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f( @%e (BWtfitwn of <&n$lmft <gtu*£tton." " Laws giind tte poor, p^id ilch men rule the 'aw!
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Untitled Article
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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F( @%E (Bwtfitwn Of ≪&N$Lmft ≪Gtu*£Tton." " Laws Giind Tte Poor, P^Id Ilch Men Rule The 'Aw!
f ( @ % e ( BWtfitwn of < &n $ lmft < gtu * £ tton . " " Laws giind tte poor , p ^ id ilch men rule the 'aw !
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DEST 1 TCT 2 O 3 : ISIHS METBOPOLIS . On Snmlsy evening , a pooi half-famished and halfclufl'womPTi , rr ^ cmprokd by three children , was obseiyEd tot * ^ jig to tbe rats of &e Boyal Ree Hospital , in the Brsfs Inn Road , There Bhe most earnestly implored to fca admitted . Her case wa * immediately investigated , when it wsV discovered that hunger alone »" . the csnra of her illness . Temporary relief ws ^ -mmediately afforded , and the miserable family were at onr :: V " 1 " i the SiTnge . Scsrcely a day passes but a eup'Ip" Frsne c * tjm at ihe Free Hospital , and iUme £ 3 fs Fmr ' sted for the purpose of participating in TheT ^ neSte and comforts of this noble institution . The d ' se&ced and sick poor , however , already fill the available wards ol this establishment , while the rier ~ -iug nr-nisra of outdoor sick and diseased g ' ready on the books , senders the utmost ruution vsassfj . To the Efilor of the Times .
Fib , —Ton have in some recent articles expressed your t-Tong feeling that tie relief whlchjB now oft « n con-Teyed to " r-jes of distress through otSer cbasnels , might fcs mere naically and efficiently adniiuisteted thiongh the parodr *! clergy . As ^ b incumbent of a parish of above 34 , 000 souls , * n one of " the poorest and most crowded quarters of the me t ropolis { a parish not a mile in length in any party , Heel it to 1 3 a duty both to myself and myjM&theren sreand , -who are simSsrly CTrcumBtanced vrith TuJ&eJf , frs make a -simple a * -stement of the distress by which 1 »* n at all times Ibnt especially in the winter sermon ) Emended , s ^ d of the endeavours made ( through with most inadeqnate fid insufficient me ? iB ) to xelieva thai isfcws ,
A Irrge poTfion of or ? population , and I skouia judge also of this eastern quarter oLLondou generally , consists of Siose poor men , and their f amulet , who have been dawn together to this pars , not only from other districts of the metropolis , hot even from the country and IromIreland , in tbe hope of obtaining employment at tbevraous dockain the neighbourhood . At the gates of each of thocs docks hundreds of poor men may be seen , before daybresk in the winter , waiting for the oi 3 * ug of the cates in the hope of ob * 'wrings day ' s
work ; and when the youngest and most able-bodied and those best known have hzea taken , hundreds still may be eesn retailing to-the ? - destitute families with that ^ sickness of tee heart" which arises from " hope deierre ^ i" In such a neighbourhood it is needless to Bay + " 'st distress must abound : hunger and jnsnfficient food of themsaTres create direr"e ; and lha number of aick , who all apply to the minister of tte parish to be t '^ Ued , ? s tb ? large . Tiers to tfce utmost of our power &TB v . sitea " . I subjoin some rises now on our h *^ s £ sa spmple of those whirt arc continnally
oeenrig . A young wonun dying of consumption , having just lost ber youngest child , is cerapeUea to get np in a dying j > ta ? 3 to xuica her husband , who has come home Tlth Jcnai&in&tion of the lungs , and fcsi held np for hit wife ami children ' s ssSe tSl tbe disease has gained jift&t wsy . She muses him d&y and night for tan days , at the end of which he dies 4 we trust prepared ) , nd she is left with two yonj ; g children , without any merna of support whaf rrer , excepting such sa her parish m afford to allow her , and she cen earn by her needle .
_ Anrged widow , tstween seventy snd eighty years of » -e , who in consequence of having broken first her thlsh , ss-2 afterwards her edllsz-bc-ae , is confined ficpelersly to her 13 d . She occupies a small , ikopioom , one-tbiid part of which is filled up by the one bed which £ he and her only daughter ( also a widow ) and her gwusi-daughter sleep in ; another third by a mangla A s'ster , who nsed to cssist hfr a little , is now dead , leaving her estftely dependent on what her daughter r n & ? rn bj her needle sad mngle , and any little help we »» n throw in .
A tzzj s t able po » wom ? u , confined to her l ; d flfTgeroEsly ill ; her hpsband snffieiently recorercd te lriT = s hospital , bnt not Trell enongh jet to do anything towards ** ieir support , but only able to nnrxs his sock irif e-! P <> ihasa , and sra ^ j e- « es as tbese , we are COmpeUed to concne our attention , both for want of time and means ; and so many are these , that wish what we onr ^ elres can give , with what a few kind friends place Jn our hands , and with the sisamEn l al ^ a , which the dnrchicardgTis leave at onr disposal , and which , though fhe nombar of the csmiaiitmants are large , * yet frosi fbeir geaeraUy hnrnMe means are hut saaB , -we are compelled to leare many rases which we know of r " most Bnanistcd , tn& to send many who are , we are E ~ nired , both deserving and nc—sitors , fid whom we Wi-uld clafily help , from oar door .
So d ; ^) , indeed , ? s-sbe poTerty by which we are sur-Tcnuded that Wr have jost sent out a drcnlar letter f K > ash the parish for the third time , to ask Ioilttt-cff apparel , to enable the poorest children to attend our < schools ; snd , by siana of our dishici viators , whose j wrskly Tisits have ina 3 e them acquainted with the J cfcan > ^ r ind ( rranr-r-iees of > he people in their dis-, tricts , we have rn one winter supplied 200 persons j ¦» lth the Ifift-sff arpsrel , seut in to us in answer to our i spi ^ s " 1 . 1 hSTB known naariy thirty persons appl ? for ; sidln out moir '^ g ; and tha ticke > 9 for tea and sn ^ ar , snow-loot , S 3 go , Tice , xnd soup , given to the families of the sek alone , by the clergy of the parish , and : brought in at my bouse in say one morning during the "U-nter , nearly t **« up the time of one person to vrropiy . _
I haTanamefi ftfisepaitieulaTS , because I believe that fc * "i * i £ but one ease cat of a class of cr ^ ts to which many other paiistes ifl thlser-tsm qn ? rt 3 r of London belosg . ! Ehe cleigy hiTe tiie will to help , and the machinery ior proper of fcxeght ?• " ¦* investigation is in our hands by means of our district visitors ; but the very same causes which make us btre to abound in objects Kquiring aid J ~ 3 yo us alse without the means to aid them . Etlisveme , your faithful seivant , W . "Weu > QN Chahpkets . Eecteiy , ytt&tecbspel , Not . 27 .
DISTRESS XI HI 3 CEXEI . To ihe Editor of ( he Morning Chronicle . Sra—The condition of the poor has been repeatedly liid-fcsfsse the public . The labours of the Anti-Cum Xaw league have done great good ia this respect They have inconttstably pr&red that a most numerous , « s wen as ixsportsst class ol our countrymen , is suffer-? tig aasmoTmt of distress truly horriSle , and that in a Jr"" -d wh-jse great boast is iti tnewledge , its ilches , and jjoble institutisns . It has proved too , that the miseries ¦ which disgrace our land aT 6 not inflicted by Providence ,
but spring from ignorance , wickedness , or folly , and of course sdnrit of remedy . I am a stocking-weavfcr , and , though young in jears , am well acquainted with suSer-Ug . I am HtrpriBeS Ibat tfce ccaiditioii of my ieUotr-^ 'bon rersli ?? not engaged more of the public at tenfe > D , t ^ p ^ eially aa fheit miserias are . now bo great , and . they l-Tte hitherty borse them wifli such a noble fortitude . Their patience , however , is now declining , and their iaratude is giving way to teelings of hopefeBs despair . In August 1842 . these men thus memorialised the board o * iruardiaBS for the Hinekley Union : —
* ' G « ntlKaei 3— -Again we -approach you by a dsBntataon , * nt with a purpose very different to onr last Tb € B it was r > return thanis—now it is for the purpose of prayer . Distress , anguish , and em row have xlven our feelings , wounded our souls , and destroyed qor eemfor ^ Already are we brought to the very brink of despair . O J plunge us not into its dark and over-Whelming tide . Cot off from the pleasures " of life . — - eompellsd to Hre on the parish xste—tnHiag to work when KosoEiable labour is offered to -us—w > S wishing to be released from toil , or forced to lead s life of de-£ jdiEg leisirre—us look upon our condition as entitled t 3 commiseration , as commanding respect Month rfter monfli have we looked ior a change—only to reap Fis bitten < ess rf disappointment , and experience ' the
t ' lSteea of hestt which . ariBea from hope deferred . " GaadTis not , we beseech yon ; add sot to our wretchedness ; lay no more npon iu ; speak to us kindly ; protect us from furrier snfiering ; pity us fcr our miseries ; withdraw not your support ; bnt remember t ' -at the voice of inspiration ha * said * poverty Will make a wise man maoV A change , however , has now coma ; they aia no longer in the stone-yard , but their sufferings are not lesssned . Sines last November their lzapss itBisea&le before ) Jkcvs been reduced tfifrtf-jivt per cent . They Ere now earning weekly , according to Pie masters' books , ( sad this account is derived from the three principal manufacturers at Hinckley ) h" -. BhniingB and five-pence it first hand . Out of this is to be deducted la . from the Tent of the loom , 7 d . for sewing tbe stockings , 4 d . foi needles -and Boap for *** b 5 Bg , Si for coals and eandlea , and Is . 8 d . house isat , leaving 2 s . 24 for food , dtihing , eduxdum , and pleasure—zd . and a fraction per day . In September
, 1 S 42 , 1 -was called from home . I left them workujg in i be Btens-jard , the lanes , &c In September , 1 S 43 , 1 visited tiiau Bsaia . i f omd &em ^ at work at tfeeir j lOOmB , JaDMrriDg £ ? ca sixteen to eighteen hours peri day , and earning tha pittance named above . 1 shall i never forget my fedmgm ray returning , when I first 1 saw my father sad brother ; they were so altered , bag- ' ' gatd , ani x ^ ged . Instead ol Hniling ' npon them with joy , I could have wept in bitterness of spirit over their faded and emaciated forms . When 1 entered the bonBes of former friends , I looked aronnd on the naked sad dingy wall ^ and astea -srtat o » a become of their ftpj ^ tBHS . "OJ" said they , " it i « j ^ ne . - *• w ^ are w ^ ne eff np stairs than down ; we ha- ? e no tads nor "bed clothes . I do-not know how we shall manage this - ^ nter : we ' shall bs itared to death . We have no-Eiing but whafc » a stand in ; and we have nsver had a sew pair of shoes in our house tMa four years . " Whattrrer we ars to do I dont know . " In one house I found
oqs child dying of conBumpfcion , another covered with Bt 3 essses ,- asd the lather Tery ill , yet labouring at hii loom . As the woman pointed to the three sufferers she Bald , with a sigh , " This has been brought on by want of mffieifinfc food . " And let it be borne in mind that this misery was not psraded- ijSioold have known nothing of it had I not entered their dwelling . In ihis neighbourhood Ihe Tnidt System has long prs tailed , adding additional sttfering aai tcrtmg-io this ptverii ' -stricken people . In many instances iridimduais are paid wholly in goods , vwnth after month and year qfter year . Within the last mx weeks , however , great exertions ha ye been made to stay this evil , many
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matters bavins be * n foed and s tccfet ? atibiished tor its suppression at Hinchley . A STOCKIKSEB . November 23 , 1843 . 2 f . B . At this moment every town where stockings ere Hia * 3 e is foil of work , and the mr-fcent expecting , nay , daily receiving , large orders ; were the Truck System put down and the middlemen ( bagmen ) between master ana framework-knitter converted into direct agents of the former , the working hands would be gainers of 15 , in some lDBttnoes 20 per cen * , and when , Sir , ihe loaf is marked , lest too mnch ahonld be eat « n of it at one meal , let me tell yon two or three loaves a week f . jof no small importance to a family . On the above , the E 4 itoi of the Morning Chronide remarks : —
" In another part of onr journal will be found a letter from a Stockinger , ' describing , we have good rc-son to believe , with great trnth and accuracy , the present condition and Bufferings of the stocking weavers at H ' cckley and in ita reigbbenrhood . Now thai the people ab . k is idli -ffOBK HEBE , the amount of wages which they can devote to purchase subsistence does not exceed 2 * 2 d , per week . Their furniture is gone , they have so change of clothing , and some of them h&ve net had & nBW pair of shoes for fonr years . That is the condition , not o ! idle , dissolute paupers , but of industrious , frugal , skilful , and intelligent workmen ,
tnd it demands the attention of Ihe Government Our correspondent complains of the continuance of the truck system , notwishstauding the existence of several stringent enactments against it . If even in such a case the law cannot be , or is not enforced in favour of the working classes , is there not some reason to apprehend that they will wholly cease to respect it ? Their bufferings must be relieved , and they must be convince taat ttie lavr ia as poweilnl to redress as to punish , before they can feel attachment ta the institutions of the country which is necessary for the public peara and the general welfare . "
In the Chronicle of Saturday appeared the following letter from a well-known and warm-hearted philanlhropist : — Sib—if it be not giving you too mncb bauble , I ¦ should request you to refflit the enclosed small sum foi the relitf or that 'Stockinger * of Hinckley , whose letter in this day's Chronicle doea too well describe the Bufferings of his family and craft Tour most obedient seivant , Frederick Pigou . Brookes ' a , St James's , Dec . L [ J * otb of the EDITOR—We have received two sovereigns with the above letter , and will forward them £ 3 desired by our correspondent j
A TALE OP MISERY—DESTITUTION IK SBULDWELL . Eilis , the second usher of this court , made a report to Mjt . Broderip , the presiding magistrate , relating to the Hoilowaj family , Whose caBe has been already published . It will be recollected that a poor man named fiulloway , residing in a miserable hovel in Gray ' sbnOfiings , Twine-court , Shadwell , was unable to bury the corpse of his son , who had died from the injuries he received by falling into the hold ef a ship , and that another child of the BDfortunate man wai Jying LI of the typhus fever in the same room where the decaying body was . The corpse wes immediately inteired in Soadwell churchyard bj order of tb . 9 magistrates , and assistance waa rendered to the family . Since then about £ 5 has been sent by varions benevolent individuli
for the relief of Holloway and his children , and a portion of this sum has already been expended in necessaries . Ellis now stated , that on visiting the Holloways on Sunday evening , he found the family , which consists of sevenjindivitiuala , still huddled together in the same miserable and ill vestilated ipartment , the WiDdOW frame ef whieh wu filled principally with paper and wood , instead of glass , and afforded very little either of light or ventilation . He found the boy still Jying on his miserable pallet , and labouring under the typhus fever . The stanch was dreadful , and he could not remain in the room long . He found the mother was a very industrious woman , and another female , named Hurley , who , fearing eon ' sgion , first brought the cr-e nnder the notice of the magistrate , were plying their
needles as hard as they were able , and on a&king them why they worked on the Sabbath , they said they Wtre compelled to do so , and it \ cas the only means of supporting their children , && tte work they were engaged upon did sot produce more than lufficient to porchrse bread , and they were compiled to begin early and end late to command a bare subsTstence when they were In fall work , whieh was not often the case . Mr . Boss , the parochial surgeon of Shadwell , who had been atsiduous in hit attentions , paid there was no chance of the Jad getting well , and recovering bis strength until be was provided with clean linen and nutritious food , and that the smell of the decomposed body , as well sa the fever , had affected him . After purchasing some necessaries for the family , he was about to leave the
neighbourhood , when Mr . Boss said he conld introduce him to a much worse case , and took him into the ground Boot of the adjoining house ; and here certainly ft scene of misery and destitution presented itself quite unparalleled . There was not a vestige of furniture in the room except an old chair , and by ihe light of few embers in a place where there had once been a stove , he saw a poor Irishman , named Daniel Noolan , mending his txowsera . By his side ¦ was an idiot boy about niDe years of age , and tte Oliiy gssmeTit be h&d on "was an old pur of trowsers . The rest of bia body was quite naked . The creature , who bore none of the outward semblance ol humanity .
jumped about and made strange noises when he entered lie place . There was another boy , about eigat years of age , in the bame miserable condition . On inquiring of the man wbat had reduced him to snch a dreadful Et-ite of distress * , be said he wr ? a coal whipper , snd that work had been very bad , and that when he was in employ he cculd not bri&g home more than ten Ehillings per week to Eupport himself and two boys , who had been for several ytars di prrved of their mother . There were only a tew potatoes and part of a loaf in the placs , and he expended half-a-crown , on bis own responsibility , in providing fuel and soree meat for the inmates of the wretched habitation .
Sir . Broderip—You have dons , quite right ; bnt has nut the man applied to the parish officers ? Ellis said he hid not , for be was afraid if he did eo he would ba passed with his children to Ireland . The place where he lived was unfit for the habitation of any human being . It was the ruins of what had once bi en a substantial house , and was nearly roofless . The -window-frame of the first floor , and a portion of the brickwork , had long since been removed . There was not a sinele pane of glass in ihe "winflow-ffame of the lower-Tcwn , and the rain came through the ceiling . How the : aiirr 2 . oie creatures managed to live there he could not tell—it -sras not a fit place for a dog . There were a sreai many dilapidated houses of the same description in Shadwell , called Irish freeholds , witbont legal owners , and no rent had been claimed for many years . The poor Irish got into some of them , and others were inhabited by the most depraved characters , and by destitute creatures who had no other ahelter .
air . Broderip directed Ellis to act in concert with Mr . Ross , the surgeon , in relieving Holloway and his family . Ab for the poor hoy laid up with the typhus fever , and who had been compelled for many days to breathe a poisoBsua atmosphere with the decomposed body of his brother by his Bide , he should give orders for another bed and clean linen to be provided for him , and light and nutrJUunB diet to be purchased . It was truly appalling to hear of such misery . With regard to the man Noolan and his children , further relief must fce extended to them , and if possible admission should be obtained for the idiot boy into some aBylnm . He should like to know if Noolan wai an industrious mattand wn willing to work . Ellis said there was no donbl of it ; bnt thD man , "when he had work to do , w ? s obliged to e&r » snsne a great part of his earnings in
drink-Mr . Broderip said he knew that to be generally the rase with the coalwhippers , and he w * i very happy to think that au Act of Parliament would shortly come into operation which would materially improve their conditaen . He had the greatest coDfideDce In the humanity and discretion of EU& , sn < i should leave the esses in hia hands . He had just recelveda letter from a benevolent individual , who gave the initials " M . C ., " enclosing £ 1 for Holloway and his family , which , with ether sums forwarded to him , would be laid out for their benefit . Ellis said he was afraid the boy would not get better untH ha was removed from the conuned apartment where so many perBsnBwere huddled together . The house wm tumbling to pieces , and was one of the numerous unclaimed houses called "Irish fx « eholds . "
Mr . Broderip said , if ihe family could be persuaded to leave the premises for a oleaner and more wholesome apartmeBt . it -would greatly facilitate the boys recovery and prevent the contagion from spreading , but he had no power to cempel them to leave , and it was not likely they would do so while they were living rent free . Mr . Ross has called the attention of the Board of Guardians of the Stepney Union to the filthy . and de-Lipidated condition of the numerous bouses without legal owners in Shadwell , and measures will 68 immediately taken to enforce the provisions of the Police Act , by tileansmg , fumigating , and whitewashing some of them , and pulling down others which are in a dangerous state . The typhus fever U raging In many of these tenements . ATTEMPTED SDICIDE FROM WANT .
A youth , named Thomas Gale , who -s ^ ted that Be was only fifteen years of age , was brought up charged with attempting to commit suicide , by throwing blmself from Waterloo-bridge last night The officer on duty at the bridge stated that ; he saw the prisoner mount one of the recesses of the bridge , and suspecting that he wrs going to jump off , he seized htm snd conveyed him to the actionhouse . Mr . Jardlne asked the prisoner what he had to say for himself ? The prisoner said he was in distress , and had no place to go to . lit Jardine asked him if he had been brought | ap to any business ? He said he had been apprenticed to an artist . Mr . Jardine—Where do you come from ? The prisoner said he should decline answering that question .
Mr . Jardine asked the officer if he thought the prisoner saw him coming up , when he got on the parapat of the bridge ? The officer said he thought he did .
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The pmontr was remanded , in order that inquiries nvght be made respecting him .
deaths from starvation . Death from want of food in Bethnal Green . —Lest Saturday evening , on the occasion of an inquest beingiolden at the Admiral Vernon , Bethnal Qisen . Mr . Baker , the Coroner , animadverted severely upon the conduct of Mr . Mnrr&y , the registrar of the district , for neglect of duty by not having seat to him ( the Coroner ) aneccount of the death of a person named John Thomas ( formerly , during a period of twentythree years , a clerk in Doctors' Commons ) , who was alleged to have died from the want of the common nc ces saries of life . Mr . Hurray read the register of the deah
t , which was as follows : "Died from general «! ecay , rggravatcd by extreme privation . " Coroner-Extreme privation . And should it have turned out on an investigation that from the neglect of any one the deceased had not proper austentation , that person wn charged with manslaughter . A juror referred to cases of destitution in Whitcchapel , hating observed that it was a highly proper case for inquiry , ask 1 if there had been an inquest ? Coroner—No ; it is a veiy bad case , and ought to be seen into , more particularly now , when the public journals are daily noticing cases of extreme destitution . Mr . Murray—Who gave you notice of the case ?
Coroner—Colonel Rowan sent an inspector of police to see me , with the whole particulars of the death , so that the duties were performed by the Commissioners of police instead of the coroner . You had better send information to me or the parish officer , whose duty it is to attend to inquests . I bive written a long letter to the registrar-generaL I have no deubt yon . will hear from him . The unfortunate decersd it appeared had two daughters living with bto , one aged twelve , and the other twenty-six years . He was obliged to give np his employment some weeks ago , in consequence of ill-health , and h ? 9 not been able for some time to do anything for his livelihood . His eldest daughter says that shs , her brother and father applied for relief , when they were told that their father would ba taken into rte house . He and the family were unwilling that be should go there . Death from the Alleged Neglect of a
Relieving Officeb . On Friday , December the 1 st , an inquest was held at the Black : Horse Inn , Sidcup , Footcray , Kent , upon the body of Maria Piummer , aged 10 , the wife of a labouring msu In the employment of the Right Hon . J ord Bexley , who rime to her death under cirenm-Btancsa which implicate both the husband of the dccee * ed and the relieving officer of the Bromley Union . From Vne fcvidence , which wes very voluminous , it appeared that about six years sinoe the deceased summoned ber husband before the magistrates at Footecray for ui treatment , on which orc-Mon he agreed to give her half-a-cro ^ n a week , which he continued to do witb great irregularity , the result of which was , that she was reduced to considerable distress , wandering
about from one relation to another , till eaoh in turn ( bsing pear r rcons ) were unable to support her any longer . On Wednesday night she slept in a watercloset in Footscray . On the morning of Thursday she went to Mr . Pritcbard , a surgeon , of Footscray , who , fndiug her in a -wretched and deplorable condition gave her a letter to Mr . B 3 nks , t&fl relieving officer , who lives at Clvselhurst . She immediately went over to Mr . Bankes , whom Bhe saw , and told him tbat she bad slept in a water-closet all night , and wished him to compel her husband to Snd her a lodging . He promised to do so , and called to see her husband , but was unable to meet with him . Be , however , took no steps to relieve her , and when , after having t ? en spoken to on the subject
by Mr . Rogers , a respectable draper of Footscray , he replied that if he relieved her without bringing her cr-e before the Board of Gaardians , they would immediately reprimand him . The poor woman wandered over to Sidcup , and called at the Black Horse , where Bhe asked fer a btd ; this was at first refused , but af irwrrds granted to her . Her husband was drinking in the house at the time , and exhibited the utmost indifference to her miserable condition . She retired to ted about half-past nine , being so weak and feeble tbat she w .-i about hilf an hour getting up stairs , and fell down in the bedroom . In the night she was attacked TPilh dhnbcs % , and in the morning when the landlady sent np she wes found in tke agonies of death . Dr . Pritchard stated , that he had made ^ postmortem examination and found the stomach entirely empty , without one pa j tide of food ; the longs were healthy , but there wfi a slight effusion on the pericardium ; there was a
schhroB ? i ndurated tumour on the right lot a of the jirer ,- toe ga ) i- *) adder wasmuch distended with biliary oleuli , which entirely obstructed the passage of the bile , producing diarrt or Her whole condition was one of the most wretched imrfinable , her clothes in the most filthy state , and she suffered dreadfully from wat > t of proper care and attention , which in her condition most have hastened her death . The relieving officer was called in , and stated be never received Mr . Pritchard ' s note to him . The Jury expressed their opinion that he ought to exercise his own judgment and not wait for the opinions of the Board of OuardiaDs . The Coroner told him that if a verdict of manslaughter was returned , it would not be against the Board of Guardians , but against himself ; and therefore he ought to have acted on bis own responsibility . The inquest , after nearly four hours' duration , was adjourned , to enable the Jnry to discover what had become of Mr . Pritchard ' a letter .
The above account we have extracted from the Morning Chronicle of Saturday . The Times of the same day had a more extended narrative of the horrible atrocity ; and on Monday the Editor drew public attention to it in the fo ll owing justly Indignant observations : — It weuld be needless to add another stroke to the speaking houors of the case of starvation to death which ws recorded on Saturday , or to say a single word more in indication of the strong plain lesson which it bears graven on its every circumstancesupon and about and within and around it—were it not tbat its details are so intensely excruciating that we fepr very few persons could even endure to read them through , We are induced , therefore , now briefly to state the pith of the matter , in the hope thai its iDEtt active moral may be still more widely spiead .
Maria Plnmmer , the wife of a gardener in the employ of Lord Bexley , at Footscray , in Kent , was , some weeks since , driven from ber heme by her husband , who , although earning 14 s . a week , refused to receive or support or in any way assist her . Eyidenco was given that the woman trtd been treated by her husband most cruelly , and had been , before she was formally abandoned , " deprived by him even of the common necessaries of life . " In this condition the poor creature " wandered about the neighbouring fields and villages , utterly destitute , for weeks , " as it is now , after she has been allowed to starve to death , remembered by
those who saw her ; and this in a country -which professes to have laws for the " relief of the poor . During this length of time , all that she had to save her from starving was the precarious bounty of her step-father , a poor man himself , and not well able to do more than supply his own necessities . On Wednesday wesk last , a policeman at Footscray sent her to the " relieving " officer { so called ) ef the Bromley Union . Whether she thzn made any application is not clear ; but " about halfpast eleven o ' clock on that night" the same policamau found her " . knocking from door to door iu the village ^ " praying to be admitted , and allowed a bed . " The policeman
continues" I told her she must not do that , but go to her husband ' s lodging . She did so , and I followed her . I knocked Piummer ( her husband ) op , and he came and put his head out of the -window . I told him the dreadful State Ml wife was in , and that he ought to see that she had s place to go to . fie saia he could not live with her , and had no place for her to go to . I said , What , then , am I to do with her ? I can take her nowhere hat to the station . He made no reply to this , but shut down the window . I then took deceased witb me up to her husband ' s father , to see if I conld get ber in there . I told him that if he would take her in for the night , she would go before the
relievingofficer in the morning ; but he abused me , and refused . I said , Well , you had better go with me to the station , addressing deceased ; but she begged very hard for me not to * ike ber there , and raid she would try to get in at some friend ' s house . I then left her . About half-past three o ' clock on the following morning I found her fiittiiig in an open privy near the church , and not far from ber father-in-law ' s house . She was not aslcsp , and I asked her how she was , to which she replied , Oh pretty well . She at that time certainly wp ? in a most distressed state , and appeared in want , but did not appear sufficiently ill for me to remove her . The night in qnestion was a very wet and stormy night . "
On the Thursday morning the poor woman again went to ber stepfather ' s house at Chiselhurst She was then quite exhausted from want of food . After being supplied by her stepfather with something to satisfy her immediate wants , she applied , at hia suggestion , ta the " relieving" officer of the Bromley Union , a Mr . Bankes . This ¦ worthy ascertained frem ber that she bad had no plrce te sleep in but a privy , and he saw , or might kave seep , that she was labouring nnder the tortures of gannt , boilow starvation , with its attendant complication of disecsss . But . as it seems , he did not conceive it his duty to " inquire" whether the
woman Wf i in distress or not J Whether she had a huabend , however , he did inquire , and on finding it to be the case , he took upon him to decide flbat the Board of Gaardians would " reprimand him , " ( if he interfered to save a woman who wes suffering death by inches , an 1 would insist that the wife ought not to | be cared for , bscause her m ' sery was the consequence of the husband ' s hideouH and unfeeling brutality . The relieving officar sent the woman away , bidding her apply ihe next day to the Board of Guardians at St . Mary ' s Cray , a place three miles distant from Cbhelburs * . Before that " next day" came round , the woman was a
cobpseI To show in what condition the woman applied to the relieving officer , end in -what condition she was referred to the next day , and a six miles' walk , we subjoin the evidence—first , of her stepfather , from whose house she proceeded to make the application ; and , secondly , of the surgeon , Mr . Pxitcbe ? d , who made the post mortem examination of the body . The step-father , Thome ? BJsman , deposes;—"She came to me on Thursday week , and said ehe had been tuiaed out of the lodging , and that she had
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slept in a privy , having no other place to go to but tbat . She had come to aea Mr . Bankes to get ber into the bouse . Deceased left me to go to Mr . Bankes . She wai At this time in the most deplorable condition and ia great want I do not think she was in a fit state to walk about from place to place to obtain relief . The impression of any one seeing tier must have been tbat she was ill and starving ; she looked so thin . I gave her food . Had she been a stranger to me , hercondition was such , that I should it least have glveu her apiece of bread . Her eyes were full of water , and ready to start out of her head . ' Mr . Pritchard
said" I was called to Hub house to scd her on Friday morning last , and found her dead . I never saw a human being in so deplorable a condition in my life . I have since made a post mortem examination of her body . The chest was generally healthy . There wrs a large tumour in the right lobe of the liver ; the stomach and intestines exhibited a great deal of inflammation ; no doubt produced by the severe diarrhoea to which she had been subjected from want of sufficient bile . The stomach and bowels werei perfectly empty . There Wafl not the slightest ; particle of food or nourishment of any kind to ba found therein . The uterus was much ulcsrated , and her entire body showed that she had been & victim to neglect , dirt , and improper attention . She Wai the most wasted sad miserably em&s ? ated fcaing I ever I : held . "
If this was not a c ? -. e « f plain , sheer , and direct starvation to death—of death from starvation , and from tbat alone—it is impossible to say what is . We do not hesitate to say , for our own part , that a more signal , a more flagrant , or a more appalling cneof that most horrible form of death—the alow , creeping , wasting torture of starvation—a case in all iti circumstances so horribly painful , so unredeemed by a single striking feature of humanity or kindness , or even common dec 3 ncy , in any one of the persona principally concerned , it has nevur been our lot to hear of .
Toe cold , savage brutality ef the husband ; the [ quiet indifference with which the poor creature WB > allowed by . the whole neighbourhood to knock from door to door in a state of starvation and disease , in a " cold , wet , and stormy '' night in November , without one single person offering her shelter or food ; and , finally , the official reply of the Poor Law menial , referring the " case" to " the board , " present altogether a picture which we would hope , for the sake of decency , for the sake of human nature , for the sake of our common religion , does not often meet with its parallel in this or any other civilised and Christian country . '
But , we esk , could such a case by any possibility occur under a sound and well-principled system of Poor Laws ? By what law is it that the important discretionary trust involved in the administration of '' relief " is vested in hireling officials—in a class of persons Wt » O . 8 e station and character are scarcely above those of the " paupers" whom they oppress ? By wbat law is it that that relief which , according to the spirit and letter of the old common law of the realm , it was once the right of every poor man to have at hia door and in his chamber , bo far at least as to prevent the public
scandal of his starving in the streets—by what law has this bounty been not only completaly changed in its character , but removed to a distance—to distances of three , and four , and five , and in some cases eTea , of ten and twenty miles , from the home of the faint and starving applicant ? By what law , we ask ? By the law of might , but not of right- —of expediency , but not of justice—of cruelty , but not of caution—of selfishness , but not of foresight . The changes are those which have been made by the New Poor Law , and this is the consequence . Could there be conceived a more convincing condemnation Of any law or system whatsoever ?
THE MURDEROUS POOR LAW . THE ) Dorsetshire Poor . —The following extract from a letter from Mr . A . J . Daniell , published in the Dorset County Chronicle , exhibits the devotednees with which the poor cling to the " homes o ! their fathers , " wretched though those homes have become ; and the sort of feeling entertained by them towards the accursed hastiles : — " To whom , then , do the dilapidated cottages ( for such undoubtedly they ace ) belong ? I have , said it before ,- to the leaseholders , or ( as I now add ) to the
poor themselves . Some of the vety worst of these tenements are of the latter class ; little { socalled ) freeholds—encroachments on the manor in ancient days . The poorer leaseholders might indeed be presented iu court ; but to compel some of them to put tbe <> tenements in repair wonid be a project as hopekea r <* the scheme of extracting sun-beams from cucuml rs . Some of the little freeholds are in a condition equally bad ; but all this , Sir , in no argument n addressed to yourself , who disregard causes , and only concern yoi--self with effectH .
" And yet the poor cleave to these joyless tenements , because they are their own ; they prefer—drjply add decidedly prefer—the shelter of a roof which some of them can scarcely keep in tolerable repair , to the stern though sordid protection of the walla ef 'the union . ' Their r ~ sociatious cling like ivy to these rugged walls ; it we i around these they played in the - infancy—it was . among these banks they strolled as children—it was in the adjacent fields they toiled or played , while life was fresh to them , and health unimpaired . Even in old age , therefore , they prefer to be here ; and it must be borne in mind , by any viakant who may pass a remark upon the dreariness of tho
tenement and the age of the inmate—on the decrepitude of both alike—that ( after all ; it is their choice . They prefer their own cottage to the unaccustomed walla and blank security of the union . Besides , the t ; ntmeui : is their own ; it is something to retain , and to bequeath ; even this , in their sphere , confers a place and position ; and retain it they do with an unrelaxing grr -p , and bequeath more carefully than ( sometimes ; a millionaire assigns bis thousands . AM these little freeholds have likewise a garden attached to them , which , is the larger because ( when the common wn enclosed ) considerable allotments were made to each in lieu of turbary , or the right of cutting fuel on the
wastf . " For ail these reasons it may be fairly asserted that the poor prefer tkeir little leasehold or freehold tenements to ( tbat alternative . which the poor cm always command ) the Union-house .
THE WORKHOUSE SYSTEM . We . understand that last week there were in the Union Workhouse , Leighton Buzzird , no less than 82 individuals belonging to the parish of Wing . As , however , the expense of supporting families , some of which cost from 20 s . to 30 s . weekly , pressed heavily on the ratepayers , upwards of 50 have since been taken home to their own parish , and the farmer * have agreed to employ the labourers at weekly wages of 8 a ., with an extra shilling for those who are employed on Sundays . There must surely be something wrong in the manrrement of a parish containing between 5 , 600 and 6 , 000 acres of land , to have : an ; able bodied labourers in an union workhouse , where no benefit is derived from their labour ; indeed , we strongly apprehend that many of the offences which occur in the rural districts may be traced to the poor not being properly employed , and the inadequate manner in which they are paid for thew labour . —Ayksbury Journal .
ATROCITIES AT THE BIRMINGHAM WORKHOUSE . An inquiry of a moat important nature , involving charges of a grave character against the parties immediately entrusted with the management of the Birmingham Workhouse , and more particularly with that department of it connected with the relief of Vagrants , or " tramps , " and the casual poor , commenced in the Board Room on Friday last , before J . Weale , Esq ., one of the Assistant Poor Law Commissioners . Mr . Weale arrived in Birmingham on Thursday last , and informed the Vestry Clerk that the Conmieiioners had receiveel an anonymous letter , containing a series of charges of cruelty , &c practised towards " tramps , " and in-door paupers in the workhouse ; that it was necessary those charges should I j investigated ; and he therefore requested that the members of the House Committee should be summoned to attend the inquiry on the following morning . Circulars were accordingly issued and the Committee end a number of Guardians were in atMndanci at ten o ' clock , the hour appointed .
Previous to the inquiry commencing , Mr . Weale , being apprised that reporters were present , informed them that he had . a communication of a private nature to make to the QuMfliana , which related merely to the internal management of the establishsieut ; and that after be had made it , if tho Guardians expressed a wish that the inquiry about to be instituted should be public , he should ba the last to object to the representatives of the press being present . The rt pot tare then withdrew , and after the lapse of about an hour were re-admitted into the room , where they found Mr . Lucas in the chair , Mr . Weale occupying a seat on his loft .
Mr . Weale , addressing the reporters , said that the guardians bad expressed a wish that they should be present . Ho would , therefore , state to them that the Poor Law Coruinis 3 ' oaera had received an anonymous communication , which he had laid before the Gaardians , who themstlvea concurred in the absolute necessity of an enquiry being instituted into the charges contained in it . The points of the enquiry would therefore 13 these : — : 1 st . —As to four boya being confined eight days and nights in a place called "the black bole , " and kept on water gruel all the time , i n a complete state of nudity , without » shirt to cover their nakedness , or shelter them from toe inclemency of the weather . 2 nd . —That a little boy , ( name unknown , ) was put into the tramp room by the governor and when taken out that be was obliged to be placed in a warm bath .
3 rd .-7 Tb . at a young woman named Rhoda had been put into the tramp room by the governor for puniflhmen * -. 4 th . —Tbat the insane ward had been converted into a place of punishment by : the governor , and that a woman named B- — had been taken from another ward , and had been put into the Jisane ward for punishment Mr . Weale , in continuation , obser / ed , that he coold not at all say , for he knew not , whe waa to be blamed in this inquiry ; but ea the master of the workhouse is named in the charges , it was but fair , on the old English principle of justice , that everybody who waa considered as . accused , should have an opportunity of hearing the testimony ; and he therefore thought the governor should be present
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The Governor was then called in , and informed by Mr . Weale ot the nature of the charges made against him ; and asked whether be bad any record or books to show whether four boys bad been at any time put into this " black hole ! " First , he would ask whether he keptapnniBhmentbook ? The Governor replied In the negative ; he did not admit that any person bad been punished . The charge had reference to four tramps , who , having torn their clothes , had been put into the tramp ward , ( if they chose to call it confinement ) , but he had had no orders to punish tham . j - . Mr . Weale—It ] was necessary to take other evidence on this point ; but he wished to know whether he had any books or documents to show that four persona had been kept for eight days in a tramp room or black hole , or whether any persons had been confined there during the period referred to—from the 26 th of September last to the 3 rd of ( October following .
Tbe Governor denied tbat they had any black bole , or at all events that it had ever been used for such a purpose since be had been appointed to the management of the workhouser Mr . Weale—Aa you have stated that on one occasion four persona were confined a certain number of-days in . the tramp room without clothing , we will begin with the evidence of the person who bad tbe men in charge . I Mr . Knight heris begged to read , from the books of the house committee , a minute in reference to two men who had destroyed their clothing during the nights , and who had been ordered fresh clothing by the committee . He mentioned this to show that the practice wn one of frequent occurrence .
The Governor stated , in answer to questions by Mr . Weale , that the four men to whom he referred were admitted on the 26 th of September last . Their names were William Jon ' ec , ( 15 ;) Daniel Blyth , ( 27 ); Henry Carter , ( 19 ); Walter Young , ( 18 ); they were discharged on the 3 rd of October . William Harris , the keeper of the tramp room , in which these men had been placed , was then aworn and examined by Mr . ! Weale . He said ho was twenty-four years of aga He ] recollected the fenr men above referred to coming iiito the house in September last . They were placed in the regular tramp room , and during the night they ripped ] up their clothes , and were found in tbe morning quite naked , witb the exception of one > who had his shirt and trousers left . On telling the
governor of the circumstance , be ordered him to remove them into tbe other tramp room , which he accordingly did , giving each ' man a rug to cover him . They remained in the second room about ton days , during which time they bad no other clothing given them by night or day . There was no fire in tbe room , nor was it warmed as tho ] other tramp room , with heated air . They complained jvery much of the cold , and said that they were starved . Tfie governor visired them three ot four times while they were there . Witness asked the governor for clothing , and he said that he was to give them some tint last day they went out They had no bed or straw to sleep on ; nothing but the bare boards . There was no water cloiet iu the room , only a tub , which was removed by witness and another keeper
every morning , for the men never left their room from the day they went in until they Mr . They had no 8 Oap or water to wnb themselves , until tbe morning that they left , when witness assisted in cleaning them . They were very filthy ; the room was cover d with filth , and it had a very offensive smell . One , of the men complained of illness the day before he left , and tbe doctor was sent for , who ordered him some medicine . They bad nothing but bread and gruel during the time they were under his charge ; he supplied it to them tbr . ee times ja day . It was not osnal to keep tramps in the house more than one night , but be bad orders from the governor to detain these four men . They did not ask for their discharge ; he had told them that he bad orders from the governor to lock them np . The weather waa rather cold at tbe time . There were
about thirteen tramps who bad destroyed their clothes before . About two days after they came ia witness applied to the governor for more clothing , and told him that the men were stai ving , and be replied " Let them stop there a day or two . " In tfrree or four days after he applied age ' u , end be told him to let them atop till the next morning j and be would find them B 0 IB 6 clothes . He did give them some , and they left the house . Tbe governor gave witness tbe clothes , and be gave them to the men . The reason the governor r signed for removing the men into a separate room was , tbat if other tramps came in , they would also be likely to destroy their clothes . Witness had the care of the rugs , but bad none to spare for the men when he applied to tbe governor : the rugs are six feet by four and a half feet . \
The Governor denied that the witness had ever asked him for more clothing , and said the man was next to an idiot , and that the whole of bis statement wpt much at variance with the facts of the case . Mr . Weale—I think such a remark quite uncalled for ! Tbe man has given hia evidence in a very straightforward collected mariner . Mr . Rodway—( to witness)—What is the name of the gentleman who asked you questions on this subject before ? j ' Mr . Weale—With great deference , S * , this 1 b a question which I cannot allow you to put We are here to inquire into the truth of certain charges which have been stated . { Mr . Kodway—My object is to know the person who sent this anonymous letter , and who had not the mac ' . iness to put his name to i * .
Mr . Weale—Did the men complain more of f \ e cold at night tbau during the day ?—Witness—They did , Sir . •¦! Mr . Weak—The tramps have no straw allowed them to lie npon in the ether room ?—Witness—No , S ^ . i Mr . Weale—I took the liberty of inquiring into tbat fact the other day . ; Mr . Hunt—It wa 3 decided some time since that it was more conducive to their health to be kept without straw . i
Mr . Smith , the house surgeon , was next examined . He deposed to having been called in to see a person in tbe tramp ward , in ] the Infirmary Passage . He found him suffering from pains in bis stomach and bowels , and ordered him aome medicine . The room was ao dark that he could not see into it ; the man came to him at the door ; he was naked , or apparently so ; he believed he had a rug round him . He did not know what state the place ! wn in , but it must have been very filthy , for the smell jwa ? most offensive . He made 00 report of the case to tbe governor , nor did he order the man change of diet . He asked after him next day , and found he had left the house . The men complained ef being kept there for eight or ten days . They appeared to be young men , or boys . They said they had destroyed their clothing , they were so full of vermin . He did not think the . patient in a state that called for his removal to the inflmary .
William Percivat was next sworn and examined . He was a pauper employed in the house as wardsraan , and to assist the governor in looking after the clothes . He never gave Harris clothes to give to the four men confined in the tramp room ; witness took the clothes himself . Harris did not : accompany him . He found the men in a state of great wretchedness , and very dirty . He believed they bad nothing to cover them but rugs daring tbe time they were confined in the room . Therewas soap and water allowed them , bat he did pot know whether they bad any . He should say that the room was clean , although | it bad an offensive smell . The men never complained a bit of the treatment they had . received : they were ; vary glad to get out They said they were treated very kindly in every shape . ftlr . Weale—Will you venture on your oath to state that these men stated that they were treated very kindly and that thay made no complaint of the treatment which they received wbile in the bouse 1
Witness—They did not , sir . They made no complaint of the cold ; and when he brought them the clothes , they said , " That ' s right ; we are anxious to get out . " When they were going out , the matron gave them some bread and ! meat , and they said they were much obliged . Tbe j matron said , "You are all well clothed , and yon ougbt to very thankful that , no measures have been taken against you . " With tbat they touched their hats , and bade ber good morning . Mr . Weale—And that is wbat you call expressing their gratitude for the treatment they received !
William Harris , tbe former witness , was recalled and examined . He said that be went for tbe clothes the morning the men left the house , and the governor sent them to Percival , who gave them to witness , and be then took them to the tramps . He believed Percival accompanied him to itae tramp room . £ This witness was cross-examined at considerable length respecting the orders he had to supply the men with soap and towels , but nothing material bearing on the main facts of tbe cew was elicited . ] The enqniry was ; adjonraed till nine o ' clock ihe following morning , and the governor was desired , if be preferred that course , to prepare in the meantime a plain , straightforward history of the whole of the transaction , as hiB explanation of the circumstances which led to the confinement of tbe men for SO lone a period . j , Saturday . —On the re-assembling of the Board this morning , the inquiry was resumed .
Mr . Bynner , the " Vfestry Clerk , was the first witness called and examined . \ He stated that on Monday moming , the 25 tb of September , the Governor of the workhouse called upon him at his office , and told him that four tramps , who had been admitted tbe previous Saturday nfght , had ( torn their clothes , and reduced themsblves to a state of nudity . Witness advised tbat tbey should be taken I before a magistrate * ; and be drew up an information for that purpose . The Governor stated that be bad been recently txifore the magistrates with a similar charge , and that they were d ' ainclined to commit , and that he would first see tbe House
Commtttee . Several daysfafter , the Governor told him that fee bad been ordered [ by the Committee to consult the Messrs . Whateley npon the subject ; that be had done so , and found that the Information drawn up by witness would not de , as ft should have been laid nnder a late Act , the 5 tb and 6 th Victoria , c 57 , sec . 5 , in which there was a special clause for offences of this nature . Witness bad before taken men before the magfa * trateB for the same offence , and succeeded with some difficulty in getting a ] conviction in two cases , when the men were sentenced to twenty-one daya' hard labour . !
Mr . Weale here said that be should be ready to receive the evidence ot the Governor himself , either on oath or otherwise ; or , if he preferred it , he would take
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his statement in writing . It rested with himself to make his choice . It was for the Governor to shew that bo reported the case to the Committee , and to state wtrt decision they came to . Mz . Knight suggested that they conld get at the facta as to the diet from Mrs . Hurst , the matron . Mrs . Hunt was called , and after in the first inatanpo objecting to take tbe oath , she subsequently allowed herself to be sworn . She said aha recollected four lads being kept several days in the tramp room , in the kflraary passage . She visited them the first evenmg tbey west in with Harris , and t » ok them four rugg , three of which she gave to the lads , and the fourth to a boy , about ten or eleven years of age , who bad been senc into tbe house as punishment by the relieving officer , at the request of his mother .
[ Mr Weale—I would take this opportunity of pretesting strongly against tbe workhouse being used & 3 a place of punishment . I have on one or two occasions noticed that fact ; and you , as Guardians , have not hing whatever to do with punishing the children of tbe poor . It is ail act of great illegality and cruelty , and renders you liable to be punished yourselves . As the case of this boy has come oat , I shall feel It to be my duty to hunt out every fact connected witb it . Mr . Boucher said that the Belief Committee had told the poor over and over again tbat they should take their children te the magistrates-
-Mr . Knight also stated tbat be had always discountenanced such practices ; and if be recollected rightly , in this very case be yielded very reluctantly to tbe urgent ; request Of tbe mother to have the boy admitted into the house aa punishment , for she could not get him to work . A note of admission was given in the case , but whether any further instructions were issued eato the boy's treatment , he was net prepared to say . ] Witness gave each of tbe men , with one exception , and the boy , a rug a-piece ; they were furnished at the time with a rag , se that this made two for each . Tbe men complained of the heat of the place , and she desired Harris to keep the door open . This was on a Wednesday . During the time the men were there , Harris applied to her for a shirt for one of the men ,
which she gave him , and on his taking it to tbe room , tbe man tore it in pieces before his face . Harris then said that there was no use in giving them any more clothing . Witness directed Harris to give them the bread and broth , as well aa the other tramps . To the best of ber belief , there was meat sent to them on the Sunday after they were put into the room . She did not give it out herself . She ordered Harris to do so . They bad meat also given the morning that they started . Tbe boy was sent into tbe workhouse as a punishment , not to be punished when he waa there ; they . never punished . It was witness who ordered him to be pat in the tramp room , to the best of her belief . All tha
paupers were sent to the tramp room in the first instance , after being admitted , a * a probationary ward . The boy was taken out the morning after be had teen put there , and had a bath . She did not know his name , nor bow long be remained in tbe bouse after this . Tbe men bad bread and brotb for breakfast and dinner , and thick gruel for supper . She told Harris not to spare the meal , but to make it ' good ; it was as thick as porridge , although it was called gruel . She gave him particular instructions with regard to these very men . Mr . Hurst , the governor , here put in his own statement ; but , on the suggestion of Mr . Weale , be with * drew it to correct discrepancies and omissions , which appeared upon the face of it
William Harris wes again recalled , and examined on the evidence given by Mrs . Hurst He said tbat he bad no recollection of the matron bringing four rugs to the tramp ward where tbe men were confined . Durirg the time the men were there , be recollected a boy , about thirteen years of age , being brought in for punishment , and placed a ' ong with them . He could swear positively that be never saw Mrs . Hurst at the place ( toring all the time the men were there . The men had only a rug each . He did not know that the boy had 9 rug at night to cover him . He did not give him one . Never beard the men complain of the heat of the room , and never waB desired to leave the door open . Never took tbe men bread and brotb , or a meat dinner
on a Sunday wbile they were there , nor was he ordered to do SO by Mrs . Hurst . Never asked her to give one of tbe men a shirt ; but on another occasion , some time before , got a shirt for a tramp , which he tore up and trampled npon . It was the practice to give the regular tramps bread and broth for dinner on Sundays ; never gave them meat , and never gave the four men anything bnt bread and grneL He acted by tbe governor ' s directions . Tbe boy was in the room with them thrcs or four days ; be was taken out before the men left . The boy had bread and milk for breakfast and supper , and bread and broth for dinner . The governor bad told him that tbe boy was &snt into tbe tramp room for punishment .
Joseph Blick , an aged pauper of weak intellect , w ? i next examined ; but bis evidence merely went to show that four men , bad been confined in the room , and that the place was in a very filthy condition . Mr . Weale suggested that while they had sufficient light they should goat once , and inspect the room in which the boy and the men were confined . Tbe whole of tbe persons present accordingly adjourned to the infirmary pasap ^ e , on the left of which , at the entrance , is a little nook or bex , called the teepers's lodge , nearly opposite snd a little farther en , they came to the door of the apartment spoken of throughout the evidence as tbe tramp room ; but on opening it nething could be seen , although a sickly light was discernible in a grating at the further end . On lights being obtained ,
all present bad an opportunity of judging of the eiz 3 and condition of this dismal dungeon . It was a lo # vaulted cell , below tbe level of tbe infirmary passage , about six feet by ten feet in size . Elevated from the ground about twelve or eighteen inches , was a boarded platform , which sloped from tbe open grating at the extreme end of the vault towards the door : this wr ^ explained to be the guard bed provided for trampr Near tbe door was a space of about two feet , whieh waa left for the open tub spoken of by Harris ; and the floor near this spot was saturated with water , and covert i With filth . A more loathsome prison could not well b-3 imagined even by the fertile brain of a grand inquisitor , versed In all the arts and mystery of torturing yet
prolonging human life ; and to crown all , the tffluvia wa ao overpowering tbat it was impossible to remain more than a minute within tbe precincts of this noisome den . This was indeed the veritable " black bole , " tbe dread o refractory paupers , and the terror and test of unfortunate tramps , whose evil stars might lead them to seek a night's shelter in this dismal place . Tbe governor , the matron , the house aurgeon , tbe keepers , and others , who had been examined , were summoned to the spot by Mr . Weale , and one and all acknowledged that it was here the four unfortunate men bad been confined in a state of nudity for ten days and nights , and where the little boy had I ; en sent to acquire his first lessons ? a morality , and his early experience of the miseries of human life .
Tbe Guardians present expressed their indignation and horror at tbe picture presented to them , and disavowed all knowledge of the existence of such a place as a tramp room ; and Mr . Weale himself , mare familiar to scenes of this description , declared that in no prisn or workhouse in England had he ever witnessed such a den for tbe accommodation er punishment of humam beings . Indeed , he questioned whether Howard , Whe * be commenced his benevolent mission ever found anything to equal it in the course of bis experience . L Tbe Governor being questioned upon the subject , said he found the place fitted up in its present state , for the reception of vagrants , when he came into the workhouse . He had put persons frequently into it . 16 was not unlikely that some of their own poor had been placed there , but he could not recollect it , Toay were obliged to use the place when they were crowded with tramps , which was often tbe case ; and they would probably be obliged to use it tbat very night
Mr . Knight—I am sorry to hear it ; but if I am compelled to stop here all night , I will never suffer this to occur again . If you want room , put the poor into the chapel . Mr . Hollicgsworth—Yen could not appropriate it to a better or more humane purpose . Mr . Kuighfc—We are bound to admit that these men wetoconfined in this place for eight or ten days ; and upon that point , whoever may bo chargeable with tba offence or consequences of illegally confining them , we must plead guilty . We shall now set about collecting all the evidence we can , leaving the Commissioner t 9 deal with it as he pleases . If you are BatiBfied , Sir , with that , we shall undertake to supply you with admissions as full as any evidence you can obtain in this establishment .
Mr . Weale—I cannot pledge myself to anything . I Will , if you wish , take the statement of this committee . I shall also be glad to see any explanation front Mr . Hurst ; but there are other , points in the enquiry to be gone into ; and if , in their progress , any fresh matter should come oat , I shall feel bound to en quire into it , and any abuses which may be brought under my notice in the course of the investigation . At present , my wish is to be furnished with some information respecting this boy ; for to be kept in such a place four days or four houiB was a gross abuse , and one that calls for explanation . The whole object of my enquiry is to prevent the recurrence of abuses more than anything else . I came here hot to criminate you , gentlemen , but to enquire into certain allegations which were made , in ordet that Bema authority or another should correct whatever evils may be found to exist
Mr . Herbert thought , alter the enquiry that had taken place , the town must fesl deeply indebted to Mr . Weale for bringing to light such a -horrible , stite of things , and which , had it been knows to tha Guardiana , would never have been Buffered to exist . The inquiry Waa then adjourned to Thursday . — Uw land Cowdits Herald . CWe trust some of our friends will forward us tna remainder of this "inquiry . " The upshot will «* . looked for . ] RESULT IN " CRIME "!
IMCENDIAKY FIBES . . tmpn FBZTCKx . ET < - ~ Qa Sunday morning latf , **» * r four and five o ' clock , the stackyard ot Mr . JoseP " Fritchley , of Fntchley , near Cricb . was eMscoverea be on fire . Fortunately , there was a good supjiy •» water within a short distance of the stackyard , au the fire was got under , but not before the wheat : a » straw Btacfes were entirely consumed . T , beie is nos least doubt but that it was wilfully set on flra , iwd »^ could commit such a diabolical act on bo mottenia * character is hard to say . —Derby Reporter . ( Continued in our Seventh page . )
Untitled Article
g ; THE N ORTHERN S * T A ft . j '; . .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 9, 1843, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct831/page/6/
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