The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-28
lNPAnIICIDE EXTRAORDINARY.
A Young Girl Gives Birth to Child in Bath
room-Ths Infant strangled to Death.

The shocking crime OF infantcide is feaYfuly on
the increase In this great metropolis and is daily
becoming more and more common. Not single
day passes without one or more cases OF II, per-
formed frequently In a most narrowing manner, be-
come known TO the police; but for every case SO
discovered dozen at least escape detention. II
would not be so bad by far were the crime COM
mitted only by perons In the lower walks OF society,
but such s not the case for 1t creeps into and per-
vades all classes, both rich and poor high and low,
married and unmarried. One of the most shocking as
Wen as one Of the most peculiar cases OF this terri
bic crime was brought TO light yesterday morning in
the upper and western part OF the city Indeed,
all the circumstances connected with 1t are most re.
markable In the extIeme. The facts are as 0lows:-
Yesterday morning at seven Serge ant Lowery,
OF the Twentieth precinct, received information
that the dead body of female infant was lying on
the grapevine arhor In the yard OF No. 248 West
Thlry-seventh street. He Immediately despatched
an olcer to investigate the matter, ana he was not
long In tracing spots Of blood from the arbQr on
which the child lay to the adjoining houss1l-No
IN Sooa e se 70 e II house ne
pleu by u Mrs. COwtan, and OF her he inquired III
Any one was sicks She replied that her daughter,
MIS- Esther T.. C0Wtan, aged twenty-five years, and
single was confined to her bed with hem0rrhage OF
tne lungs III Ronndsman Suite reported back the
case 20 sergeant LOwery at the Twentieth precinct
and the latter ut once sent Tor DR.. Armstrong re.
questlng him to make an examination. The Doctor
discovered that Miss Cowtan mad quite recently
been delivered Of q child. The infant when found
had string drawn tightly around It's neck and
from appearances had died OF strangua,ion. Mis-
Cowtan being too i'll to be removed, an officer was
placed In charge oil the premises, and the Coroner
Was notified TO hold an inquest
what appears as very strange about this whole
case IL that Mrs. COwtan, the mother OF the girl
who committed the crime, declares that she knew
nothing at all OF the condition her daughter In,
ana that The first lnttmat1On she had OF her having
given birth to child was when the Police Surgeon,
DIR. Armstrong, came to the house and, after eXa-
mining her daughter, informed her Of the fact. The
gun, sue says, was sewing on machine up to four
O'Clock Tuesday afternoon, at which hour She COM
planned or not feeling very well, and, at her sugges-
ton, went up stairs and laid down. not making her
appearance at supper. Tho young wOman'S mother
a. halrpast seven O'Clock went up to her and 10
take her u cup OF tea, when her daughter told her
INIT sue had mad hemOrinage OF the lungs and had
went into the bathroom to vomit. Knowing that she
was subject to hemorrhages OF this Kind her
motner supposed or course that the blood she
saw Oh the De linen and on the floor was the same
that she had vomited up, ana therefore paid at
tenuon 10 IT, she nursed and treated her as she
had done ON former occasions when she had been
suffering from hemorrhage, and late In the evening,
she becoming easier fell into quiet sleep, when
her mother retired to her own room, and as stated
ABOVE was wholly unconscious OF her daughter
having committed the fearful crime OF iDfanticlde
or that she had given birth to child. Mrs. Cow
tan says she Is the mother OF seven children, and
how In the world her daughter managed to conceal
from her her condition is more than she can tell
The girl, she says has always been a most eXem.
plary oaughter and rs Iar as she knows has never
Kept the company OF any young men, at least not
since last october or November @