Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-04-18
MURDERED HER BABE.
The Terrible Crime Of a Monroe
County, Ohio, Mother.
THE REMAINS FOUND IN A STREAM
With the Head Entirely Severed From the
Body - Circumstances Attending the
Commission Of the Deed
Other Murders.
Special % tie RegiSter.


NEW MARTINsvIILE, w. VA, April H.
Information has been received from Sardis,
O., Of the drowning Of q eighteen-months-
old baby by its mother, an unmarried girl
named Alma Jackson, on Friday afternoon
last The particulars of the murder are
about as follows;
For several years past the Jackson family,
consisting of two sons named David and
Joseph, the girl above named and their
mother, have been living together near the
outskirts OF Sardis the boys supporting the
family by tilling piece of property left
them by their father, who died several
years ago. The girl has been generally
regarded as weak minded, and about thirty
months ago was
Sedueed Dy some Unknown Villain,
a child being born about October, 1871.
Shortly after this event occurred the older
brother, David, married and left the fam-
ily coming to New Martinsville, where he
has since been. Hisdeparture left the sup.
port of the family to Joseph, who, being
cripple, losing a leg at Bridgeport, o.,
some half dozen years ago, was only able
10 earn a somewhat precarious livelihood
by selling notions among the neighboring
villagers. A few weeks ago he concluded
that the task of providing for the family
was more than he could bear, and an
nounced his determination of selling out
and leaving, telling his sister that she
must hereafter look out for herself and
baby. This seemed to bear heavily upon
her mind, and is presumed to have been
the inducing cause Of the drowning OF her
offspring.
About three o'clock Friday afternoon
she left the house with the child, going
down along the river bank, saying that she
was going to
Find a Home for the Baby.
About all hour later she returned, consii.
erably agitated, saying she bad found sgood
place for it. Fearing the worst, her broth
ers started in search of the missing baby,
and after hunt extending into the next
day the quest resulted in finding its body
in q run about q quarter Of a mile below
Sardis. It's head was completely severed
from tue pOuy, duu was tIOuuu SOl1e dlS-
tance away, under the roots OF tree.
The girl made her escape from home Sat.
urdsy morning before the body was found,
and boarding the steamer Courier she came
as far as New Martinsville, on her way to
Wheeling, at which place she was over.
/ taken and returned to SIrdiS, where pre-
liminary examination resulted in her COM
mitment to Jail to await the finding OF the
grand Jury. She was taken TO Woodsfeld
on Sunday morning. The girl did not real
/ ize her position, stating when she left Sar-
! dis for the Woodsfeld jail that she would
/ be back in few days.
Upon the witness Sfnud,
| during the preliminary hearing, she stated
| that she was standing near the run with
/ the child in her arms. when il juT ped into
the water and drowned before she could
rescue il. but neglected to explain the fact
/ that its head was severed from its body.
The girl who is only twenty years of age,
/ is more pitied than blamed by those famil-
; lar with the circumstances of tie case, but
! there Is much indignation slOwered upon
! the head Of the foul sedu"Cr who took ad-
I vantage of her weak mind ana thus laid
! tie first foundation Of her crime,