Star.
London, England, 1830-10-02 00:00:00

CHILD MURDER.

SIiaTTIIILD, Sr??. 30.

Some excitement has been occasioned in Sheffield and the neighbour.
hood for the last two days, in consequence of the discorea7 of a child
murder, by a young woman, 23/relfitagestaa=re called Heck&
geld, on the road to Leeds from person is Ember
Dyson, a deaf and dumb girl, working at a tlwesd.mill at that place, a
girl of exceeding good appearance, and remarkably shrewd and cunning.

TN! INQUEST.
On Thursday a respectable body of men assembled at the house of
Mr. Ashton, the Black Bull Inn, in F.P.10061e1, near Sheffield, before
Mr. B. BADOZ, Coroner for that district of Yorkshire, oo view of the
body of the child, when the following evidence was adduced:—
Ellen Chaves, the wife of Thomas &saves, of llodasSeld, in the
county of York, illacutter, deposed—l know Eating Dyson, of Ds
elesfield, single woman, who Is about 23 years of BPI she is deaf and
dumb; Hive neat door to her, and she lives with kr Weer who is
leor wkb
also deaf and dumb. Three or four months ago I *lmp&
being in the family way, but she denied it ; she has soffislsnikarendge,
in my opinion, to know what is right or wrong, and lest make bar on.
derstand what I assn. About a month ago I spin challenged her with
being with child, and she seemed angry with me, and is said me by
signs that It was some stuff that she had applied inwardly and oestwaidly
to her throat, which caused her body to swell. I mods Op. M
to begin and make some clothes for her child, at the same dos am.
log her my infant, but she seemed to blow it away,
showing me that ohs was not with child • I was in the Latta=
Rather Dyson daily. On Friday last, the 24th alt. I saw het ahem
twelve o'clock, at her own bowse-door, and she apposed tail* big
in the family way; I did not see her again till shout aka enema
Saturday morning, when she was washing the Imewlissr, and she
a
seemed pale, languid, and weak. CM Saturday waft lent, shoat
nine o'clock, I motioned to her to know how she wan; ie then had a
flannel tied round ha neck. She motioned to me that she had thrown
up a larp substance, and it had settled her body. About 3 o'clock on
Sunday 1, the 26th Inst. I went to her bans, and her brother coo.
timed to me that his sister was in bed very sick, but I did not go up
stairs. About 4 o'clock on the rune day she appeared poorly and
weak, and I desired her brother to maks Nee some tea, and I sopped
till she took It. I left about 5 o'clock on Sunday afternoon. From
metered appearance I have no doubt she had been delivered of a

Mush Butcher corroborated the above evidence, and said, that San
bet observation, as a married woman, she believed the prisoner had been
delivered of a child ea the Friday.
William Graham ermined.—l am a blacksmith. Knows the
tuner, and I think bee intelligent. On Saturday night last, the 16th
invent, about 8 o'clock, I was returning home to Eccleslield from
Wortley, and I met the prisoner in Lee-lane, in Eceledield township,
with something wrapped up before her apron. She was on a footpath
leading ftom Bevusfuld to Wotdey, and about 600 yards from the
Cotton.mill Dam, where the body of a female child has been
found. She having passed, I met Henry Woodhouse, and be asked
me W it was not the dumb girl whom I had met? and I said yes,
it was.

Fanny Guest, a gentleman's servant, who had been in conversation
with Woodhouse, deposed to her having also seen the dumb girl pass
ha, with something under her apron.
James Henderson, overlooks of the thread-mill belonging to Mr. Bar-
low, knows the prisoner and her brother, who is also deaf and dumb.
They have worked in the mill 11 years. Is satisfied that the dumb girl
is capable of distinguishing right from wrong. On Sunday last wit-
ness went to W. Dyson, the dumb man's house, and he willinglyEi
me his keys to examine the !boxes belonging to him I saw 130
suspicious in his room; I then examined the prisoner's room, and
found blood on the chamber floor, and blood partially wiped of the
Soot; the wall was also sprinkled with blood ; I withdrew the curtain
of be chamber window, and observed marks of blood on the window
bottom ; I opened a band box, and found two aprons and a skirt, on
which appeared as if a substance had been laid upon them, the blood
having run through the skirt; the prisoner came up stairs, and, by
signs, desired me to come away, and not search ; being convinced that
something wrong had been'dooe, I sent for the vestry clerk, and in his
presence searched the prisoner's box, and found several articles, from
which it was evident that they belonged to a person who had been de-
livered of a child. On Monday last, about an hour after the child had
been found in the dam, it was brought to the Bcclesfield workhouse, and
laid down by her ; I asked her in her brother's presence why she blamed
him ? She then satisfied me that he had nothing to do with it, but that
she had done it herself; she told her brother in my presence that she
did not throw the child into the dam; she merely laid it in. I conceive
the prisoner to be a shrewd, clever woman.

Ann Briggs examined—l am the wife of Thome Briggs, cutler, of
Eeelesdeld. The piece of green cloth produced by William Shaw, the
constable, and in which the child was found, is a part of a sofa cover
belonging to William Dyson, prisoner's brother I I took the body of
the chi out of the cloth, and thin to the workhouse t I also, at the
sense time, took the head of the child also found in the dam, out of a
separate piece of green cloth, which also belonged to the sofa alluded to.
I have practised as a midwife for upwards of 20 years, and it Is my
opinion that the had of the child has been cut °E by some dull ins.
meat. Mr. Thomas Yeardley, who has a dumb child of his own, gave
as, some books, which are published for the purpose of instructing
deaf and dumb &Sim s he upwards of 12 months I instructed the
tesln midis *nand honing her the dumb alphabet, and she
err teined that hishuMen that I am convinced she can understand*
she is et very quick sprabades. On Monday last I went to the pri-
soner, and asked hoe to explain the manner to me bow she was delivered
oilier WM. 1 said to her, " The child's bead is cut od" I have
seen her several times since, and she still insists that the head came of.
On reproving her with throwing it into the dam, she showed me thusly
bad net thrown it in, but had laid it in pretty and nice.
Jamas Medlin deposed that, in consequence of inhumation given to
hint • Semi nit, he went to the prisoner's house, and found it in
throttaedaasef the other witnesses. I, assisted by W. Show, the
sowadis et earthed the dam, and pulled out des halm
body of s line telLgrown infant—a female. This witness went on to
corroborate the teethwany of Henderson and Oreaves, se to the appear.
anoss in the primeness bsd.room.
Sarah I timpessi—l am the governess of the liceksfield work.
house. I went to tie hues of Dyson, and received from Henderson
certain articlesv=4 in a bundle they were all saturated with blood.
The articles ate the some, and have been in my care ever since.
I amine* boom of the prisoner, and found a deal of milk in
them. She Isid me the erne story, as to the manner in which the head
wee okte the did the Wm witnesses. I produced a knife to her, and
slowei slims that she bad tut the head off. But she threw herself
41111 mod almond the idea.
Wawa Slow, the constable of Ecclesfield, confirmed the testimony
of MiabliS
Mr. 1111liem Jackson, Lecturer on Anatomy, stated that on the 28th
day of ileplember last, he examined Esther Dyson, the priaoncr, and
she had every appearance of having recently been delivered. He was
decidedly of opinion, from the examination that the head of the child
had not been torn or screwed off by the mother. He also had no doubt,
how the particular examination made of the body of the deceased. and
from the appearance which it exhibited on that examination, that the
child was born alive.
Mr. Joseph Campbell, summ, haring also examined both the we.
man and the child, fully corroborated Mr. Jackson's testimony.
The Coroner having summed up,
The Jury retired, and in a few minutes returned with a verdict of—
Wilful Murder against Esther Dyson.
The Coroner then issued a warrant for the unfortunate woman's com.
mittal to York Castle, to take her trial at the ensuing Lent Assizes.

Mr. Dunleary, a gentleman formerly connected with the
Post-oaks, and who has been for some time in France, returned yeller.
day morning, and was travelling with his family from Kingstown. when
he was taken suddenly ill, and died instantaneously ! The females of
his family were in the Gooch with him, and the body of the lamented
gentleman was carried in the coach to his house in town.—Delgrn
morning Rosser of Wednesday.
Flan AT BARON ROTHlCHlLa's.—Yesterday evening,
about five o'clock, the greatest confusion imaginable took place in the
ostabilinunt of Baron Rothschild, in New-court, St. Swithen's.lane,
Letabsed.sereat, in consequence of a fire breaking out in the cellaring
underneath the bullion once, occupied by Mr. T. Mage, the Wine.
macula, residing et No. a, in the same court. The fire was first die.
covered by some of the clerks, who perceived a great body of smoke
issuing from the cellar. They made an immediate alarm, and mes,en.
gas wore sent in all directions for the engines. Mr. Rothschild, shortly
after the fire broke out, came up ins great hurry, with some other gm.
denten, and engaged themselves in preserving the books and valuable
documents. The dames were arrested at about six o'clock, and all
further danger ceased.
EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE OF A CONVICT TROY
NEWOATZ.—One of the convicts, named Phillips, under sentence of
transportationt effected his escape under circumstances at present most
mysterious. It la usual for the prisoners at this jail to assemble in the
chapel every morning. Thursday, as usual, they were mustered, and
the convict was then with them. Shortly after the return of the pri.
afters to their wards, one of the wardsmen called a turnkey, and in.
formed him that Phillips was missing. An immediate search was cam.
mewed, but without effect. The only idea that can be formed as to
how he escaped is, that on the return of the prisoners from chapel,
he had concealed himself for the instant, when an opportunity
must have been afforded him to escape. To effect this, he had to pass
=ltwo long passages, in which some of the turnkeys are always
,%by the bed.tooor, in which one or other of the jailors is in cern
rant attendance, before he could reach the lobby, in which two of the
turnkeys are placid. The former haunts and companions of Phillips
are well known, and $ most active search was made round that part of
the town where he used to resort. He is ar old offender, though young
in years, and was convicted at the Westminster Sessions, there be re.
ceivcd sentence of transportation, and was removed to the above jail.
preparatory to his being sent on board the Hulks.