Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-09-19
SUPPOSED CASE OF 1NFANT1cIpE

|
posed infanticide was investigated before reg
ularly constituted Coroners Jury, which was
convened at the instance of the mother of the
dead intant-Miss Annie Sinclair. Miss Sinclair
was arrested on the 18th of August last, on sus-
picion of having become mother and destroy
ing her offspring by burning, but for want of
sufficient evidence to support the suspicious she
was released. Since her release she has been
| living at the house of Mr.. Howard Grove-her
brother-n-law Last Saturday she sent for the
/ proper authorities, and jury was empanneled
to decide as to the death of her infant, the dead
body of which she had regained, and then lying
in the house of Mr. Grove After the remains
had been examined by Drs. Donaghe and Han
ger and viewed by the Jury, DR.. Donaghe was
then called upon, and he said it was impossible
to tell whether the child had been born dead or
alive but its size indicated that it had been born
! at maturity. Its sex was female. No evidence
of violence could be seen, but if there had been
violence used in its DEATH the advanced stage
of decomposition would have prevented it from
being seen. Dr. Hanger concurred in the state
ment of DIR. Donaghe, and said that the caving
in of the head was caused by decomposition.
| Mr.. Jacob p. Thornton, being sworn, said :
| The body Upon which the jury now sits is the
| child of Anne Sinclair--she came to my house,
near Arbor Hill, last Thursday and wanted me
to come to town on the next day-she wanted
me to help her bury the child-she said a gen
/ tleman advised her to get the body of the child.
| She told me that the child would be sent to her
Groves Gro When night came mes She told me that
| she wanted me to go with her. and when we
started she said she would meet the person who
would bring the child to her. l went with her,
but before we met the person she said that | was
to stop. This was on Gospel Hill beyond the
extension of the pavement-the street lamps
were BURNING suppose it was o'clock-may
have been a mile or half mile from the lamp
at Gen. Echols where we stopped-she said that
was to stop, that this person did not want any
one to come with her. She was gone few min
utes when she came back with the baby-no one
was with her. She said it was colored woman
whose name she did not know who gave her the
childs body. She did not know where she
lived. She told me that after she had been ad-
vised to get the child, she had hunted for sever
al days for the person, and when she found her
she was standing or walking in the road. She
said this person was to meet her with the child.
l am Miss Sincar's brother-in-aw.
lat this point the wrappings, box. &c, (Which
had been buried) in which the child was, were
uncovered-the bag was a coffee or grass bag,
with name on it,
Mr.. Thornton continued.-I buried these
things and they are the same wrappings and box
in which the body was brought here. She said
she had been charged with killing the child, but
she had not done so. She told me that the rea-
son she took the child back again was because
she had been advised to do so.
Mr.. Howard Grove said-I know nothing
about the matter. The body was here at 10 or
IL O clock last night, when | came home. An
ME Sinclair is my sister-in-law, hence her pres
ence here. She came here sick some three
weeks ago, and has been here ever since.
Miss Sinclair-the mother of the child made
| the following voluntary statement before the
jury: 49,,
| had been accused of burning it, and / wished
to let the people know that was innocent. l
walked around hunting for the woman week,
and found her near the old Shoe Factory, and
told her that wanted my baby, and she told
me that she would meet me and bring it to me.
/ don't know her name or where she lives, and
although / begged her to tell me her name she
would not do So My baby was born dead"
After the investigation Of the case, the jury
rendered the following verdict:
CITY OF STAUNToN To-wIT:
An inquisition taken at the house Of Howard
| Grove. in the Jurisdiction of the city of Staun-
ton, on the 10th of September 1871, before J..
W. Todd, a Justice of the Peace, acting as Cor
oner, upon tie view of the body of an infant
child of Annie Sinclair, there lying dead, the
Jurors sworn to inquire when, where, how, and
by what means the said infant child of said An
ME Sinclair came to It's death, upon their oaths
do say: That said child came to its death on or
about August 3rd, 1871, by causes and means to
the jury unknown whether still-born or born
alive, to them not known. In testimony where
of the said Justice of the Peace, acting as Coro-
ner, and Jurors, have hereunto set their hands
this 10Th day of September 1871.
j. W. TODD, J, P. g. Act'g Cor.
Jno. NJ Hardy, Foreman,
R. w Hardy, j. M. Carroll,
FL. P. Cease G. A. Smith,
w. L. Fuller, j. w. Hilbert.
J. F. Beard, W. 81. Waddell,
c. P Lambert, S. Bagby.
Timothy Hounihan.