The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-24 00:00:00

THE BLAKEDOWN ACCIDENT.

CkilLD MURDER AT HALESOWEN.

COMM( rTAL OF THE ACCUAEP

At the Police Conrt, n Wednesdyy It, htfore Major
Salith, Emma Grove 120), a Wooratie :wry int in the em-
ploy of Mr. 0,011;0 ialJirley, bitelier, lauli,vowrit. was
charsted with the wilful murder of her newlY-born male
child on the 7th in.t, 0 ffolraowrn.

The first witness milled was Elia* blowlev, who said
she WI wife of George Moneley. butcher. lis.gley•street.
Malmowon. The primmer WWI is aellfillit in nip
employ for eight mouths. On Wednesday. the 7th inst.
shout ten o'ul ick at night. I went Mtn the breelionee and
saw the prisoner there, who asked me to let her go to
bed as she felt poorly, h tying fallen down the dairy
ceps in the morning, and hart lief trick. I told her she
might go to bed. wet she wont up Moira. Abont half an
hour afterwards I w.dit up Stairs, on to the lauding, and
whilst there I thogght I heard her moving about- I
then went up to her lied ro.i.n. In atked her if she felt
any better. She said shii was wiles. Went, into the
room Uhl saw IitAiLIS iia the fi ea, mid noticed that a piece
of eaTet ia front of the had boon diatulsod.
Prisoner we, d,csaad, and alLtinn on the lied. Ste slid
her rune in the house at usual. On nbtioiog that the
carpet in !mud Of the Ilre.place had been inured, I put
Ii tad np the etti.nliey. and felt What I thoutzlit to he
She leg or aria of a eiiil-1. It-id the mkoher live hours
afterward' what bad happened, aol she commoueed cry.
tog. I told my husband whit ha I hal,pened. About lire
or sin o'clock in the morning I went to the room where
prioner slept, mid said, "Come. Emma ; let us see what
is in the chi mm ey." She pat her loin I up the ciiiinuoy,
and brotreht down a full.krown chili, quite dead. She
laid it on the door, and I. searched the room, but could
not find any bign% of baby clothes. I bad not the
slightest idea the pruner w Slieti;rite.
Mr. Erasinnii Benjamin Phillips, surgeon, deposed :
On the rimming of the 9:11 instant I examined the pri-
soner, and lowed she Ind recently been delivered of a
child. I also examined the body of the child found in
the chimney. It wan a follgrown, well-developed male,
and had bee born within forty-eight hours of the time
saw it There were no marks of external violence
beyond an abrasion on the back. I mad. a po•f-uivrfsto
examination of the body on the following day. The
heart, lungs, and abdominal viscera were healthy, and
the child must have taken a great many respirations.
The abrasion on the back inay have been caused by put-
ting the child lip the chimney whilst it was alive. The
child we. full-grown, 20 inches long, and weighed 711,n.
The lungs were of a light reddish colour. The right
lung projecting Inward to the front of the heart, being
at the pericardium, fully inn ited. They were erepitnnt
on pressure. The other lung was the same. I removed
the heart slid lungs and placed them in a basin of water.
The lungs floated, the heart being attached. I then
separated the lungs and they floated, and were very
buoyant, the lunge being distended so no to be seen with
the naked eye. lam of opinion that the child died }Torn
. exposure to cold, and from want of proper attendance,
and partly from loss of blood from the navel string.
Police sergeant Kennedy said: From information I
received from last witness, I apprehended the prisoner
on the 9th instant, at Mr. Moseley'e, and charged her
with the wilful murder of her newly-born male child.
she commenced crying, and said she had told Mr. Phil-
lips all about it. .
On being charged, prisoner said &S had nothing to say
in answer to the charge, and she was committed to take
her trial at the next Worcester Assizes.