The Sun.
London, England, 1818-12-01 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

-Vestetdho these 'Set;sions commenced before
rtiANCIS CONST, Esq. apl -a Bench of Magi-
strates. When the Grand Jury were sworn, the
ChairmAti observed to them, that there was no-
thing in the present Calendar out of the ortrnaty
conrse ; hut he recommended that they should, if
conven;ent, proceed first with an examivation of
the Bills fair felOny, in order to.have them ready
for the Old Bailey Sessions by Thursday next.

CRUELTY OF A FATHER AND MOTHER TO THEIR

OWN CHILL).

Charles Elliott, and Leonora his wife, were nut
to tl►e War, charged with a misdemeanour in ill-
treating their. -►n,
.Russel Elliott, an infant of
t►ine years old, by keeping liitn tied will► i 4
lea-
th_er strap• to a b~•dstead, (rite naked, "NI very
often Without -a sufficiency of the common neces-
saries of lite.

ItevNoLns, who conduc'.ed the prosecu-
tion, stated to the Jury, that it was instituted by
the Governors and Directors of the Poor of the
Parish of (we believe)
_,St. Andrew's, Holborn.
The poor infant, whose suErings had induced
them to take the pr'esent step, was the son of the
s!efes;d---ints, and as it would appear an idiot from
its crsulle ; it also laboured tinder bodily_ weak-
ness, having lost the perfect use. of ale its limbs.
Tile. Reynolds then went' itttc, a statement of the
p-rticulars -of the case, in support of which he
produced the following evider.ce
Lee, a genteel-looking young woman,
'wing sworn, gave the following statement :
I ant a widow, and the mother of, two children.
lo the month of June last I went as servant to
Miss Matthews, to lodge at the house of Mr. and
Mrs_ Elliott, in Fisher-street, Red Lion-sqoat:e.
About a fortnight after I came there, while I was
making up the bed, 1 beard a cry in
.a faint voice,
as if from some person its distress. I listened for
a while, and hemd the same voice call out in' a
very mournful Manner for a little bread and wa-
ter ; slot knowing that these 'Were any- other per-
sons in the house titan those I had already seen,
l'berame alarmed,' and was quite anxious to as-
certain from whom the voice bad proceeded. I
went tip sitatlS, and heard the slime' voice, as if
frOm a child in the upper garret. -1 rooked in
through the key-hole; but front the situation of
the room, I could only see a bedstead. I then
called out, and was 'answered by a child from
I asked what it wanted, and 'it answer-
ed, " Cive me a little bread and a little water."
Alarmed for the situation of the child, whom I
snpposerl to have been neglected. hyalse family, I
Went down and communicated what I had beard
to my- tnissresa, and, by her permission, I 'went
down and tole! Mrs. Elliott (the mother) that a
child up stairs was calling out for -bread. She
wai mistaken, but I replied that it could
not be, for I hitd spoken to the child, who had
told me it wanted bread. To this she answered,
Oh I it ij my fool." She gaVe; me no further
explanation then, and.l was still in anxiety about
the situation oithe child, and was quite anxious
to have a.view of it. I believe it was the next
day or the day after that I saw the brother of the
child go up stairs. I followed him, and 'found
that he was going tothe attic where the youngchild'
Seas cotifined— When I saw him open the 'door
asked to be admitted,- hut he' refused, saying,
that his mother would be displeased if she
found that any person -but those of the family
were to see him. I still persisted, and forced
my way into the room, where I beheld a
spectacle that quite shocked me. The poor child
was naked as it cause into the world, and fasten-
ed by a leather strap to the post of a bedstead
the strap was fastened over one shoulder, and
came round cutter the opposite arm : the stench
of the room, trout the filth with which the child
was surrotinded, was almost ins.tipportable ;

the boy who cans(' to visit it had brought
with him a few crusts of bread and some water
at'er this I frequently heard the chill cry, as it.
souse person was beating it :• I also beard the sounds
of slaps, as it given to it ; but they dill not seem to
be severe, nor as if gi•zen with any improper
weapon : I knew that his brother and sister fre..
goetoly beat him. When asked whether she
had eve'r spoken to Mrs. Elliott on the subject,
atter the first inter View, witness answered, Yei,
very frequently, ; I often said to'ber " Sorely you
Islay send the poor child to the 'workhouse, where
he will be kept clean, and' every paid

. •
'to him without any expense." To this she re-
plied. " that would cost me too much." I asked
her.!loW much it would Cost, and, she answered,
it would cO:it..2 or 3s:fki week, and 'that Would do
sit ho.ne. I very often gave bread and !nest to
give to the child,-7-but 1 found he never got :Inv of
• it ; .and I ()rice 'saw her give it to ber-Otlfer ehil-

knil cat sonie of it lierself. 1 one (-11,;
heard the little boy crying very tritter)y, am!
calling for bread, on which I went down to Mrs.
Elliott and `said, Your:C-1111d is evying for some-
thing to eat, pray do let it have a little. To thil
she replied, " hang it, l• wish it was dead, 1
could cut its thtoat ill dare l" Whenever 1 saw
the child, it was always in the saute naked and
'filthy state in Which saw it on the' first occa-
sion. To this evidence the witness added her
belief that the -father of the child was not con-
Itclous of all the treatment it received ; for that
when he was spoken to abont it, he said it should
have whatever it wanted.

She under Went a long 'cross examination by
Mr. litt.Ev,, the object of which seemed to he, to
show that the whole story was a fabrication on
her part, from motives of hatred to Mrs. Elliott.
When at•ked why site had not given inf'ormation
at first, or why she suffere' such conduct as that
she now described to pass over without notice for
three months, she said, site could' nut at first, for
at that time she could not testify how long it had
been in that state.; she never had a word of dif-
ference with Mrs. Elliott from the ti►ue she went
to the house, up to the period when the child was
taken away by the officer ; she was in the - habit
of receiving visits from a soldier. IYheri asked
whether it was not after her mistress had. come to
the knowledge of those visits through Mrs. Elliott
that she had given information of the state of the
child, she answered that her mistress never knew
of them ; Mrs. Elliott . had never said a word
against them, for she used sometimes to be of the
party ; there wasatothing improper in her receiv-
ing visits front the soleier ; she had come to years:
vt disFretion, and was fully capable of judging
what person site chose to keep company .with.—
(This phrase is well understood in all the interior
courts : when used by a female it means receiving
the addresses of a ratan ; and when by a man, it
mear►s paying his addresSes to a lady). She knew
that an anonymous letter had been sent to the
Magistrates respecting the stare of the child. It
tvas"not she,who wrote it, but she would not tell
who had.. Mr. Alley. put several other questions
to bee, apparently with a view Of diminishing
her credit with time Jury, by establishing a mall-
. eions motive towards Mrs. Elliott ; but her an-
' swerB did not evince any other motive against her,
titan that of dislike, in consequence of her treat-
ment to the child.

AirF. Burlingham was the next witness.—She
had lodged in Eiliott's house at the pet Ind men,.
boned by the last • witues9. She occupied' the
second floor. She had been
_some time there be,
fordshe knew of the child'N situation, and, then
she was given to understand that it was confined
bemuse it was an idiot. Being a mother het self,
she considered that a child in such a state required
more attention than under any other circum-
stances, and she was anxious to have it bet-
ter treated. On one occasion, she heard the child
cry for bread, and site spoke, in consequence, to
the mother over the stain. She told her it was •
crying for a little bread and some Water, and .beg-
ged that some tagfit be sent up to it. Mrs. El-
liot said to her, " Some people have very del.cate‘
feelings, but I could cut its (the child's) throat

to-morrow, if th:►t was all." The fwther did t, of
evince the same severity towards it ; he would
give it bread, and seemed desirous that it should
have what it wanted; but the mother never spoke of
it, except. as " the wretch," " the mock," or SQIIIC
such epithet. Witness went into the room, and
saw the little boy in the same state as Mrs. Lee
had described. When Mrs. 'Elliott heard that die
had, gone into the room, she remonstrated with
her upon having done so, and forbad her to do so
again.

Mr. ALLEY cross-examined this witness also,
with the view of showing that there %vas a collu-
sion between her and the first witness; hot Tin
fact appeared from which such an inference could
he deduced.

Wm. Read (the officer of Hatton-garden) stated,
that he was sent by the Magistrates on the 29th
of September last, to inquire into. the truth of
some comtmmication which had been transmitted
to them respecting the treatment 011ie child. On
his arrival at the house,' he saw Mr. and Mrs.
Elliott. He asked how many children they had.
She answered three or four, he could nut say
which. Ile wished to see them.; but she said
they were all out at play. He asked whether there
were any of theM- in the house, to which she re-
plied in the negative. Ile' inquired where they
usually slept, and was answered, they slept in the
attic. lie then wished to see the place, and pro-
duced his authority. Mrs. Elliott seeing tar he
was nbout,to proceed up the stairs, got on before.
He followed immediately, and saw her unlock the
door of the room where the child was tied. He
got in along with her, and saw the child tied with
the strap, naked, and in every other respect in time
situation which the first witness had described. He

with difficulty lOoked the strap trout the b.:(1-pout.
(lere. he produced the strap. It appeared ,thom
'two yards long, and was broader and thicker than
a horse's bridle.) Front the, manner in which it
had. been made fast to the post, the child could
not move a yard front the bedstead. 'There were
no bed-clothes, but he believed it might have
been .hle to get sitting on the side of the tick-
bottom. After he had released it; he wrapped
it up in a biawlict, and took it to the Office in
Hatton Girdeu, ‘‘ith the father and mother in
custody at the same time.—This witness was not

cross-examined.
Mr. ALLev addressed the jury on behalf of the
prisoners, and endeavoured, in a speech of tome
length, to show, first,, that the whole case was
eonspiracy.hetween the first two witnesses; and
secondly, that no further restraint was laid on the
child than was necessary to preserve it ft ow clang
injury to- itself Or others, it. being
,occasionally
subject to.paroxysms of insanity. Iu suppprt of
the second ground, lie called ,•
Ellen Neshitti—She state:l, that she bad known
the child from , the time it, came from. the,ntirse.
I•t was tier►, weak. and helpless. She bad bgeu iu
the habit of visiting the
,family up .to last April,
and during that time, she always saw the same,
and even greater attention paid to this, than to
any of the other children. It .was extremely ir-
ritable and mischie'vons ; sloe considered it insane :
it would throw any thing within its react or powe!:

of osiog at that.. by Wholl; it conceived itself
annoyed.
Eliza Neatherliead and Mrs. -King depOse,l td
nearly 'the same effect; as-"the last witness. Mrs.
King added, that one 'day when she eras there, it.
set fire to a petticoat belonging to its mother,
which was burnt, atid-which also set fire to the'
boards of the room.
Edward Staines. sent. for the child ohm in
order to examine it, and had no doubt that it was.
an idiot. -. I
Sidney Elliott, a boy about 13 years old-,.tkeion
of the prisoners. stated, tb4t his brothel been
confined about four months before he w .poppow-
ed by the officer. He was confined in consequence
of his being; extremely mischievous. He used to
break the plates and the windows, and tear what-
ever clothes were put on him. %Witness .never
saw hint get any ill-treatment from his father or
mother. lie was very dirty in his habits. He
always got the same kind of victuals that were
used. by the rest•of the familz. Witness and his
sister used frequently to go up stairs and play with
him, by desire of his father and mottler.

?lacy Elliott, the sister of the last witness, de-
posed to nearly the same.eifeet as her brother.
The Chairman thtn summed up, aid the Jury
were about to eon.)ider their verdict, whet!

Mrs.. Elliott begged leave to address the Court.
She then, appa_ri.toly with the view of removing
any degree of blame, from her husband, stated,
that lie was a hard-working man, that being
obliged to he our h 91.11 morning till night, the
care of the children was entirely left to her. She
also desci Uteri •bint as the best temptned and most
humane Min alive.

The Court said they would take,lhat into con-
sidet,.tion alter the Jury had decided.
'Die Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict
of. Guilty against both prisoneis.—Sentence &-
len ed.

LONDON SESSIONS, Nor. 30.