Eliza and the Midwife: A Story in Human Trafficking

By Joann Streeter Shade

In 1885, a London newspaper editor, a religious leader, and a redeemed brothel owner took part in a covert action designed to draw attention to the ease at which children could be purchased for immoral purposes. Tucked away in the sensational account of that transaction, publicized as "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon," was the small role of midwife Louise Rose Mourez. Her willingness to verify the virginity of Eliza Armstrong, the thirteen-year old girl who was purchased, resulted in an assault conviction and her death in prison. "Eliza and the Midwife" provides an overview of the planned purchase of the child and the subsequent consequences to Victorian London, the Salvation Army, and the individual participants. It draws upon trial transcripts, historical research, and the imagined voices of the child, the midwife, and an undercover prostitute to capture the essence of the scandalous scheme addressing the societal problems of child prostitution and trafficking plaguing London in 1885.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0996847340
• ISBN13: 9780996847346
• Release Date: January 2016
• Publisher: Frontier Press
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.