Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 18 December 1879
Alleged Death of a Child Through Starvation at Kilnhurst
Yesterday Mr. D. Wightman held an inquest at the Commercial Inn, Kilnhurst, on the body of Gertrude Dawson, aged two years and two months, illegitimate daughter of Mary Ann Dawson, a single woman, living in Spencer’s Yard, Kilnhurst, and who died on Sunday morning last.
Mary Ann Dawson said she was a spinster, and lived in Spencer’s Yard, Kilnhurst. She had had six children, four of whom were living. The deceased was the second of her children on whom an inquest had been held. She did not live with any man, and at present was not working, although some time ago she was employed at Mr. Twigg’s potteries. The deceased was two years old on the 22nd last October. She had only one of her children living with her now, and that was the youngest, who was five years old. Three of her boys lived with their grandmother, in Dixon Square, Kilnhurst. The eldest boy, who was 17 years old, worked for himself, but he did not contribute to her support. She paid 3s. per week to Annie Cooper to take care of the deceased, but she had never been a healthy child. The doctor attended her some time ago and said she was suffering from ulcerated bowels. She had not seen the child for more than a week at a time, but she had never missed seeing her for a fortnight. She had never complained that the child was insufficiently fed. She saw the child on Friday, and also at about eleven o’clock on Saturday night, and she did not then appear to be any worse than usual.
Both Mrs. Cooper and her husband were sober; in fact there was no one in the house who was not sober. Other people had the child beside Mrs. Cooper, but the girl did not appear to be any better with them. She had thought that the child was extremely thin and emaciated, but as far as she could see the child had always been properly treated by Mrs. Cooper.
Subsequently, in reply to questions by the Coroner, the witness said she did not think that the child had had very good treatment, or she would never have been in the state that she was. She did not think that the child had been “pined,” but she thought that she had not been properly nursed. The girl had been kept too much in one position in bed, and had got stiff. She had never had any use in her legs, and could not walk. She thought that the child could not walk because of weakness, and that weakness arose from want of proper nourishment. It was not true that she had stated that Mrs. Cooper had sold the child’s food and pined her. Both Mrs. Cooper and her husband sometimes got drunk, but they were not drunk when she was at the house on Saturday, although Mrs. Cooper seemed to have had some drink. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper slept downstairs, and left the child upstairs alone. She had not had parish relief since Dr. Hills gave over attending the child. She had not given drugs or medicine to the child, and Mrs. Cooper said that she had not done so either. When the child was 22 months old she was insured in the Prudential Insurance Office for £3. She did not know of Mrs. Cooper’s drinking habits when she first took the child to her, and she did not remove the child, because she could not keep her quiet at home.
Annie Cooper was called, and cautioned by the Coroner, who said that she might decline to answer any questions put to her. She denied having been drunk, but said that her husband had had a little. She had given the child castor oil twice, and a little magnesia once. The last occasion was a few months ago. On Saturday last the child was a little ill-tempered, but she ate as well as ever she did. On Saturday the child had some bread and treacle on two occasions, and at half-past five in the evening she had some beef and kidney, after which she was put to bed. She knew that the post-mortem had been made, but notwithstanding that she would swear that she did give the child kidney and beef and a drink of tea as well. The child seemed no worse than usual at that time. She and her husband went to Mexborough on Saturday night and returned at 9.30 and the child was asleep. She gave her a drink of tea at eleven o’clock and also at five o’clock in the morning, and on both occasions she appeared to be all right. When she went upstairs at nine o’clock on Sunday morning to fetch the child she found her quite dead.
Dr. Cobban said he made a post-mortem on Saturday, and found that the cause of death was starvation, without a doubt. He did not find the slightest trace of any food in the body, and if the child had had beef and kidney on Saturday night there must have been some trace of it in spite of diarrhoea or other sickness. The intestines were empty from the stomach downwards. There was not an ounce of blood in the whole body, and he thought it would not weigh more than 6 lbs. or 7 lbs. He would expect a child about a fortnight old to be as heavy as that. It was plainly proved to him that it was a case of starvation of long standing. He could not find any ulceration, and if there had been any he certainly would have found it. If the child had been properly looked after there was every probability that she would have grown up to be a very healthy woman. He could not say how long the child had been without food, but it must have been for some days.
The Coroner then adjourned the inquest until Tuesday next, and directed that all possible additional evidence should be obtained by that day.