FULL TEXT: Mrs. Elizabeth Osborn, of 2447 North Tenth street,
was summoned before Coroner Dugan yesterday to explain the death of an infant
at her home, and on cross-examination she admitted that she adopted children
and kept a “baby farm.” The child was that of Rudolph Speelhoffer, of Ambler.
He testified that his wife died soon after the child was born, and that he took
the infant of Mrs. Osborn’s place. The child died the other day from the
effects of the heat.
Mrs. Osborn stated that she had kept a “baby farm” for
several years, having formerly lived at 2831 North Eleventh street. She also
admitted that she never summoned a doctor when the children became sick, and
that six deaths had occurred at her place within the past year. The Coroner
asked the woman how she got permits to bury the other children, but she refused
to tell, and Coroner Dugan informed her that he would make it a point to find
out.
The Coroner in commenting on the case said that “baby farms”
were a curse to the community, and that all of them should be closed by the
authorities.
[“Told Of Her Baby Farm – Mrs. Osborn Called Upon by Coroner
to Explain Infant’s Death,” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Pa.), Jun. 18, 1899, p. 2]
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For more cases of “Baby Farmers,” professional child care providers who murdered children see The Forgotten Serial Killers.
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