Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-04-01

Examination OF Mrs. Emma A. mayer coin
menced Monday morn'g in the Court House,
before Justice L. B. Englesby. E. R. Hard,
C. F. Edmunds and Jeremiah French, Esqs.,
appeared as her counsel States Attorney
Taft, for the State, assisted by Henry Bal
lard, ESQ. The Court room was crowded
with spectators.
Mas CATHARISE DowD, sigorn-A week ago,
Tuesday, Mrs, fhsyer and a lady whose name
Mrs Thayer said was Mrs. Hart, came and oocu-
pied a portion of the house "a double house on
the road to the Falls, owned by F. McKeogh)
which live in. They tsok the upper rooms in
the west end. Saturday morning March 49, at
6, Mrs. Thsyer wanted my husband to 90 for the
doctor, and he went for DR.. Knox. DR.. Knox did
not come and at s O'Clock, Mrs Thayer vent af-
ter Dr. Atwater. After her return the one called
Mrs. Hart wanted her to 60 70 Mr.. Spears Drug
Shop and get some opium, and she went and
got It. DR.. A. came about i. Monday morn
ing about "a o'clock, | went into the room to as
sist the Doctor. Mrs. Ihayer was the only other
one present. About 10 O'Clock baby was born.
At first il did not breathe, till the doctor brought
IL 10 life. The doctor asked for some spirits, and
| went and got some camphor, to help bring the
child to life. The woman, Mrs. Hart, told the
doctor he need not take too much trouble 10
bring the child 70 life The doctor replied he
should do his duty. | washed and dressed the
child. The child cried and seemed to be as well
rs babies generally are. Il seemed TO moan and
cry little, and the doctor said might give it
4 little sweetened water. Mrs Thayer then took
the child aud fed it, AMI laid il down on 4 bed
quilt on the floor, near the stove. Perhaps
I .neH l. T..
cried loud and appeared well and healthy.
I took care Of H. The mother SAID there
were no clothes for II. and | got
some Of my own, dressed it and laid il down by
the other. At half past y | went down stars
leaving Mrs Thayer in the room with the moth
er. The Doctor went about ten minutes be-
fore. The children appeared as well as children
generally do at that age. Mrs. Hart appeared
pretty comfortable. | next went in sometime
after O'Clock Mrs. Hart was vomiting and
appeared quite sick. The children we're doing
well, though the last one appeared TO he CRYING
some. The first one appeared 10 be a little the
largest child-not much difference. took up
the child that cried and fe1 it some sweetened
water, as ! supposed, did not taste it stayed
about 20 minutes Then went down, leaving
Mrs. Thayer with the mother and children
Five or six minutes after, Mrs Thayer came
down to my room. She asked ne Tor bunch
Of matches, and told me both the children were
dead. | said it couldn't be possible, and
should 20 up to them. She said needn't come
up for they were both dead. | went up to the
children and turned them both over Both ap-
peared dead. One lay on its side as | left it be-
fore The other that fed, lay on its back with
its head leaning forward. This was the second
one. Strengthened it out, sprinkled some wa
ter on its face and it breathed four tmes-then
died. The other one did not breathe. There
was little froth, slightly colored with blood.
coming from the mouth Of the second
one ana from one side OF its nose
laid them both out where they lay, covered
them and went down The mother appeared
about the same-and was in the same position
in bed ,as hefore-no indications that she had left
the bed meanwhile. As l was leaving Mrs. T.
said she was going down town and asked me 90
stay with Mrs. Hart, while she WAS gone. She
was gone till about dark. ! stayed with Mrs
II. through the afternoon. \ lady Mrs Thayer
said was her sister came in a carriage, after g.
and Mrs. Ihayer went away with her,-heari
no one come IN, az any time. Mrs. Hart died
about 5 o'clock When | came in lust after
Mrs. T. left, Mrs. Hart was turning over some
papers in the drawer Of a small stand close by
her bedside
morning and told me 10 let no one 70 up
stairs till she came back-when she came back
she WAS quite angry, because told her some
ladies had been up while she was gone.
Adjourned 10 O'Clock.
Mis-. DowD.-Cr0ss erami7ei-A hall d.
vied the house. l occupied on one side these
persons the other. Ny family, 6 children, were
all at home Monday. | heard no one but Mrs
Thayer g up OF down s;airs-hearl the latch
raised and Mrs. Thaycr come down stairs before
she told me the children were dead. Mrs Thay-
er generally got the water needed in my rooms,
or one Of the children would 20 down with her
10 a well in the cellar, she objected 10 going
down alone supposed she was afraid to 20 alone
The doctor gave some Of the opium 70 the woman.
saw the rest Of it that night after she was dead
She had spoken to me about her condition before
she was taken sick Mrs. Thayer stayed with
her Saturday night. was there Sunday night
TIL l O'Clock. 1t was two OF three minutes after
the first child was born before il breathed. The
doctor sprinkled it with water aud rubbed cam
phor on it to bring it TO. Il looked weak, as if
it would not live long After while j, cried
In about ten minutes the doctor thought
il would do to dress il, and I dress
ed it, and laid it about
foot from the stove child cried little and
sighed afterwards about all the time I was
assisting the DR.. while Mrs. Thayer fed the
child, did not notice it afterwards til after the
other was born.
Second child was little smaller, it cried
nearly all the time. The first lay partly on ITS
left side with one hand up face away from the
stove. Laid the "a child on its back. Had
nothing to do with the first one after
Mrs. Thayer fed it till it was dead When
went up after dinner the first child lay quite still
sighing sone; had not stirred, first one lay as
left it, on its back. Soon Mrs. Hart said she
wished the child would stop crying so she could
rest, and took it up and fed it. The baby |
did not take much. | held it per- |
haps twenty minutes. 1t cried after |
laid it down; appeared to be troubled some
with phlegm; cried most all the time; did /
not feel very we'll First one still lay in the /
same position. Mrs. Thayer was standing by .
the window, don't know what she was doing, |
think told you Saturday she was combing her /
hair. When | came down it was half past two |
by my clock. Mrs. Thayer stayed when she /
came down long enough to get the matches then
we both went up stairs. went up in a hurry
To the best Of my recollection It was 5 or min
utes after came down before Mrs. Thayer came
own. She went up first. l went to the chill
1ren. The first one lay as before partly on ITS
side, one little hand up. Second one lay much
As before, only the head leaned down. 1t
oreathed four long breaths after I Strengthened
/ out and sprinkled it with water Only noticed
our breaths.
1t died naturally; its eyes were shut Did
lot see that any thing had been disturbed, and
lad no suspicion that any thing was wrong. or
hat 1t was any thing but the act Of God. Mrs.
Dhayer's hair was hanging down when she came
Town for me- There was good fire in the stove.
When fed the second child first, saw signs Of
roth about its mouth; never saw just such be
ore have seen phlegmy substance in young
hildren's mouths after birth; this seemed TO be
igher colored-was colored with blood Its
mouth was closed when l went up last Tstaid
bout half an hour then. The papers Mrs. Hart
Tas turning over in the stand-drlwer, before she
led, were little parcels of one sort and another
thought the first baby feeble child.
DR.. ATwATER-S,c0rn. Saturday morn
~, the 18th, received a message to 90 to
lrs. Dowd's house up by Mr.. Catlin's |
rent up about or 10 o'clOck-I was met
t head of stairs by Mrs. Thayer. went into
be southwest corner room and found there (
lady in child bed. She said she had been
ck since about 2 O'Clock that morning l
-ald awhile, then went over to the Falls, :
topped again as l came back, visited her 4