Milford chronicle., 1883-08-03

lNFANTIcIDE.-OnM Monday evening Coroner N
t, II. James OF Sussex county held an inquest in
e Georgetown on the body Of white male infant
newly born.
' The Coroner impaneled as Jurors, James C.
} Dunning, Walter W. Pepper, J. E. Faucet, G.
; W. Hatfield, R. T. Hart, Moulten R. Pepper, W.
3 S. johnson, Levin A. Pepper, Thomas E. Wilson
VIM. A. Ruth, Willard Torbert and John Ham.
mond.
Wilbur F. Tunnel, being sworn, said, a girl
had lived at his house as servant by the name Of
Hester Hitchens,who he thought was the mother
of the child which was probably born on Satur
day night. On returning from church on Sun
day evening he was told that a child had been
foun by r. Woolford buried IN the garden at
| Tunnels house. About II p. m. Sunday the
child was disinterred by Major Hudson and
Peter s0cum and removed from his premises.
Robert WoOlfOrd (coOred) sworn.
Weat to Mr.. Tuunell's to feed on Sunday morn. |
ing as he usually does; saw Hester H.tcbins
about G a. m. in the garden; thought she was
getting cabbage, but soon saw something in |
her hand but did not know what It was. she went
to where the butter beans were growing with
something in her hand like a bundle Of rags. He
went back to feed in the evening about G. D. M;
went into the garden aud found the ground bro.
ken at a spot aud hut hoe in the ground near
by and raked out the child. Did not hit chld
with the hoe. Saw Hester Kitchens last about
a. m Sunday. Child was about 1 or 5 inches !
below the surface. He reburied the child at the :
same place, putting it trihe deeper than it was
before and laid some boards over Il.
Major W. Hudson (cOnstabe) sworn, Between !
aud 10 p. IN. on Sunday John L. Thompson l
came to see him and told him child had been !
ound and it was desired that it be removed from I
where it was. He got Peter Socum to 90 with :
lin to place where child was said to be, found y
ibid, put it IN box and nailed it up and re n
moved child about 800 yards from where it was "
rst found and buried 1t again where it remained n
ntl taken up to-day. f,
Peter socum (colored) corroborat ed testimony J
{ last witness.
Doctors c. II. Richards and C. R, Layton made -
osi morlem examination of child aud testified
lat on testing the lungs they were found to be
Hated with air,showing that the child had been
orr alive. The right parietal bone Of the
all was found fractured, the injury being sufi. +
ent to cause death.
The jury found that "the said newly born in.
At was live born, and came to its death by vi.
'nce fracture Of the scull being sufficient to
oduce death" -.
Hester Hitchins was not examined by the cor
sr, neither Was there any evidence produced n
It was calculated to show that she had been
T. other than the eircumstanhal evidence of
turiiion found in her room by Mr. Tunnel.
're was positively no evidence produced cal.
ated TO Ak the crime of infanticide upon any -
son, nor so far as we know was there any ef. IN
made for evidence IA this direction. The y
Ter of the child is fixed by rumor as man
} left Georgetown about month ago; but
q this point no evidence was taken. Such
ence might at least have opened the road to
e procuring cause for the murder; and It
ht be the mother was more sinned against
SHINING. Suspicion only, fixes the crime
70 fuller evidence might have repudlated
harge. /