THE CASE OF THE READING ANGEL MAKER from DR. WATSON'S REMINISCES

Baby 'farming' was a serious problem in overcrowded Victorian England.due to the fact that there was very little legislationin effect to protect babies from being handed to strangers who said they would give them a good home, accepted some money, and then disappeared. When Scotland Yard had its hands full with finding babies turning up in the Thames, they called in Sherlock Holmes for help.  Poorer districts like Reading were not easy for police investigators, but young boys weren't suspected and couldmove freely and ask questions, so Holmes employed two of his Baker Street "irregulars" Tom and his younger brother Will- to do some scounting and report back. It wasn't long before they found a likely suspect, although it nearly cost Will his life.