[Indexed as: (Hamilton case), “Extraordinary Developments. – Child Stealing.” The Sun (Baltimore, Md.), Dec. 7, 1847]

The Philadelphia papers, of yesterday, contain an account of an affair which shows an extraordinary and systematic series of child stealing on the part of an artful woman, and her confederates, for a number of years. The case exceeds any thing to be found in the “Mysteries of Paris.” The News says:

There was, on Saturday, an examination before Ald. Bulkley, which resulted in some extraordinary developments concerning the abduction and supposed recovery of a very young child, an account of which was published in the Alimony papers of the early part of last month. It appears that about six months or more ago, Mrs. Hamilton, the wife of Mr. James Hamilton, the wife of Mr. James Hamilton, of Albany, N. Y., being taken dangerously ill, was advised by her servant girl to put out her in her infant to nurse, who at the same time recommended a woman named Caroline Smith, as a careful nurse, which it now appears she did at this woman solicitation, who was anxious, for purposes that will appear, to get possession of the child. Some twelve days elapsed, and the parents hearing nothing of their child, sent to inquire concerning it, but the woman was no where to be found, and the most vigilant search for her proved unavailing.

Thus matters stood until the 9th of last month, when a woman with a young child in her arms appeared at the Townsend house, in that city, for the purpose of soliciting arms, being very evidently of the class of genteel professional beggars, who almost invariably carry children with them, and levy their contributions upon the wealthy and benevolent, by representing to them their destitute and dependent condition. The landlord of the house, suspecting that she was an imposter, and being aware of the loss of Mr. Hamilton’s child, had the woman detained until the next day, when upon an investigation of the matter, it appeared that she was the woman for whom they had been in search, although now representing her name to be Cornelia Weeks. On account of the time that had elapsed since the child was taken, it was a matter of great difficulty to testify with any degree of certainty to its identity, and the matter was involved in still greater doubt by the woman declaring that the child did not belong to Mrs. Hamilton, but to a woman in Philadelphia, of whom she had procured it about the 20th of May last, saying that if the parties were sent for, her statement would be corroborated. The parties were subsequently found, and the results of the examination went to prove the truth of the statements made by the woman who was detained in custody in Albany, and to involve the subject in still greater doubt as to the child being really the one belonging to Mrs. Hamilton.

Almost the whole of Saturday last was occupied by Ald. Bulkley in taking the depositions of witnesses in the matter, and the result, taken in connexion with the evidence in the case previously taken in Albany, and other matters, shoes a systematic series of child-stealing, or what is equal to it, to have been pursued by this woman, in connexion with her confederates, for a number of years – which, in the desolation, horror and distress caused, doubtless to many families, can only be equaled by the system of Burking , which prevailed in Scotland some years ago. The examination corroborated fully the evidence taken before the authorities in Albany, and proves satisfactorily what was before only suspected, that there were two children in possession of Caroline Smith, alias [ITAL] Cornelia Weeks, and her confederates in this city about the 20th of May last, one of which was the child of Mrs. Hamilton, and the other belonging to some person represented by the initials “A. Q.” These children, or rather, or rather the other, was found, and the close of a lengthy investigation has dissolved the doubt and uncertainty in which the whole matter was enveloped, by giving to Mrs. Hamilton her long lost child, the identity of which she is well satisfied, as a card from her attorney will show. The child of Mrs. H. was found at a home in Kensington.
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The Philadelphia papers, of yesterday, contain an account of an affair which shows an extraordinary and systematic series of child stealing on the part of an artful woman, and her confederates, for a number of years. The case exceeds any thing to be found in the “Mysteries of Paris.” The News says:

There was, on Saturday, an examination before Ald. Bulkley, which resulted in some extraordinary developments concerning the abduction and supposed recovery of a very young child, an account of which was published in the Alimony papers of the early part of last month. It appears that about six months or more ago, Mrs. Hamilton, the wife of Mr. James Hamilton, the wife of Mr. James Hamilton, of Albany, N. Y., being taken dangerously ill, was advised by her servant girl to put out her in her infant to nurse, who at the same time recommended a woman named Caroline Smith, as a careful nurse, which it now appears she did at this woman solicitation, who was anxious, for purposes that will appear, to get possession of the child. Some twelve days elapsed, and the parents hearing nothing of their child, sent to inquire concerning it, but the woman was no where to be found, and the most vigilant search for her proved unavailing.

Thus matters stood until the 9th of last month, when a woman with a young child in her arms appeared at the Townsend house, in that city, for the purpose of soliciting arms, being very evidently of the class of genteel professional beggars, who almost invariably carry children with them, and levy their contributions upon the wealthy and benevolent, by representing to them their destitute and dependent condition. The landlord of the house, suspecting that she was an imposter, and being aware of the loss of Mr. Hamilton’s child, had the woman detained until the next day, when upon an investigation of the matter, it appeared that she was the woman for whom they had been in search, although now representing her name to be Cornelia Weeks. On account of the time that had elapsed since the child was taken, it was a matter of great difficulty to testify with any degree of certainty to its identity, and the matter was involved in still greater doubt by the woman declaring that the child did not belong to Mrs. Hamilton, but to a woman in Philadelphia, of whom she had procured it about the 20th of May last, saying that if the parties were sent for, her statement would be corroborated. The parties were subsequently found, and the results of the examination went to prove the truth of the statements made by the woman who was detained in custody in Albany, and to involve the subject in still greater doubt as to the child being really the one belonging to Mrs. Hamilton.

Almost the whole of Saturday last was occupied by Ald. Bulkley in taking the depositions of witnesses in the matter, and the result, taken in connexion with the evidence in the case previously taken in Albany, and other matters, shoes a systematic series of child-stealing, or what is equal to it, to have been pursued by this woman, in connexion with her confederates, for a number of years – which, in the desolation, horror and distress caused, doubtless to many families, can only be equaled by the system of Burking , which prevailed in Scotland some years ago. The examination corroborated fully the evidence taken before the authorities in Albany, and proves satisfactorily what was before only suspected, that there were two children in possession of Caroline Smith, alias [ITAL] Cornelia Weeks, and her confederates in this city about the 20th of May last, one of which was the child of Mrs. Hamilton, and the other belonging to some person represented by the initials “A. Q.” These children, or rather, or rather the other, was found, and the close of a lengthy investigation has dissolved the doubt and uncertainty in which the whole matter was enveloped, by giving to Mrs. Hamilton her long lost child, the identity of which she is well satisfied, as a card from her attorney will show. The child of Mrs. H. was found at a home in Kensington.