The next day the Deputy of Ireland and
the President of Munster, affected by the story, to repeat the
words of Harvey, "did both vouchsafe to be godfathers of the
infants."
Willoughby relates the account of a woman who, having a cramp
while in bed with her sister, went to an outhouse, as if to
stool, and was there delivered of a child. She quickly returned
to bed, her going and her return not being noticed by her
sleeping sister. She buried the child, "and afterward confessed
her wickedness, and was executed in the Stafford Gaol, March 31,
1670." A similar instance is related by the same author of a
servant in Darby in 1647. Nobody suspected her, and when
delivered she was lying in the same room with her mistress. She
arose without awakening anyone, and took the recently delivered
child to a remote place, and hid it at the bottom of a feather
tub, covering it with feathers; she returned without any
suspicion on the part of her mistress. It so happened that it was
the habit of the Darby soldiers to peep in at night where they
saw a light, to ascertain if everything was all right, and they
thus discovered her secret doings, which led to her trial at the
next sessions at Darby.
Wagner relates the history of a case of great medicolegal
interest.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233