UNNAMED

DISCOVERY at DAIRY FARM

On Friday morning, about half-past ten, whilst a labourer, named William Canning, living at Greenham Mills, and in the employment of Mr. Candy, of Greenham Dairy Farm was pulling up the hatches for the purpose of flooding the water meadows, he saw in the hatch-way a brown-paper parcel, which he attempted to takeout of the water by the string with which it was tied. The string breaking, Canning took it out of the water with his bands, and on opening the parcel it was found to contain the body of a male child. The assistance of Mr. George Paulin, who was at work in his garden close by, was obtained, and Sergt. Borlase was sent for, who conveyed the body to the Public Mortuary to await the inquest, which was held in the evening at the "Queen's" Hotel by the Borough Coroner (Dr. Henry Watson, J.P.).

The circumstances of finding the body having been related by Canning, and corroborated by Mr. Paulin, Mr. Richard Hickman, surgeon. of Bartholomew-street, gave the result of the post mortem examination, which he had made that afternoon by order of the Coroner. The body, he said , was in such an advanced stage of decomposition that it was impossible to find any external marks of violence had there been any. In his opinion the body had been in the water ten or fourteen days. When placed in water the lungs would not float, and he therefore had no hesitation in saying that the child was still-born and had never breathed.

The Coroner remarked that this fact put an end to any suspicion of foul play undoubtedly there had been the offence of concealment of birth; that matter, however, must be taken up by the police.

The jury, of whom Mr. William Knight was foreman, thereupon returned an open verdict to the effect that the child was found in the water.

The body was buried in Newbury Cemetery on Saturday morning.

Thursday 29 June 1893 Newbury Weekly News and General Advertiser

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