Mexborough and Swinton Times November 29, 1919

Dead Baby in Canal.

Manver’s Mystery.

On Tuesday, the body of a child was found floating in the canal, near the Manvers Main Colliery and the inquest hold yesterday, on Thursday, failed to throw any light on the circumstances.

Arthur Jackson, a bargeman, of Doncaster. stared that about 9.30, while loading coal at Manvers Main, he observed a parcel floating in the water, and after pushing it with a boat-hook he saw a child’s life protruding from it. He rescued the bundle from the water discovered that it contained the body of a child. He informed the police.

Inspector Chappell said that the body was enclosed in a woman’s chemise, and a boy’s dark cloth overcoat, bearing a band of mourning, the whole being enclosed in a woman’s calico overall. The body was that of a female child, apparently newly born, and had the appearance of having been in the water for some time

Doctor J. J. Huey reported on a poet mortem he had carried out. The body was that of a fully developed and well nourished child. He could not estimate the age, though it would be less than fortnight. The body was too decomposed to permit of his being able to state the cause of death, though he discovered no marks of violence. He was convinced that the child had lived.

The Coroner: Do you think the child had died from drowning?–It is very difficult to say

There is nothing on the body to indicate an unnatural death ?—No.

Inspector Chappell statcd that there was nothing in the tying up or the clothing to UK that the child had been strangled.

The coroner said that, the chances were that if the child had been tied up in the clothing for any length of time, suffocation must, have taken place though there was no concrete evidence to ‘show the cause of death.

An open verdict was returned.