place. Mr. Burgess, the parish surgeon, was examined, but he said he could nut state positively the cause of the child's 'death from any thing which he found upon the stomach. Betsy Ayres was called in and examined, and ad. duelytterds. herselfyoofig,th, throughout 6ut e enw thats,teas: heoed: tookah nerd ec the mitred the truth of all that had b e (Von tery. She said, however, with the moat perfect beat care she could of the child. undertaker's•  minttion, stated, that site asked no other questions of Ayres when-she came with the body of the child than ' if the good lady (meaning the mother) had met with any acciilent The. CORONER addressed the witness, and cautioned her to be much more circumspect is future. If the body of a child could be got rid of thus easily, it would be absolutely holding out an encouragement to unnatural parents to murder their offspring. The Jury, after a very lengthened inquiry, returned a verdict " That the death of the deceased child was accelerated by the want of proper attention and nourishment, and that the neglect was to be attributed to the witness Betsy Ayres."