Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-19 00:00:00

A MAN

AND HIS WIFE COMMITTED FOR
MURDERING THEIR CHILD.

On Monday, Mr. Herford held an inquest at the
William the Fourth public-house, Rusholme-road, on the
body of a female infant, aged four days, the child of John
and Charlotte Parkinson. Mrs. Elizabeth Mawdsley,
of Hyde Grove, stated that on the sth instant the
parents of the child engaged lodgings at her house, and
afterwards entered them. About midnight on Saturday
week Mrs. Parkinson was confined, mid her husband
went for a surgeon. No nurse was sent for, the
husband saying that he could do all that was wanted
himself. The child seemed to have arrived at matu-
rity, and several times the witness observed that
it was going on remarkably well. In reply to the
witness's questions, Mrs. Parkinson told her that the
doctor had said the child was weak in its lungs, and would
die in convulsions. On Wednesday morning the child'
appeared' to be going on remarkably well, but the next
morningit died. Witness questioned the parents about
the death; as she found that it had died with its mouth
open, andthat its lips and tongue were quite black. They
replied that "it was inwardly convulsed, and that they
had watched it die." The husband said, "Now; we must
get it interred as soon as we can, and we must do it as a
still-born child." Witness told them that they would
have to bury-it in a proper manner. The husband went
for a joiner-to make a coffin and on Friday Mrs. Parkin-
son told witness that the child' was going to be buried,
and that they had got a certificate from the registrar ;
and she seemed "well pleased" at it. Mr. Chas. James
Rix, surgeon; said he attended Mrs. Parkinson soon after
midnight ow Saturday: There had been no preparations.
In reply to a'question which was put to him by somebody,
and which he. thought a strange one, he told them- that
the child was "likely enough to live." It had arrived
at maturity. He never made any remark (as stated by
Mrs. Parkinson to the former witness) about the child
having convulsions, or being likely to die, or anything
of the kind. On Monday the child was doing well.
On Thursday Parkinson came to him, and told him
that the child was dead, and asked for a certifi-
cate, which he refused to- give. He asked why he
had not been sent for when the,ehild was thought likely to
die ; and the man replied that-" he thought it would not
have been much use." He told the husband that •an
inquest must he held, and he had better go to the Coroner's
office, but he seemed unwilling to do so. He made' a
post-mortem examination, and found the child generally.
healthy. It had died from- suffocation, and not from con-
vulsions. The discolorations on the chin and neck might
have been done during or after death. The same pressure
might produce suffocation, and the appearances under the
chin. Mr. E. B. Rowley, registrar of births and deaths,.
said that Parkinson came- to him to register the child, but
brought no medical certificate, alleging that the child
was so young and premature that he did not think it
worth while. He therefore registered it as " premature,
and not certified." The jury returned a verdict of
" Wilful murder" against John and Charlotte Parkinson,
for whose committal to Kirkdale Gaol the Coroner issued
his warrant. The father and mother both stated that
the child had died naturally of convulsions, and described
how the death occurred.