The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-05-13 00:00:00

THE CHARGE OF MURDERING
CHILDREN.

At the Lambeth Police- mut In Luadon, on Saturday,
Agnes Norman, aged IS. the secant alrl whose cue has no
r.,ed so much Interest, was again placed in the dock, charged
on suspicion with murdering Jessie Jare Beer, urn about 15
months, the child or Mr William hoer, a tradesman at New-
ington Botta Mr PAand on the present occasion appeared
to prosecute on the part of the Mattoc to the Treasury, rd
Mr. Morgan Thomas defended.

Mr. Poland informed the Magistrate that it had been
thought proper, after the it gullies which had been
made by the police into this c /me, that legal aid should
he giveui n the investigatrm. On the present OCCa9iOll
Le should call further evidence, and then ask for a
remand, as there were inquiries to be made as to other
cases.

Mr. Thrmas Morgan asked that the evidence given
on the former occamon should be read over, and that
the witnesses he ha examined should be out of court.
The learned magistrate acceded to the applicath n.
The father of the child was further examined by
Mr. Poland as to the position of the msttrvas and the
child s hen he found It was dead. Ile said it was a
very strong, healthy child, and never had fits.

• ---•
Sarah Millbank, a servant girl, 17, was called to give
evidence. She wad servant at Lower Keunii g;omdane,
and knew the prisoner as being in Mr. Beer's service.
On Good Friday, when the went to fetch some milk,
she met the prisoner about 4 o'clock and she had a baby
with her, and the prisoner said it Iran not well in ans o'er
to a mmsrk she made, and she added that it was under the
doctor, it having had fits. On the Sunday si terwas ds she
saw the prisoner again in Rose-court, Newingtombutts,
where Bile lived, and the prisoner said, " I am at
place." NVitness said, "What, at the place where
the shutters are up?" and the said, " Yes." Witness
asked if an) body wan dead, and sho said it was the
baby, and it died at half-past six o'clock. Sae asked
her what the baby died of, and the prisoner maid,
"from fits." She further said the mother LI the child
was not at home when it died, and did not come home
until half-past twelve o'clodr. She said hes mistress
naked her when she came home how the children
were, and she told her "Pretty well." She said
that the little by had fallen out of bed, and the
father picked it up. On the master going up stairs
to see how the baby was he took hold of Its leg
and found the child was dead. She also said she did
not go up stairs with them, as she thought they would
have said she had done something to the child.
They had, she told witness, a hard matter to get her
upstairs. Witness said, "Oh Agues, it is a strange
thing that at each place you go to the children should
die," and the prisoner said "Oh, do you think I killed
tht nt, then ? Witness said " Nd, but it makes it look
suspicious." She had heard of other children dying
where the prisoner had lived as servant. On cross-
examination the witness admitted that she knew at the
time where prisoner was servant when she asked her
where she lived. Witness identified Inspector Manton,
of Scotland-yard, who had called on her and asked her
questions in the presence of her mistress, and he said
he only wanted the truth, and her mistress told her to

give nothing but the bare ttutb, and she recollected
what had occurred between the inidoner and herself.
Mr. Williams, surgeon, who was called in on the
night of Good Friday and found the child dead, said
there wan evidently a mark of some pressure on the
lower lip. The child had died of suffocation. The
stomach was laded. lie was questioned as to the
position of the bed and the mattress. He was pressnt
at the post musts's, vuuination made by Dr. Lees, and
agreed with the evidence given by that gentleman.
The prisoner, who complained of being weak, was
allowed to be seated. After further evidence by Mr.
Williams, Mr. Poland said he did not propose on the
present occasion to call any other evidence. During
the remand inquiries would be instituted, and the case
would be presented on the next examination in a proper
manner.

Mr. Morgan Thomas said he did not see what
evidence there was to charge the prisoner with the
crime of murder. Toe magistrate thought that a re-
mand must be allowed. At all events, it was impos-
sible that he could come to any other result on the
present occasion than that it was a case on which he
must grant the application of the learned couns-1 for
the prosecution. The prisoner was accordingly re-
manded.