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Monmouthshire Beacon - 29th September 1894

 

Trade Jealousy

 

Miriam Cox charged with riotous conduct in Tuder-street, on the 28th ult,, in pleading guilty said that she had been aggravated by rivals in trade and jeered at by them, and naturally took her own part. In reply to the bench she said her trade was that of supplying cocoanuts at the fairs. She Was cautioned and fined 2s 6d including costs.

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Abergavenny Chronicle - 29th October 1897

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Gross Neglect of Children at Abergavenny

Verdict of Manslaughter

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An inquest was opened at the Workhouse on Wednesday morning by Mr J. B. Walford, Coroner, as to the cause of death of Joseph Smith aged 1 year and 4 months, the child of Joseph Smith, licensed hawker, and Miriam Cox, who had for over 12 years cohabited with him, and they were known as “The Smiths”. It appears that the Smiths had been for several years inhabitants of Abergavenny, but in the course of their calling made journeys each summer into the fruit country about Herefordshire, Worcestershire and other counties, and were in the habit of leaving the children at such times in the care of a woman named Emma Baggott, whose services they engaged some eight years ago, shortly after the birth of their eldest girl.

            On the 11th of June last, the Smiths left Emma Baggott in charge of five of their children – a boy aged 9, and three girls aged respectively 7, 5 and 3 years, and the deceased boy 16 months. They had recently become the tenants of No. 26, Tudor Street, and had let a small tenement in the rear to Samuel Thomas, to whom the discovery of the death of the child is due. For this tenement, Thomas paid 2s a week to Smith, and when they went on their journey they instructed him to pay his weekly rent to Emma Baggott. The Smiths also sublet a stable to a milkman called Burcher, at 2s a week, and told him that during their absence he was to deliver a pint of milk daily at No. 26. They also ordered the baker living next door to supply a 4lb loaf daily, and they would settle up on their return. They also made practice of sending about 7s a week to Baggott for house-keeping services. So that it would appear there was a fair supply of bread and milk and 9s cash per week for living. It also transpired that although No. 26 was not a certified lodging house, there were occasional guests, especially about the hop gathering season, and Baggott had the benefit of these windfalls.

            It appeared from the evidence of Annie Thomas, wife of Samuel Thomas , the sub-tenant of the Smiths, that Baggott was addicted to drink and was often in a muddled condition. If she could get the money she would be drunk more often than twice a week. But she appeared fond of the children and was kind to them. On Monday evening last, Baggott went crying to witness and said she was afraid the little girl, Minnie, would die. She had taken her to Dr Poolman, and he had given her some medicine. But the little girl was playing about and witness did not think much of what the woman said. After supper her husband went to the door and spoke to Baggott after which he said to his wife, “Annie, you had better go and see about that baby, for I haven’t seen it about this long time.” She went into Baggott’s kitchen and saw the woman lying on the sofa with one of the children; the others were playing about. Baggott was muddled with drink, and said she had been ill all day. Witness said, “Where’s the baby?” to which the woman replied that she had just washed him and put him to bed. Witness said she would go up and see the child, to which Baggott replied that she should not go up her stairs, and got up and set her back against the stair door. Witness, who had a lighted candle in her hand, pushed the old woman aside, and went upstairs, where, in one of the rooms, she found the dead body of the little boy on a bed covered with a blanket. She screamed and ran downstairs. Her husband came in answer to her scrams, and she told him what she had found, and went for the police and the doctor. In the meantime Baggott disappeared.

            The examination of this witness occupied over an hour, and the inquest was then adjourned to 7.30 p.m., at the Police Station.

            Emma Baggott had been present throughout the examination, and was told by the Coroner that he had sent for her because matters were likely to take a very serious turn for her. She might ask questions if she chose, and might decline to give evidence if she thought proper. She asked no questions.

            On the reassembling of the jury (of which Mr E. Martin was the foreman), the first witness called was Emma Baggott, who seemed to fully appreciate the gravity of her position. She was submitted to a very close examination, and her evidence was to the following effect. – She had lived with the Smiths for 7 years. They had three children when she first went to live with them – one boy who was away, the boy Johnnie, present, and a little girl, then three months old.

            The Coroner informed witness that she was not obliged to answer any more questions unless she wished to do so.

            She elected to proceed with the answers, and said she was left in charge of the children each year she had been with the Smiths, and in June last was left in charge of five. No arrangement had been made about money, but sometimes they would send 2s and sometimes 5s a week for the keep of the children and herself, and it was not always enough. The milkman had stopped the supply on Saturday week last. She fed the baby on bread and milk and potato and cake, and he had milk in a bottle. When the Smiths left the baby was not well. He was troubled with his teeth. About 3 weeks ago he got very bad; he has abscesses behind the ears, and she poultice them. Then he had diarrhoea, and she grated acorns into milk to cure him. She did not apply to the doctor or the neighbours for an opinion or assistance. She had seen children ill before and did not think much of it. The child took his food alright until a fortnight before he died, when he refused food and wanted the bottle always. She mixed milk and water with sugar for him. On Saturday week she gave him a portion of a sponge cake, soaked in milk. He took the bottle on Sunday and on Monday morning, and died on Monday the 18th , at 9 p.m. She did not go to bed on Sunday night because he was so bad, and she watched him until 2 o’clock on Monday morning. She did not think he was going to die; he had been very ill before. She thought he was convulsed one or two days off and on. She could not give the jury no reason for not sending for a doctor. She noticed the vermin on the child soon after the formation of the abscesses. The heads of the other children also had vermin on them. She had washed them. She did not know and could not say why she did not make it known the death of the child. She had no bad reason for keeping the dead child in the house for a week and saying nothing about it. She had not been drunk all that week. She was sober when the child died. She had been very ill for some days, but not drunk. She declined to answer the question as to when she was drunk last. She thought the death of the child was due to consumption of the bowels.

            The Coroner asked her what she meant, and she said diarrhoea.

            In reply to the foreman, Witness said the last money she received from the Smiths was 5s on Saturday last. She had spent it all. There was bacon and cheese and sugar in the house on Monday night when the police came, and she was just going to send for a loaf. She had to keep the children on 2s a week for several weeks.

            The boy, Johnnie, aged 9, said that when he wanted to see the baby, the last witness said he was alright in bed.  When he went up to bed at night he was afraid to go into the bedroom where his little brother was, because it was dark. Mrs Baggott was always kind to them and washed them and gave them plenty to eat, but not so much as they had had since they had been at the Workhouse. She got drunk sometimes.

            Dr W. D. Steel said he had held a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased. The body was very thin and emaciated. There were no marks of violence so far as he could judge so long after death. There was post mortem discolouration. The death might have occurred from 4 to 10 days. The organs were healthy, but there was a slight congestion of the stomach and of the upper portion of the small intestines, all of which were quite empty. There was an entire absence of fat about the whole of the internal organs. Externally he found the scalp and hair full of vermin, which had actually penetrated into the scalp, and dead vermin covered the whole of the skin of the body. He believed there had been some abscesses on the head, as he had found cavities behind and below the ears, full of post mortem maggots. In reply to the question as to whether the child had been improperly fed, Dr Steel said there was a distinct absence of food in the stomach and other parts. The whole of the alimentary canal was practically empty. He could find no trace of disease outside the general obvious emaciation. He could not say that if the child had received every proper attention it would not have died, neither had anything to guide him to the certainty that the child had died from improper feeding. The empty condition of the alimentary canal, the extreme state of emaciation, the want of fat about all the organs, and to a certain extent dilation of the intestines by gas, would indicate that the child was starved. (Sensation.) On the other hand, the same, almost precisely similar condition would be produced by gradual vital failure, which might be produced by teething, of those abscesses causing wasting of the tissues generally, and inability to take food.

            The other witnesses were;-

            Mary Rice, who spoke to the general habits of Emma Baggott.

           Joseph Smith, father of the deceased, who said he was no scholar, and left all writing and money matters to Miriam, who had lived with him over 12 years, and borne him six children. he had always been satisfied with what she told him she sent in the way of money, and knew she sent sometimes twice a week. She told him how the children were from the letters they had weekly from Baggott, and that was all he wanted to know.

            Miriam Cox gave similar evidence. Sometimes she would send 2s 6d twice in one week, sometimes 5s or 7s 6d at a time; then there was the 2s rent from the Thomases, and the bread and milk free. She had always believed in Baggott. She took her off the road from Hay eight years ago. She was then on tramp. Witness had never seen her the worse for drink. She was always good to the children. When she received the telegram about the death of her child, she thought it referred to the little girl Minnie, who was always delicate. In Baggott’s last letter she had said baby was well and coming on a fine child.

            Samuel Ralph Thornes said that on passing Baggott’s door on Monday night, he saw her lying on the sofa and a child with her. He said to her “Have you got the baby there Emma?” She said, “No,” she had just washed it and put it to bed. By her voice he judged her to be in drink, and told his wife to go and see about the baby. He had often seen her the worse for drink, and knew that when she had money orders she went to the public house to get a pint and have the order changed. He had seen her the worse for drink both before and after the death of the child.

            The jury, not requiring any further evidence, the Coroner summed up, and after a retirement of 35 minutes, returned a verdict to the effect that the death of Joseph Smith was accelerated by the gross neglect of Emma Baggott, which amounted to a verdict of manslaughter.

            She was committed to the forthcoming Assizes at Monmouth , in November.

 

Abergavenny Chronicle - 26th November 1897

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Emma Baggott (60), servant, was indicted that, having the care of John Smith, Jemima Smith, Fianee Smith, Florence Smith and Joseph Smith, under 16 years of age, did ill-treat and neglect them in a manner likely to cause suffering and injury, at Abergavenny, on or about October 18th 1897; and further, on a coroner’s inquisition, with the manslaughter of Joseph Smith. Mr T. M. Phillips appeared for the prosecution on behalf of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and stated that inasmuch as prisoner had pleaded guilty to the first indictment, the prosecution had decided to withdraw that of manslaughter, as there was not sufficient medical evidence to show that the death of the child Joseph was due to prisoner’s neglect. The evidence showed that the father and mother followed the avocation of hawkers and sent prisoner money for the maintenance of the children, which, it was said, she spent in drink. Sentenced to imprisonment for 18 calendar months.

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In 1901 Jemima (Mamie) and Florence (Laura) can be found in Barnardos Girls Village Home, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex

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