A STRANGE STORY.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 49, 28 April 1863, Page 6 (Supplement)

A STRANGE STORY.

A short time ago, some particulars" of a case of alleged child desertion in a railway train appeared in the columns of the London papers, from which it appeared that a younglady- — married — residing in Bristol, had become the unwilling recipient of a child of a woman whose name was unknown. The story, as told by the young: woman was, that she met, in one of the carriages of the Great Western Railway, a female with a baby in her arms, and that this female asked her to " take the baby" for a few minutes, which sbe did. The artful mother shortly afterward^ disappeared, and the child, being left with the young lady, was brought by her to Bristol, and taken home with her. Subsequently, the child was removed to St. Peter's Hospital, where it 7 has since.remained* Lately, the very strange affair assumed a new and still stranger aspect. At a meeting of th«? guardians, a woman, residing in Chatterton-street, Bristol) came forward and stated positively that* the young lady herself -was the mother -of the child. She said she knew this because the young woman had been, confined at her , house .about eleven months ago. The witness, if we may call her such, said she had not seen the child since it was three months old t but after she examined /it,; she. said r she could swear to itramorig ten thousand , as the same child of which the young woman was confined. The young lady and her father were in attendance, and the former denied-all knowledge of the woman who thus accused her of being the mother , of , the . child, anA. the father declared it was a conspiracy, got, up by a woman , who was,,, jealous of ..his daughter. In the course, of the pro- , ceedings the young ■■ .lady fainted, and had to be taken but of the room. The husband of the -woman living in Cbat-terton-streetj at whose house the young woman is' said to Have' been' confined, was sent for, and he recognised her, and told the sameVtory as his wife. Some of the guardians wished the girl's father to take the child with him ; but be, ■ being convinced that -there is a, conspiracy in the' matter,' resolutely refused, alleging that ljejwas prepared to prove by independent witnesses that his daughter wasH'at.hojne when she "was said to r have been at the house of the woman in Chatterton-street. Here for -■ , theipresent^the; affair reit«, bat wore ijpfermed that the 'subject will|be brought before tht K§g^t»l^; JL, J

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