The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-11-08 00:00:00

ALLEGED CASE OF PROCURING ABORTION.

A protracted inquiry was brought to a conclusion late
on Friday night at the Canning's Head Tavern, Sidney
-
street, Mile-end Old-town, before Mr. Humphreys, the
coroner for East Middlesex, involving the serious
charge of procuring abortion against two persons.
It ameared from the evidence that Ann Smith, a
single woman, who had been servant at a publichuuse
at Shadwell, was delivered at her lodgings, on Sunday
week, of • female child, the dead body of which was found
in the chamber utensil by the neighbours whom she
called to her assistance, and one of whom die requested
to bury it in the garden, witieh the refilled to do, but
gave notice to the police that Smith had told her that
instruments had been used to procure abortion.
Mr. Horton, the divisional police surgeon, deposed to
having examined the body of the child, upon which he
found no external marks of violence. The lungs were
! oollapeed and would not float, but from having been
born under the circumstances detailed in evidence the
child might have been then suffocated. The child was a
seven or eight months child, and there was no apparent
reason why it should not have been born alive. It was
quite possible that abortion could have been procured
without the child being marked by the instrument

employed.
Ann Smith, the mother of the deceased, stated that
on the previous Saturday (the day before her delivery)
she called upon a Mrs. Gibbon, who keeps • chemist's
shop in the Back-road, Shadwell, and told her that she
felt pains in the loins, but Mrs. Gibbon said she did not
think she was near her confinement. Had called pre-
viously on Mrs. Gibbon, who gave her a powder. Did
not believe the child was born alive, and admitted that
she intended, if possible, to procure abortion, but did
not go to Mrs. Gibbon in reference to that matter.
James Chislett, a labourer, deposed to having accom-
panied Smith to Mrs. Gibbon's shop about three weeks
since, and waited outside for her about an hour and a
half. Upon their return Smith said that Mrs. Gibbon
had not given her any medicine, but had used an in-
strument to her. Witness had been living with Smith
for three weeks, and knew she was in the familyway by
another person.
Mrs. Gibbon was called, and after being duly can•
tinned by the Coroner said, she was a widow, and con-
tinued the chemist's business which her late husband
had carried on at Back-road, Shelwell. Ann Smith had
been in the habit of coming to her shop occasionally for
small articles. Smith had recently told her she was in
the familyway, and asked her to attend in her confine-
ment; but she did not go on Sunday when sent for, as
she did not consider herself engaged. Sent a person on
Sunday to see how Smith was, and also sent • mixture
of laudanuan and powdered nitre to be taken if she had
been confined.
Aim Smith, upon being recalled and closely pressed,
said she went with Chidett to Mrs. Gibbon's to meet a
young MAU named Wells, the father of her child, who
had previously had some convensat. with Mrs. Gib-
bon, about her terms, which were Els), for which she
required • written undertaking. Wells refused to give
the underbsking, but was to find the uioney. He
slid not anise to Mrs. Gibbon's on the night that
thislett accompanied her there. After being cautioned
by the t7oroiser the witness said Mrs. Gibbon had used
an instrument upon her three times, and had also given
her two powders which were to assist in procuring abor-
tion. She declined to say whether she first proposed to
Mrs. Gibbon to procure abortion. She had not paid
Mrs. Gibbon any money, nor did she know that Wells I
had.
Mrs. Gibbon, upon being recalled, denied having re-
ceived any money from any one on account of Smith.
The Coroner, in summing up to the jury, remarked
upon the lamentable frequency of the crime of infan-
ticide within his district, which, in fact, was so allolllll,ll
that it appeared to be no longer regarded as a crime by
some classes in that portion of the metropolis with
which lie was officially aamainted. At the same time
be cautioned the jury not to be lest away by the general
outcry that WAS now justly raised against the crime of
infanticide, but to decide upon the present case strictly
according to the evidence that had been adduced before
them.
The jury, after a patient and laborious investigation
(the adjourned sitting having lasted from four p.m. until
pest eleven at night), returned a verdict of " Wilful
murder against Ann Smith and Martha Gibbon."
The Coroner then issued warrants for the committal
of the two women for trial, and they were immediately
conveyed to Newgate.