An inquest on a child who died this week in
the house of a man named Cooper, in Hackney Road, has brought to light a shocking system of moral infanticide prevalent in our midst. The boy, it appeared, was the illegitimate child of a young lady of twenty, as yet unknown, who had made it over to the Coopers for ever. They say they adopted it, but they received 101., and there is something suspicious about the manner of the child's death. The evidence against the Coopers is far from strong, as they themselves called in the doctor to see the child ; but it is said that the system of adopting illegitimate children, who soon die, is very widely spread. Advertisements of a suspicious character are constantly appearing, and it is evident, whether the children are killed or sent to the workhouse, the trade is very profitable. It is one, too, very difficult to stop, as adoption is not illegal, the only offence in it being the falsification of the register.
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