The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-01 00:00:00

Alleged Child Murder on Christmas-day.

Yesterday morning considerable excitement prevailed irr
the district of Limehouse by its being rumoured that a young
woman, servant to a respectable tradesman, had been taken
into custody by the police on suspicion of having murdered
a child to which she had given birth on Christmas-day-
The circumstances of the case were of a peculiarly painful
character, the unfortunate accused, immediately after giving
birth to the child, having actually sat down to the Christ
mas dinner with her fellow servants in a desperate endea-
vour to avert suspicion from her position; but her evident
agony being noticed, detection of course followed. Her
name, it Appears, is Rebecca Porter, and for the last five
months she has been in the service of Mr. Harris, keeper of
an eating-house in Hales-terrace, West India-road, Lime-
house, and she is about 28 or 30 years of age.
The child supposed to have been murdered was found
lacked up in a box, and is stated to be a fine male child,
fully developed. An inquest on the body has been opened
by the deputy coroner, Mr. Walthew, and the following
evidence was taken :
Mrs. Jane Harris, 2,Hale's-terrace, deposed —The mother
of the child, Rebecca Porter, entered my service on the 10th
July last. I had a character with her from the barmaid of
a public-house where she had previously lived. I had no
suspicion that she was enciente. but six weeks ago, in conse-
quence of her wearing such a large crinoline, I taxed her
with being in the family way. She assured me most em-
phatically that she was not. A fortnight ago I desired her to
leave off crinoline, as hers was so large that it was in the
way, and the other servants were jeering her about it. She
told me she would not go without crinoline for anybody
and she gave me notice to leave if I did not like it. I said,
" Very well, leave in a month," She had denied so, posi-
tively that she was enciente, that I had then no suspicion
of her state. On Christmas morning she complainetl of
a bilious attack, and I let her discontinue work. She
did not come down before dinner, and I went up-
stairs and met her coming down. She sat down to din-
ner, but seemed very ill indeed. She stooped down,
however, to take tea with the other servants. My suspicions
became aroused and I went into her room. There was a
large pool of blood on the floor. I accused her, but she
denied for half an hour that anything was wrong. I then,
threatened that I would send for my surgeon and have her
examined. She then confessed. I insisted on seeing the
child. She unlocked her box, which was under the bed, and
showed me in a bandbox the deceased child wrapped up in a
piece of cloth. She had partly washed the child, I did not
look at it, so that I did not see marks on its throat or neck.
I told Mr. Harris what had occurred. The mother begged
of me to allow her to bury the child and to take her back
into my service, but of course I could not, and Mr. Harris
had to inform the police of what had taken place. I have
since learned that she is not a London woman, but that she
was married at Lynn, and that her husband was dead. She
told me that she was in expectation of being married to the
father of the child, but she denies that she knows where be
lives. She did not state who he was, but said that he was
a respectable young man.
Mr. Matthew Brownfield, M.R.C.S., said that on Christ-
mas evening he was called in to the accused, and he saw the
child dead in a box. She admitted that she had given birth
to it. There were two marks from pressure by the fingers
on the throat—one mark a, the right side, under the ear,
and the other on the left. The child was fully developed.
The post-mortem examination showed that the child had
fully breathed. The lungs floated. The cord had been cut,
but was not tied, consequently there had been great Lemon.'
hage, and the pool of blood on the floor had undoubtedly
been so caused. The child might possibly have died from
loss of blood and want of proper attendance, or it might
have died from strangulation.
By the Jury—The marks of violence on the neck might ,
possibly have been caused by efforts at self-delivery, or by
other means. It was difficult to state. The mother was muoh
distressed in mind, and I found it necessary to endeavour
to console her.
The Coroner adjourned the proceedings for the attendance
of the accused. •
It was understood that the accused would be removed 14
Inspector Beare to the infirmary of the workhouse, where
she will be detained under surveillance until she is suffi-
ciently recovered to be brought before the magistrate.