A baby hutt was a booby-hutch, a clumsy, ill-contrived covered
carriage. The word is still used in some parts of England, and a
curious survival of it in New England is the word booby-hut applied
to a hooded sleigh; and booby to the body of a hackney coach set on
runners. Mr. Howells uses the word booby in the latter
signification, and it may be heard frequently in eastern
Massachusetts, particularly in Boston.