The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-06-20
The Boyd Murder Trial.

ichange of venue from Bureau comfy, cah
pfor trial in our Circuit Court Oh Tuesday NOR
.g last. The time of the court was taken u
until about three O'clock in the AFTERNOON III &c
ting jury, which, when the panel was nile
was composed,of the following persons:
VIM. Blair, q. ". Carpenter, VIM. smith, y
O'Ncil Geo. Hayward, Jssiah Bagley, aosaio'
Cox, Thos Pullens, \. j. Russell, "m' Darger
H. Hit and Gee. W. Roberts
Messrs. G. w. Stipp and Henry Mayo appeare
for the people. and j. J.. Heron, Esq Princeton
and w. W. O'Brien,o of Peoria, for the defence
Mr.. Stipp opened the case !sr The prosecution
and in substance said:
"Tbis is n case in which the defendant, Rebec
ca Boyd, on the 18th day OF August 1871, il
charged in an Indictment Of three counts, viii
having murdered n male child by producing Al
abortion upon Mrs. Elizabeth or Lizzie Scar
The following facts were narrated by Mr.. Stipp
as being such as the prosecution would rely upon
to establish their case \ few days before the
date given, Mrs. Scarf appeared ut the INatiohai
Hotel in Princeton, and for certain reasons a
Young man sent her to the house of Mrs Rebec'
ca Boyd, the prisoner. She went to Mrs Boyds
and remained there for some time. Soon after the
arrival there of Lizzie, she was accused by Mrs.
BOYD of being encieate. This she denied, but
afterwards admitted the fact to be so. Mrs Boyd
advised her to get rid Of ii, and Lizzie consenting
Mrs. Boyd went first for Dr. Taylor, who came
and saw Lizzie but refused to have anything 10
do with it, saying that "he was notin that sort OF
business" MfS Boyd then went to a drug store
kept by Mr.. "Si"Longworthy, where she procured
phial of oil OF tansy. This she gave to Lizzie,
in doses of fifteen or twenty drops at time, un-
til the oil had nearly all been taken. Then Mrs
Boyd perhaps growing impatient at the delay of
the medicine in producing the desired effect,
consulted a Mrs, North whe kept lying in-hos-
pital but that woman said she was full and could
not take Lizzie. Mrs Boyd next consulted an
old German woman, an experienced midwife.
who gave her some medicine for the same pur
pose the oil of tansy had been given for That
the child was born alive ut Mrs Boyd's house at
The time stated in presence Of Mrs. Shaticr the
midwife Mrs. Boyd and Miss Weldon, now
Mrs Summers. That, as soon as the child was
born, AIRS Boyd seized 1t and putting It's head in |
, chamber vessel in the room, poured water upon |
II and caused its death by drowning, That LIZ.
lie, the mother, heard distinctly the struggle Of
he child in the water, and on raising herself
fpUn her elbow looked from the louAge upon
which che lay and saw the child in the vessel and
saw Mrs. Boyd pouring water upon it, and saw ii
kicking, struggling and gasping, and that the
child was afterwards buried in the garden in
peach box Also, that during the time when the
child was Thus being foully murdered one Of the
inmates, Mrs, Summers, exclaimed: MY God
l cannot stand this" and left the room.
J.J. Heron, Esq, replied for the defence:
This is IL strange case In all by experience and
reading, the crime Of nfanticidc has invariably !
been charged upon the mother, and never upon !
a Granger. God, in his laws to the Israelites, i
never mentioned nfanticidc--it seemed so far be- i
yond His calculation that any could ever take
The life OF helpless innocent babe The defence
only agrees with the prosecution in one fact;
that the mother of the child was a woman. She
was not only prostitute but an abortlonist, and
had often married and been given in marriage
without the Intervention of law or gospel. Mrs.
Scarf, the mother came to PRINCETON, stopped at
The hotel and by the clerk was sent to Mrs Boyd's
She first denied but afterwards admitted that she
was pregnant aud says that Mrs. Boyd advised V
her 10 get rid Of the child. DR.. Taylor will swear
positively that Mrs. Boyd did not ask him to pro-
cure the abortion. This Lizzie Scarf sworc on the Ii
preliminary examination that the child's head u
was held entirely under the water, and that it I,
was ten minutes from the time it made the first p
noise in the water until she heard the second. u
Also that she was "spoony" on young man in n
SInceton and wanted to get rid Of the child, {,
and not burden him with it. She also swore that Il
she did not interfere to save its life. This is her
story 10 fix all the guilt she can upon Mrs Boyd d
hrip il Az IN 1iyht la
after the commission of the alleged crime, and c
len Games out for sptc because Mrs. Boyd
al caueod her arrest for stealing. This Lizzie, 10
ferthe bir:h remained some time at Mrs. Boyd's L
I'd then married an old man named Searls, elgh "
I'Iour years OF age, to get his little home and b
arm 1t into brothel! She afterwards, however. 5
naa uoHoIe with him and left taking his fIrni- t.
'uio Win hef, ana he applied for divorce on the
s'ouiu 'i"' she was common prostitute. She
nus iiauc very serious threats against Mrs Boyd z
as VIII DE proven, and has lived a wicked life 4
'Hhie believe that the majority of The ANGELS G
D ID heaven are women, also believe that IN. I
e. worst dcylls in hell are women He dwell, NM, h
The improbabIity Of getting a child Of tina, ago t
elght months, into an ordinary chamber and NV
p,Sined her ridiculous attempt to get out Of the
"le'iiha oy swearngithat the child's father was C
very small man, The defence expects to show j
tha' the child was born dead, by the midwife who
OBLIGATED at its birth.
MRS LIZZIE sEARL,
inc inc PRISONERS principal aceuser appeared On
is not ps,t i,aha on Wednesday morning She
a'lractNg woman. Her features are somavS.
iiafge anu sensual, yet harmonious she H. INA.
IN stature and quite Intelligent "' 10 urge
she sWOrp In suhstan.a. i
Iowa, with my parents. Know Mrs R n,'S
saw her on the 18th or 18th Of July liz, :, nist
mouse IN Princeton, where was sent M h uc,
was then pregnant-was at her house S Sva' w. ".
SIX weeks. Mrs. Boyd kept house Of nros,;, VI
lion. When first went there den,dpa o su
pregnantnbnt owned up afterwards. NJ ps'n Il
went ioI Dr. Taylor, she also got me some oii =
.ahsy; Dr i, examined me and refused ~ y, "
Sa 70 proo9ee an abortion saying he didn',
'uo that kind OF business. Mrs. Boyd went VIII
me TO Mrs. North-she mi hasn I'll %. em' Nth