The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-01
THE LATE INFANTICIDE CASE
The Mother OF the Two Children On her
Death Bed COnfesses Having
Thrown Them into
The River.


residing in Greenville while walking along
the river bank at the head of Foucher street.
about l o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th
ult, saw something floating in the river near
the shore that looked like bundle Of clothes.
One Of the parties, curious to find out what
it might be, jumped into an old skiff that was
lying near and on approaching the place dis
covered that it was the dead bodies of white
twin children, boy and girl.
They were carefully wrapped up in an old
josey, in which were found several stones
which had evidently been put there by the
person who threw them in for the purpose of
sinking them to the bottom, but the weight
was not sufficient to hold them down.
The bodies were removed from the water
and Llaced on the shore. The Coroner was
notified, and on the day after concluded his
investigation tx the case, and the jury gave
the following verdict:
After viswing the bodies of two children
(white,) male and female, and on inquest and
examination being he'd, and the evidence BE-
fore us, we find that the said children came
to death from hemorrhage of the umbil;cal
cord, which was left united, and the children
bled to death.
We, therefore, charge some unknown per-
son or persons with the crime of lnfanticide.
A few days afterwards Special Officers
Lethique and Augustus went to work in the
matter, for the purpose of finding out who
the guilty parties were, and on Thursday got
clue to the mystery.
They received information that q woman,
Mrs. L. Gardner, the mother OF the children,
residing at the corner of Amelia and Laurel
streets, jefferson City, was the party that had
thrown them into the river, and yesterday
morning repaired to the house named, where
they found Mrs. Gardner lying at the point
of death.
They stated the object of their mission, and
asked her if she had anything to say in regard
to the matter The woman then confessed to
having thrown her children into the river.
She stated that she came TO this city few
months ago from plantation up the road,
where the father of the children, one Law
renee Casey, now resides, and on Thursday
night, theil6th of December, gave birth to
twin children who died in a few moments
after they were born.
To keep the matter secret she jumped up
out OF her sick bed, and wrapping them up
carefully IN q JOsey Hled Win stones, Sne
went to the river head of TOUGHER street (the
locality in which they were fddnd) and threw
them into the river. She then went back
home, where she has been lying very low
ever since.
She states that the matter has been preyiug
on her mind ever since, and is exceedingly
repentant for what she has done; and realizing
her precarious condition, states that if she
had not done what she had she might die easy,
although she denies having killed them, and
has repeatedly stated to several persons in the
house that lite was extinct before she dashed
them into the river
The officers had q warrant issued for her
arrest but were unable to take any further
steps in the matter unless there be proba-
bility of her recovery
DR.. Cooper, City Physician, consulted the
Attorney General in the matter last evening,
and he is of the opinion that she can not lie
prosecuted criminally in the matter. owing to
the fact that the Coroner neglected to notify
the City Physician to hold post mortem
examination on the bodies. Mrs. Gardner,
however, is not expected TO live.