ABSTRACT
On Monday an inquest was held in Whitecross-street, on the body of Alfred Johnson, aged four months. The child had been given out to nurse to a Mrs. Thorne (a person who makes her living by taking care of children) by its mother, a soldier’s wife. It died suddenly on Christmas morning, having been in Mrs. Thorne’s care for a fortnight. Mrs. Thorne stated to the coroner that she advertised for the care of children; that she had been engaged in the business for twelve months; that one young lady had been confined at her house, and that her child died five months afterwards. Two other children had died while in her care, but one of them was in a dying state when sent to her. She generally had the care of three or four children at a time. She had one room. The deceased was fed on milk and biscuits, and the top crusts of loaves of bread. Mr. James H. Steadman, M.R.C.S., said there were no marks of violence on the body which was, however, very much emaciated. He thought Mrs. Thorne was generally a careful, respectable woman, who attended to the children as well as she could. The child had bad of congestion of the lungs, and ought to have received extreme care and attention. Mary Jane Johnson, mother of the deceased, said she worked at paper bag making, and earned from 7s. to 12. a week, out of which she contrived to pay for the support of deceased, often going on a pennyworth of bread a day herself. The jury returned the following verdict, “That the deceased died from congestion of the lungs for want of natural nourishment and care on the part of Mrs. Thorne, she having four other children to attend to, and the jury are of opinion that some steps ought to be taken to alter the system of baby-farming, and they request the coroner to write to the Home Secretary, and lay before him a summary of the evidence in the case of the deceased child.”
