The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-05-28 00:00:00

A MOTHER AND CHILD FOUND DROWNED
IN THE CANAL UNDER SUSPICIOUS
CIRCUMSTANCES.

On Sunday last, much interest and anxiety prevailed
in and near Bootle, in consequence of a rumour that a
child had been taken out of the canal in so lifeless a state
that animation coul I not be restored ; that the body of
the mother had afterwards been dragged for and found ;
and that there were circumstances that indicated crimi-
nality of the gravest kind, either on the part of the unfor-
tunate female herself, or of some one else, of whom she
and her infant might have become the victims. As a legal
inquiry has been made, we set aside all speculations, and
proceed at once to the evidence, as taken yesterday, at
the Rising Sun public-house, (to which the bodies were
conveyed,) before Mr. Heyes, junior, Deputy Coroner
for the county, and a respectable jury :
Edward Smethers, Bootle, gardener, said that on Satur-
day night, about half-past nine o'clock, when it was
almost dark, he was walking along the canal bank, about
200 yards from the Coffee House Bridge. in Bootle, (and
on the Liverpool side of the bridge,) when he heard a
bubbling noise in the water on the opposite side. He
listened again and heard a moaning noise, which induced
him to suppose that some one had been drowning a pup-
py, and soon afterwards saw what he thought to be a pup-
py. As no one else was on the bank, he called for assis-
tance, and a man came up from a neighbouring house
with a pole, with which they drew the object to the side,
and found it to be a child, not quite dead. Mr. Reid,
Surgeon was sent for, but all efforts to restore animation
were ineffectual.

James Pve, police•constable No. 16, said that having
heard of the circumstances. he went to the place, and
thinking the child was not of an age to be there by itself,
got drags, and searched the canal near the spot where the
child was found. At half-past eleven o'clock the body of
a young woman was found, about six yards from where
the child was first seen. The drags were heavy, and
might have easily bruised the body as they were thrown
several times before they caught hold of deceased's
clothes.

James Gough identified the bodies. They were those
of Mary Mc Lagan and her son. The elder deceased was
his sister, and wife of John Mc Lagan, joiner, Portland-
place. She was suckling her child and was 29 years of
age. The infant was about five months old. They were
at h:s house about one o'clock on Saturday. and his sister
was then apparently in good health and spirits. He had
never heard of any disagreement between her and her
husband.

Margaret Jones, single woman, said she lived in Bur-
lington-street, and was with the husband all day on Sun-
day looking for her. Deceased female had been in low
spirits for the last twelve months, but more particularly
during the last fortnight. She had informed witness on
several occasions that she was some little in debt, and that
her husband was not aware of it. Witness did not think
any of the debt or money was contracted by deceased for
drink, but was spent for household purposes, She saw
her on Saturday afternoon, and she was not at all intoxi-
cated. Sheleft witness's house at 20 minutes too o'clock,
and said she was going to Burlington-bridge to meet her
husband. He had 24s a week, and never let her or her
children want. She said three different times before she
went that he had never done her any harm. She also
said, she had a good deal topay that night; that the parties
would not give her time, and that her husband did not
know of it, but was well able to pay. She never even
hinted at destroying herself. Her husband was remark-
ably kind to her, and fond of her. She had no mark
upon her when she left witness, but one under one of her
eyes, apparently not recent. The place where she was
found was at least two miles from Burlington-bridge.
Had deceased been brusietl she would have told witness;
as they were very intimate- Her husband would have
forgiven her if she had told him of the debts she owed.
Sarah Booth, who had laid out the bodies, described
three bruises on the thighs and aide of the deceased wo-
man; but there was no skin broken, or any apparent
injury from a blow or wound that would be mortal. (The
jury seemed satigfied that the bruises might have been
caused by the drags.)
Ann Baxter, a widower, with whom the deceased and
her husband and family lived, said deceased's husband
used sometimes to scold her, having missed articles out of
the house that had been pledged ; but she never saw him
strike her. She was not a drunken woman, but took a
little drink occasionally. People came dunning her from
shops, and she had lately been in low spirits.
The coroner summed up, stating that from the evidence,
he considered they had a choice of twos verdicts—either
that having practiced some deceit upon the husband, and
being arfaid of a disclosure, she had drowned herself under
temporary-insanity; or as there was no actual proof of
this, that she was " found drowned."
The jury, without retiring, returned a• verdict to the
effect that both the deceased were " found' drowned, but
how they got into the water there was no evidence to
show."

The bodies of both were placed on one table at the
public-house. The female had apparently been, good-
looking, and the child was plump and pretty even in
death.