The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-25 00:00:00

The Extraordinary Charge at Stafford.

Yesterday morning, Georgo ?rands Griffith and Thyrza
Tunstall, surrendered to their ail before the sitting magis-
trates at the Town-hall, Stafford, charged with the conceal-
ment of the birth of the illegitimate child of the female
prisoner, the male prisoner bang the reputed father of the
said child.

The case was partly investgated at the inquest, which
was held at Dolgelly a few dys after the child had been
found on the bank of the rive' Mawddach in the county of
Merionethshire, on the 23d of September, and the magis-
terial investigation has beeupostponed several times for
various reasons.

Mr. Bowen, solicitor at Stafford, appeared for the prose-
cution; Col. Hogg, chief constable, and Mr. Supezintendent
Oswell, deputy chief constabe of the county constabulary,
being also present; Mr. Motbrlm, barrister, of the Oxford
Circuit, instructed by Mr. R W. Hand and Mr. Stafford,
defending the prisoner Griffir ; Mr. Goo. Palmer, solicitor,
of Itugeley, defending Thyrea Tunstall.
Ann Dyche, a servant of Xr. Griffin, sen., with whom his
son, the prisoner, lived, said she did not know the female
prisoner was in the family 'Fay, nor did she see any prepa-
rations made for a baby beint born. The prisoner confessed
to her that she had been delverod of a child.

Henry Thomas Lomax, &surgeon practising at Stafford,
saw the female prisoner of Sept. 28th, and was satisfied
she had been recently deli-ered. She admitted she had a
child, and said there was m use sending for him, as it died
immediately after its birth.
Benjamin Thomas Oswel said—l am superintendent of
police at Stafford, and on ihursday, the 28th, I saw Thyrza
Tunstall at Messre.Griffine house. I told her of the charge
against her, and we were iollowed by Mr. John Griffin, the
prisoner's father, Col. Uogc, and Capt. Clough. When there
the prisoner cried and appiared to be very much distressed,
and said, "I beg Mr. Grifin you'll forgive me." I then be-
gan to search the room anl Ann Dyche came in. The pri-
soner said, "Oh Ann, wh&ever shall I do?" and "Oh Ann,
if you'd only stayed in the room that morning this would
not have happened. I did not think I was so ill. I think I
saw it breathe, and then [ fainted and fell on the floor."
As r searched the prisonemsked what I was searching for,
and I said for the other p:tt of this—pointing to the bot-
tom part of a pillow case ihich Capt. Clough then held in
his band. She said, "Ohl don't think you'll find it, for I
cut it up and threw it don the closet in the yard." In
consequence of a message Iwent toWorthington's house and
saw Thyrza Tunstall thee. She said, "Oh, Mr. Oswell,
I'm glad you've come, for I've been waiting to see you.
Don't you think it's a great shame that Mr. George should
be liberated ?" That was after they had been before the
Bench, and Mr. Griffin has been admitted to bail. She con-
tinued speaking, and said," Oh, Mr. Oswell, you may take
me into Wales and do NOat you like with me there ; but
don't let me go into this col, for I shall break my heart if
ever I enter Stafford prisol• If Mr. Griffin knew, I'm sure
he'd bail me out himself. What I want you to do is to see
Mr. Griffin and Mr. Buclatone, for I'm sure either of them
would bail me out." 'understood her to refer to Mr.
Griffin, sen. She had toll me she had lived as servant to
Mr. Buckstone. I told he' I could not see either of these
parties, but I would see ha mother and tell her what she
wanted, and prisoner said, "Do so." I then got up to go
away, and she said, " Oh, Mr. Oswell, don't go yet ; don't
leave me alone, for I feel (nit() alone now that Mr. George
has turned his back upon ne, and wants to put the whole
of the blame on my she-adore. But he shan't ; it is his
child, and he ought to have married me, and not to have let
this disgrace fall upon us )oth."
Mr. Motteram objected ,o the reception of the conversa-
tion, on the ground that it was not evidence against Griffin,
and did not tend to establish any guilt on Tunstall.
Superintendent Oswell,continuing : I said to her, "Now,
mind what you say. Yet should be careful and not talk
about this matter carelossy, for what you now say may be
used by me in evidence alainst you. Mind, I am for the
prosecution." Sho repred, "Ah I Dr. Lomax told me
so. Ho said I was I fool, and ought to hold my
tongue. lie tells me this every time he sees me, and so
does Mr. Hutchinson." She said, " Well, Mr. Oswoll, I'll
tell you the whole truth tbout it, for I'm not going to be
sent to gaol while he's at liberty, and perhaps
laughing about the patter. You must know that
about a year and a half go Mr. George was ill and con-
fined to hisbed, and I hac to wait upon him night and day.
As he recovered he took ,iberties with me. Some months
ago I thought something was the matter and I told him
so. He said I was frightened ;it was all nonsense. I
told him so again and again, and at last he advised me to
put a ring upon my finger and go to Birmingham and see a
surgeon and be examined. I never did go. I could not
make up my mind. I had medicine from Drs. Lomax and
Averill, and at last on tie Wednesday I was very poorly
indeed, and on that day lir. George went to his brother's.
I was very ill all that night and next morning, and about
10 o'clock I had the child. I thought I saw it breathe. I
fainted and fell cm the floor, and when I came to myself I
thought the baby was dead, and put it under the bed. I
then got into bed, fearing the servants would comp intotbo
room, as they knew I was poorly. I lay in bed all that
day, and when. Mr. George came home at night I met him
in the passage and told him what lend happened. lie asked
me if the baby was dead, and I said I thought it was, and
I had hidden it under the bed. 1 said, ' Mr. George, you
must not think of going away to Wales to-morrow and
leave me in this state, for I'm afraid the other servants will
find itont.' He said he had an appointment and he must
go, and ho thought he had better take the baby with him.
Tho next morning I put tho baby in the bag, he had
wrapped it in some newspapers. I took it to Mr. George's
dressing-room and gave it to him. Ho wrapped it in
some brown paper, and then tied it up. lie left for
Wales by tho mid-day train, and soon after he was
gone I began to think the name might be upon the
newspaper. This made me very uneasy, and I never
rested until ho returned on Tuesday night, when I

asked him what he had done with the baby. He
said, 'Oh ! it's all right. I've thrown it into the sea.' I
told him how I had worried myself about the name being
upon the newspaper, and ho said, 'Pooh ! pooh ! It's all
right. It's only in pencil, and the water will soon wash
that out.' I then rested contented, and oh ! Mr. Oswell,
whoever would have thought this could have been found
out. however, when I get out of this I'll never come back
to Stafford again. Mr. George ought to marry mo or settle
something upon me for life. Don't you think ho ought ?
Sho then began to cry and go into tho matter again, and
shortly afterwards I left the room." I searched, but did
not find any baby linen. I produce a carpet-bag and some
linen—torn, not cut—also part of a pillow-case and two
other pillow-cases I found in her room on a subsequent day.
I also produce a copy of the Manchester Examiner and
Times, with the name of " Mr. G. F. Griffin„ on it. I found
that paper in the sitting room.
The evidence taken in Wales was then called, and the
finding of the body of the child, the identification of 'the
papers, the presence of Mr. Griffin at Dolgelly, and the