New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-18
sle,r Orleans Repuhliea'1.
g - ~....ooooo
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
MURDER AS A PASSION.
A Fifteen-year-Old Girl Who Delights in
Killing-Babies, Dogs, Cats, Parrots
and Canaries the Victims.
TFrom the Pail Mall Gazette. |

From the Pail Mall Gazette.l
Mr.. William Beer is dealer in unre-
deemed pledges at So Newington-butts, Lon
don. He had a servant in his employ
named Agnes Norman, aged fifteen years.
On Good Friday Beer and his wife went
out to spend the evening, leaving their
three young children in the care of the ser
want On returning home they found one
of the babies lying on the floor by its bed
side, undressed, and another dead, between
the bedstead and the wall 1t had evidently
died from suffocation. The theory of the
parents was that the servant girl had killed
it, and they introduced evidence at the coro
ner's inquest to support their theory, which
they had gathered, subsequent to the death
of their child, from those in whose employ
the servant had previously been.
While at one place friend of the mis-
tress came there with her baby to make a
visit, put the child on the bed, and soon
after it was found dead. At the same place
three dogs, cat, a parrot, number OF
gold fish and nearly dozen fancy birds
were found dead at different times without
apparent cause. At another place she
brought home child she had been taking
out on the street in state of inSensibility,
and said that it had fallen out of her arms.
The infant recovered, but in few weeks
after she brought it back from another air
ing dead. In another family boy seven
wears Old awoke with a choking sensation,
and afterward told his father that the girl
placed her hand over his mouth, and then
gave him money not to say anything about
it: and in the same family several domestic
animals died suddenly. In another situa-
ton child in her care was found insensi-
bic in bed, and when it recovered evinced
great terror at the sight of the girl. Again
in her career, she locked a child up in a
wardrobe, took it out and put it to bed, and
soon after it was found dead.
The coroner. did not consider the evidence
strong enough to hold the girl for the muir
der of the Beer children, but the parents
instituted proceedings against her at Lam
beth police court, charging her with the
willful murder Of their child. The case
was heard ON April %, when Mr. Beer
testified:
On Good Friday afternoon my wife and
left our three children in charge of the pris
oner; they were all in perfect health when
we left; about quarter to twelve o'clock
at night we returned; the prisoner was then
apparently asleep in chair in the parlor;
in few moments i heard violent scream
ing; went up stairs, and upon going into
the bedroom | found the second eldest child
had fallen out of bed; l picked him up and
placed him in bed; upon turning round to
my own bed expected to find the deceased
awake; | found her with her head upon the
mattress. and her legs at the back; there
was no clothes over her; she was lying upon
her back; l caught hold of her legs, and
then found she was quite dead a doctor
was sent for, and shortly after Mr.. Viii
llams arrived and pronounced the child had
been dead about two hours; | asked pris-
oner when she last saw it alive, and she
said when she placed it in the centre of the
bed at half-past ten o'clock; on the follow
ing Tuesday my cat and canary died.
DIR. Joseph Lee said he made a post
mOrtem examination of the body of the
deceased. The brain was very much con-
gested and there was a slight transmuta-
ton Of blood upon the surface of the
ventricles. The lungs were congested
throughout the upper as well as the lower
lObes. The heart was nearly empty, and
contained no coagulated blood. The blood
throughout the body was fluid. There were
two marks on the lip corresponding with
shape and size of two teeth These marks
had been caused shortly before death
These marks are indicative of a death from
suffocation.
Judge Ellison: Could the marks on the
lip mentioned be caused by the face press
ing against a wall, or by the child's own
hand pressing there! Witness: No, sir.
Judge Ellison: Could the pressure of the
No, | think not; because the child could
breathe through the nOstril. The fact of
the clothes being away from the face was
inconsistent with sutfocation from such
cause. The pressure upon the lips had,
believe, lasted almost up to the moment of
death.
James Fay, an inspector in the detective
department, Scotland yard, said: had in
structiOns to make inquiry into this matter,
and last night, in company with detective
Sergeant Mullford, l went to prisoners
house. | told her was an inspector, and
should take her into custody on suspicion
of numbering Jesse Jane Beer, aged four
teen months, on the seventh of April. She
said: "Me murder the child?" Talso told
her that she would be charged on suspicion
with numbering Thomas Miner at 10 Park
road, Remington, and John S. Taylor, at
l7O Stockwell Park road. She said: had
nothing to do with Mrs. Taylor's baby; |
was not in the ROOM said: II think you
said at the inquest you saw it at certain
time safe" She said: ''Yes, went up to
see Mrs. Gardeners baby and saw Mrs. Tay-
Ior's, but | have nothing TO do with that"
After the charge was entered she made no
reply.
The prisoner, who throughout the pro-
,eedings treated the matter very quietly,
declined to say anything. She was re-
landed for f1It her aVidenpe