A startling discovery was made early yesterday afternoon [Sunday, November 14th, 1915] by the roadside in Crawley Green Road, a few yards outside the Luton borough boundary.

A Luton man resident in Havelock Road was proceeding along the road when his attention was attracted by a brown paper parcel lying in the hedge bottom close to the foot of a big tree which stands outside the fence of the garden of St Mary's Vicarage.

Curiosity tempted him to ascertain the contents of the parcel, and when he tore open a piece of the paper, there was disclosed to view the pretty face of a newly-born baby. The man hastily replaced the torn piece of paper and restored the parcel to the position in which he had found it, and at once proceeded towards the town and communicated the news of his discovery to the first police officer he met.

The spot at which the body was found is in the parish of Stopsley, and therefore in the district over which the County Constabulary have jurisdiction, but Pc Speight conveyed it to the borough mortuary in Luton, and as a consequence the inquest will take place at the Luton courthouse.

After the body had been deposited at the mortuary it was examined by Dr Bone, and was found to be that of a newly-born male child. Death had evidently taken place some hours before. The circumstances have been reported to the County Coroner this morning, and it may be taken as a certainty that a post-mortem examination will be ordered pending the holding of the inquest.

A singular circumstance is that the spot at which the body was found is only a few yards from whre a similar parcel was found close to the hedge a little more than 12 months ago - to be precise on November 9th, 1914. On that occasion the discovery was made by lads who were on their way to work in Luton.

In that case an inquest jury returned a verdict of wilful murder, but the crime remains an undetected one so far as the person or persons responsible are concerned.

[The Luton Reporter: Monday, November 15th, 1915]