13 DECEMBER 1856, Page 9

Sophia Myers, described as a schoolmistress, residing at 26 Farnborough

Terrace, Bridge Road West, Battersea, was yesterday charged before the Wandsworth Magistrate with wilfully neglecting a child placed under her care. A policeman said that he entered the house on Thursday night, "and in the front-parlour he found two children lying apparently in a dying state. There was no bedding or anything of that kind,. but there were some filthy clothes and something in the shape of a bed or mattress. They had on an old nightgown each, but he could not tell of what description they were from the colour of them. In the back room on the same floor, he found two females, daughters of the prisoner. There was no furniture in the room, but an old mattress in the corner, upon which one of them was lying, and she had a large dog in her arms. He then went up stairs, and in one of the rooms he found four little children and a young woman all crouched down in front of the grate, in which there was no fire ; they were sitting upon an old mattress, the only article in the room. The elder female, who said she was twenty-five years of age, begged of him to take her away. From the ragged and filthy state of the children, and their appearance in- dicating that they had been half-starved, he called in Mr. Wheeler, one of the medical officers of the parish, to see them. The mother of one of the children in the front-parlour, who it was expected would die in a very few hours, was in the house, and said the child 'had been most shamefully ne- glected ; and she gave the prisoner into custody. He found half a loaf in the house, and a very small quantity of butter. In a box he found six herrings amongst some dirty linen, and about half a pound of uncooked meat. Three sovereigns and some silver were found upon her."

It appeared that the children belonged to respectable persons. The pri- soner, originally occupying a good house at Fulham, had removed. Mr. Dayman said the case was nothing more nor less than another Dothe- boys' Hall, so far as he could make out. A person takes a house, it is well furnished, receives pupils by advertisement, and then suddenly decamps : what is the inference from such conduct ?

A gentleman here said that Miss Myers was a good woman, and that some of the parents had not paid for their children. As the speoial charge was not proved, she was liberated on her own recognizances. he children were admitted to Battersea Workhouse.