The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-08 00:00:00

Shocking Case of Infanticide.

---.llo—
ae Mr. F. S. Langham, the deputy coroner for
Westminster, held an inquest at St. Martin's Vestry-hall,
on the body of a. female child, found in one of the drawers
in a bed-room at Charing-cross Hotel, and alleged to be
the offspring of one of the domestic servants, named Amelia
Southerwood, who is at present in the infirmary at St.
Martin's workhouse under the surveillance of the police,
and will be charged with the wilful murder of the child.
Mr. InspeCtor Brennan, from Bow-street, E division, was
present to watch the case for the police authorities.
The jury having been sworn, with Mr. Richard Foulkes
as foreman, the body, which had been 13 ing in tho cata-
combs undo St. Martin's Church, was brought in in a shell.
Mr. M. J. Verdon, surgeon, of 4, Craven-street, Strand,
said—On Friday evening, about five, I was sent for to the
Charing-cross Hotel, to see a female whose name I do not
know, and I found her iu bed in a room nearly at the top
of the. house. I accused her of having had a child and
asked her where it was, but she denied having had one. I
told her she must have had a child, and it was no use her
using any deception, as it must be here. I did what was
necessary for her state, and then examined her box which
was in the room, but found no child there, and searched
the drawers in her room, but did not find any child, and
just then she called the attendant, Martha Mack, and told
her she had had a child. I put the question to her, after
she had spoken to Mack, and I asked her, "What did you
da with it ?" She pointed out to Mack a chest of drawers
belonging to another girl who slept in the room and said
she had put it there, and had put some clothes over it. I
looked there, and found the body the jury. have seen. I took
up the child and examined it. It was.quite dead. It appeared
to be fully matured and healthy. There was a lacerated
wound on the neck, a little above the collar-bone, about
an inch in length, and au inch and a half in depth. There
was also a darkish discoloured mark round the neck, and
at the back of it. The umbilical cord was untied. The bead
appeared to be only held to the body by skin, the spine
having been apparently broken. I have made a post mor-
tem examination, and, on applying the usual tests to the
lungs, I found that the child had breathed. The soft parts
of the neck were injured and the spine dislocated. The
other organs were healthy. From the appearances I have
no hesitation in saying that the child had a separate and
independent existence. It was of full term. The lacerated
wound was caused by drawing the head against something.
The cause of death was from dislocation of the spine by
violence. After I foUnd the body I said, " You have acted
very badly to destroy life. It is a terrible thing to take
away the life of a child." She made no reply. She was
very weak from loss of blood. The child may have died
from loss of blood.

The Foreman of the jury—Did you notice anything as
to the state of her mind ? •

The Coroner—We have nothing to do with that here. If
there is any ground for such a defence it is a question for
another court.

Martha Mack deposed—l am the head chambermaid at
the Charing-cross Hotel. On Friday, about a quarter to 5,
I went up to see Amelia Southerwood, one of the house-
maids, in her room, and asked her what was the matter
with her, and she said, " I shall be better presently." I
was in the room when the doctor came the second time. I
did not then hear anything she said to the doctor. After
the doctor had been the first time I changed her clothing,
and from what I saw I sent for the doctor immediately and
he came. He accused her (Amelia Southerwood) of having
had a child, but she strongly denied having had one, but
upon my pressing her again she spoke to me. I could not
hear what she said, but she pointed to the drawers, and in
the top long drawer I found the body of the child. She
begged me to put it out of sight, and let no one see it. I
left it in the drawer till the doctor came. I asked her next
morning what she cut it with—how the throat came cut,
and she said she did not cut it with anything, but squeezed
it between the drawers ; and I then asked her whether
she put the head or the body in the drawers. She said she
put it in with the head hanging outside. I also asked her
if the child cried, and she said yes.
Mr. Verdon recalled—The way in which the last wit-
ness has described the child being put into the drawer
with its head hanging outside would correspond with the
marks on the child.

Martha Mack recalled by a juror—Southerwood has been
in the service about two months ; there was no suspicion
that she was enciente.

Thomas Cartwright, living at 54, Noble-street, St. Luke's,
who had been at work on the top of the hotel fitting some
ironwork, deposed -to having witnessed the birth of the
child through a window.
Alice Freeman deposed that she had been housemaid at
the hotel about a week. On Friday she had occasion to go
into Amelia Southerwood's room in the afternoon, and see-
ing blood on the floor asked her whit it was, and Souther-
wood said she thought she had broken a blood-vessel. She
seemed very bad, and witness did not think of sending for
a doctor, but she heard that others had done so.

Thomas Tabey, detective officer at the Charing-cross
Hotel, said he received the body from Martha Mack.
Inspector Brennan said that was all the evidence that
was forthcoming.
The Coroner said that it was but seldom that a case of
infanticide was clearly proved. Infanticide had risen to a
fearful height, and was still on the increase, and legislative
enactments were loudly called for.
The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against
Amelia Southerwood, and the usual -arrant having been
made out, it was handed to Brennan to put in force.

FOUR MEN DROWNED IN THE THAMES.—A de-
plorable accident took place on the Thames on Wednes-
day, by which four lives were lost. It appears that about
one o'clock the Zephyr, screw steamer, bound for Rotter-
dam, was proceeding down the river, and when off Dept-
ford came into collision with a small skiff, which had nine
persons on board. The whole party were thrown into
the river, and five of them were picked up by ballast
lighters, which immediately put off to their assistance.
The other four persons were drowned.
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