The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-08-21 00:00:00

SHOCKING REVELATIONS El

, ouiäwti.

On Saturday, at Southwark Police-court, Ed ward
Edgar, a seaman, of 42, Wootton-street, Lower.
marsh, giving his age as 18, but looking older, was
brought up on a warrant, charged with; aiding and
abetting Lydia Westlake in feloniously concealing the
birth of her illegitimate child. Mr. St. John Wuntner
prosecuted for the Treasury. It would seem that the
prisoner and Westlake, who is a girl of about 18, had
kept company for some time, and, it being discovered
that '...she was enceinte, she was forbidden her father's
house and Edgar's, and finally had to leave her situa-
tion. One night, from something that had occurred on
the Thames Embankment, she was followed and given
into custody for having left a newly-born child in a
sack containing hair in Victoria-court, Southwark, and,
the divisional surgeon not being able to certify that
the child had had a separate existence, she was
charged with concealment of birth, remanded, and
finally committed for trial at the Old Bailey, where
she was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment, and,
through the instrumentality of some kind ladies, is
now in a borne at Norwood. Originally she gave her
name as Smith, and stated that, having no home, she
had been confined in the open street, but subsequently,
released from her fear of prisoner's influence, she
volunteered an entirely different statement, on which
Edgar was apprehended, and the Crown took up the
prosecution. Lydia Westlake now stated that, having
lost her situation, and having no home to go to, she
used to go to prisoner's home after dark, and pass the
night in the kitchen with him. She had been keeping
company with him for twelve months, and it was in
consequence of their intimacy that she had to leave her
home. He was aware of her condition, and for three
weeks before the birth be used to watch for her and
open the door to her. On the night of her trouble,
shortly after getting into the kitchen, she was seized
with pains and groaned and cried.. He punched her
four times in the Lead, and said if she made that row
she would rouse the house. She told him she could not
help it, and begged him to get her some assistance,
but he stolidly refused. She put her bonnet and
shawl on, and said she would go herself, but her
strength failed her when she got as far as the back
'yard, and she fell down, and was there confined. The
prisoner came out, and she again asked him to fetch
somebody, but he again refused. He saw what had
occurred. He was about to pick her up, when the
child cried, and Edgar, exclaiming "The little devil
will bring all the neighbours round us," picked it up
and carried it downstairs. He then carried her
downstairs, but on her asking for her child he refused
to let her see it. On her insisting he took her into
the other room, and she there found the child in a
pail of water, with something tied tightly round its
mouth. She asked why he had done it, and he
replied that it would not live long, as it had not blood
enough in it. Shortly afterwards she fell asleep, and
slept for three hours and a half, when he woke her
up, and she found the child wrapped in some of her
anderclothing and in a sack tied with her apron. He
Jpened the door and told her to carry the bundle
shout all day and he would throw it into the river.
She said, "I am not strong enough to carry myself,
let alone that," to which he replied, "Well, go into
St. Jame'-park and wait for me." She said, "I can't
get even so far as that," to which he answered, "Any-
where, so long as you do not stay in the - neigh-
bourhood," and turned her out, saying he would meet
her that night at Waterloo Bridge. She was so ill,
however, that she left the bundle in Victoria-court,
and, having been stopped by a cohstable,. gave a
false name, according to prisoners instructions, but
i
his address. She walked about n great pain, and
met him at Waterloo Station, when he said," You
have done a nice thing in giving my address;
there have been three detectives after me. "He
directed her to get on the other side of the water,
arid told her to make the statement she had first
made, and if a verdict was given of "Found
drowned, to say the child fell into a large puddle of
water, and also to deny his paternity of the child, and
to state that she had been attacked by four men on
'Clapham-common, who had chloroformed her and
outraged her. That night, having no home, she re-
turned to his house, and after he and his mother had
failed to get her to leave they gave her into custody.
Evidence having been given bearing out the girl's
statemert in its main particulars, Sergeant Boswell,
L Division, stated that the hair found in the sack was
similar to the hair used by Mrs. Edgar as a brush-
maker, and that both she and prisoner stoutly denied
that they had seen Lydia _Westlaka„ for, ft least a.
month or six weeks prior to her confineilent. On
her statement being read over to him he simply re-
marked, "It's thick, but made no attempt to deny it.
The prisoner was committed to take his trial at the
Old Bailey. _ .

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