The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-28 00:00:00

THE MURDER IN HAMPSHIRE.

Yesterday morning, Mr. R. Harfield, the Deputy
Coroner for Hampshire, opened an inquiry at the
Duke's Head Inn, Alton, into the cause of the death
of Fanny Adams, aged seven years and six months.
Mr. Superintendent Everitt (acting Chief Con-
stnble) and Mr. Superintendent Cheyney watched
the case on the part of the police.
The Deputy-Coroner said they had been sum-
moned to inquire into the cause of the death of
Fanny Adams, and he feared, fratn what he had
heard, they would have to listen to a very melan-
choly tale.

The jury then proceeded to view the remains of
the cl.il 1, and. on their return to the inquest-room
the accused, Frederick Baker, a solicitor's clerk,
was brought in handcuffed.
The first witness called was the child Minnie
Warner. She said—On Saturday we went to play
in " the Hcllow" with Fanny Adams and her little
sister. While we were there a young man came,
and said, " Holloa !" and then he said ho would
give me a penny to run down with Fanny into the
" Hollow." We did that. He said he would give
me another halfpenny, and if we would go into Mr.
Chalcraft's field he would pick some berries for us.
We went, and he picked some berries for us. He
then told us to go home, and he took up Fanny
and carried her away. He had on a black coat,
li7ght waistcoat and trousers, and a tall hat.

At the request of the Deputy. Coroner the child
looked round the room to see if she could identify
the man who took Fanny away, but she did not do
so, the crowd staring in at the windows and loudly
talking, evidently frightening her.

George Adams, the father of the deceased, iden-
tified her remains.

Harriet Adams, the wife of the last witness,
proved that her daughter left home to go and play
in the fields as usual. She went with her younger
sister, Elizabeth Adams, and Minnie Warner, about
half-past one. In the course of the afternoon Lizzie
returned home, and, thinking Fanny had gone with
her father, who was playing cricket on the Butts,
she did not look for her till Mrs. Gardner came, and
they went with Minnie to look for her ; but did not
find her. They saw a man coming out of the gate
of the field into the meadow, and Minnie said,
" That is the man who gave us the pennies." He
said, " No, it was three halfpennies I gave you, and
the others a halfpenny." Mrs. Gardner took hold
of him, and asked him what was his name. He said,
" No matter what's my name, you'll find me at Mr.
Clements' office if you want me." Mr. Clements is
solicitor in Alton. The man's name is Frederick
Baker, and this is the man (pointing to the accused).
Mrs. Gardner asked him where the child was, and
he said he had not seen her since he left them at the
gate at play. They went home, and Baker went
the other way towards the Basingstoke-road. She
went out again, but did not find the child, and later
she heard the body was found.
Jane Gardner said —I live at Alton, and am a
near neighbour of the parents of the deceased. On
Saturday I heard the child was missing, and just
after five I went with the mother in search of it. I
saw the accused walking along at the top of the
meadow, as if coming from " the Hollow," towards
the Basingstoke-road, by a footpath at the side of
the river Wey. I called to him, and he came to
meet me. I asked him what he had done with the
child he took away with him at half-past one, and
which had not been seen since. He said, " I hav'nt
seen one." I said, " What did you give those chil-
dren halfpence for and send them away ?" He made
no answer to that. I said, " Hear comes one of the
children," and Minnie Warner came up at the mo-
ment. I then said to the child, " Did this gentleman
give you any money. to-day ?" She said, yes,
threepence." He said, "No ; three halfpence." I
said, ,4 What did he give Lizzie, and what did he
give Fairny?" Minnie Warner saki, "A halfpenny."
I said, " What did he do then ?" and she repliel,
" Told me to go home and spend it." I again said,
" What did he do with Fanny ?" She said, " Ile
took her up the Hollow' behind the high hedge in
the hop-garden." The accused was standing close
to me all the time. I said to Mrs. Adams, " You
give him in charge to the police." He said he would
go. I said, " Well, the reason I speak so is that
an old man has been giving halfpence to the chil-
dren for no good purpose, and I thought you were
of the same sort ; but if I am wrong I humbly beg
your pardon." I said, "We must have your name,"
and he said I am to he found at Mr. Clements'.
I then went home, and between 7 and 8 o'clock I
heard some one screaming, and a cry, " The head
is found !" I then went into the hop-garden, and
saw the head and trunk of a child lying where the
garden is approached by a gate at the top of the
lane, called " the Hollow." When I first spoke to
Baker he could not reply, being apparently speech-
less, and he walked away for perhaps a yard, when
he exclaimed, " I have not seen the child !" When
he left me and Mrs. Adams in the meadow he went
along a path directly in front of Mrs. Porter's house.
The Deputy-Coroner, addressing the accused,

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there was any question he wished to ask of any *0
the witnesses, he could do so.
The accused said he had no question to ask.
Ann Murritt deposed to seeing Baker twice in
the afternoon of Saturday, the first time coming
along the footpath towards Alton. II: had on a
pair of light trousers and a high hat. That was
about 3 o'clock. About 5, or between that and 6,
she saw him again ; he crossed the churchyard and
went towards the " IIollow." Ile looked at her and
her little girl very hard, and that made her notice
him particularly. He kept looking round at them
as he went up the park.
•
Emma Smith said she beard that the child was
missing. She saw a man come out of the hop-
garden into the lane. He leapt over the gate. Mrs.
Adams and Mrs. Gardner, who came up at the
time, went and met him. The witness did not
know the man, nor could she identify him. He
had on light trousers and waistcoat, and a high
hat.

Elizabeth Warner also proved that she saw the
accused in the lane about 5 o'clock on the afternoon
of Saturday. He went to the top of the lane and
then disappeared.

Thomas Gates said he attended to Mr. Chalcraft's
bop-garden. Hearing the child was missing, and
had been last seen near there, be went to search,
and found, first, a piece of a child's dress covered
with blood, and then the head between two hop-
poles and the ground. About twenty yards up the
garden he found a leg, and further on the trunk.
It was cut open like a sheep that bad been killed.
The remains were all put together till a policeman
came.

Henry Allen deposed to finding the heart in the
hop-garden about 9 o'clock on Saturday night, and
next morning found an arm in the stubble field at
the top cud of the hop-garden. The arm was
covered over. with some helie clipping. It was
about two yards from " the Hollows " lane. He
returned to the hop-garden and there found the
lungs. These remains were gathered together, and
given to the police.
Thomas Swain proved finding a foot of a child
in a clover field next to " the Hollow."
After some further evidence as to finding the rest
of the remains, Maurice Biddle, a clerk to Messrs.
Clements, solicitors at Alton, stated that the ac-
cused was in the office about 6 o'clock, and told the
witness about the women speaking to him of the
child. He said it would be very awkward for him
if the girl was murdered. They went over to the
Swan tap for a glass of ale, and Baker then said he
was going away on Monday. The " boots "at the
public-house said he was going on Monday, and
Baker said he would go with him. The " boots "
said he could turn his hand to anything, but Baker
couldn't, and Baker said, " Yes, I could turn
butcher," The witness afterwards saw him at Mr.
Clements, a chemist, and said, " They say you
murdered the child." He replied "Never Maurice!
It's a bad job for me then." They went back to
the office together, and Superintendent Cheyney
came and placed an officer in charge of Baker.
Baker told the witness he had gin and beer in the
morning. lie was sometimes under the influence
of liquor.
Louis Leslie, M.D., said he is divisional surgeon
to the police force in Alton, and had examined
the parts of the body of a child at the police station.
He described them, and said the dismemberment
must have taken place after death. A post mortem
examination of the head showed a contused wound
completely dividing the scalp. The blow must have
been severe, and he was inclined to think was in-
flicted by a stone. Such a blow would cause im-
mediate insensibility, and death might follow. It
was perfectly impossible to say whether any act of
criminal violence had taken place. On Saturday
night witness examined the person of the prisoner,
there were no marks or scratches about him, but
his trousers, socks, and boots, one leg particularly,
were very wet. The witness spoke of that fact to
him, and he said, Unfortunately for me they are,
but that proves nothing." There was blood on both
wristbands, and Superintendent Cheyney asked him
how he could account for the blood, and Baker said.
" I can't account for it," and, looking at his person,
he added, "I don't see any cuts or scratches that
would account for it." Whether the blood was
human or not the witness could not say.
William Walker said he found a large stone
(produced) in the hop garden. There was a long
hair on it and pieces of flesh. It was close to the
spot where the head was found.
Mr. Superintendent Cheyney said that, having
heard of the murder, he went to Baker's office, he
having been last seen with the child, and on telling
him of the charge he said, "I know nothing about
it. lam willing to go where you like." The wit-
ness left a constable with him, and after hearing the
statement of Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Gardner took
him into custody. The prisoner's clothes were pro-
duced, there being spots of blood on the trousers,
as if they had been washed. On Monday morning
witness and Superintendent Everitt went to the
office of the prisoner, and in his desk they found a
diary, with a memorandum under date Saturday,
August 24, " Killed a young girl. It was fine and
hot." That entry the prisoner admitted was in his
handwriting.
Evidence was then given as to the finding of two
eyes, supposed to be those of the deceased. They
were found in the IVey, near the place of the
murder.
The Coroner then asked the accused whether he
desired to say anything, to which he replied, "Ico,
sir, only that I am innocent."
The Coroner then summed up with great care,
and the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder
against Frederick Baker, for killing and slaying
Fanny Adams."
The warrant was then made out for the com-
mittal of the prisoner to Winchester gaol.

The magisterial examination will be bold on
Thursday.

BOAT ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.—Last evening
Mr. Wm. Carter, the coroner for East Surrey, proceeded
with an inquiry at the house of Mr. Messenger, the "Rose
and Crown" Tavern, Collingwood-street, Illackfrio.rs-road,
on the body of Henry Yates, a bootmaker's shopman, who
was drowned by the swamping of a boat on the river
Thames. Evidence having been given, the jury returned
a verdict, "That the decease," lost his life accidentally by
the swamping of a boat in the river Thames."

PICKING UP A DERELICT.-011 Thursday an
American barque, named the Cashmere, arrived in the har-
bour, having in tow a large iron ship, which she picked up
off Cape Clear. Tho Cashmere was bound from Quebec
for Cardiff, and on the voyage she experienced very bad
weather. When she arrived off Cape Clear she observed
an apparently abandoned ship lying to the south. The
Cashmere hove to, and after a while came up to the dere-
lict. She was thoroughly searched, but no man living was
seen on board, and the vessel presented the appearance of
having gone through a great deal of bad weather. There
was not a vestige of rigging standing, and her decks were
swept clear of every moveable article. Her hull, however,
did not appear in the least damaged, though she had a
cargo—coal and iron—better calculated to cause injury
than perhaps any other. She is, however, a very strong
built vessel, which accounts for her hull being so free
from damage. Her name is the Czar, and she belongs to
Glasgow, from which port she was bound to Quebec.
There are no tidings of her crew, but it is hoped they
were picked up by some passing vessel. The derelict at
present lies at Passage.—Cork Examiner.
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