Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-01-11
THIRD ED\7\0N
A DEVIL IN MUHAN rom.
He twists . Chlld's Head Cnt1l hs
Breaks lls Mock.

NEW YORK, Jan. 10.-Whatever
doubt may have existed as 10 the guilt
Of George Jeffrey, now under indict-
ment for murder in the first degree.
jointly with his wife, at Riverhead,
Long Island, has been removed. Jeffrey
has been quite i'll several days, but the
symptoms were not dangerous. This
afternoon he sent for the District Attor-
ney and made . clean breast of his
crime.
He says he killed his wife's child by
holding Its body between his knees and
twisted the child's head one way until
he thought he had broken its neck, and
then twisted tho bead the other way
to make sure he had killed 1t. One
physician failed to discover the broken
neck, but the second physician deter
mined the cause of death at II glance.
Jeffrey contemplated killing the child
for a long time, and thought he could
do 50 by continual cruelties and not DO
held guilty of crime failing, he at
last broke its neck. He hated the child
because he was not IFS father, and its
existence interfered more or less with
his wife earning money for him. He
had no other motive for the crime. JEFF
frey and his wife have been in Jail
since August.
The child, whose murder is now con-
fessed, had been subject to the most
brutal treatment. Dolly Pollard was
its mother. She was fourteen years
old when the child was born. jeffrey
married her with the full Knowledge OF
all the facts. Neither had an affection
for the child, and Jeffrey repeatedly OBJ
,jected to supporting it. Dolly wen t to
work to obviats that objection. She
would 60 away in tho morning, leaving
it alone on the floor, and not return un-
til eve ming. A cup of water, and either
bread or crackers were left besids it,
and the child could sat or starve. II
was under three years, and not likely
to feed itself. There were no near
neigh ors.
Persons passing frequently heard the
child cry, but they were barred by
locked doors and closed windows from
ministering to its wants, if 30 inclined.
When Jeffrey and his wife quarrelled
it was q common thing tor him 10
throw the child at her, and very often
it received painful injuries from this
cause. On ons occasion its arm WAS
broken, and the bones were allowed Il,
knit irregularly, resulting in a
deformed hand. When Jeffrey came
home and found the child impeding the
entrance to the house, he would kick it
out of the way. One of these kicks
landed the child in the cistern, and
it would probably have been allowed
to drown but for the presence Of Dolly's
father.
jeffrey threatened to kill his father
in.law for interfering. Old Pollard
renewed the ARRAY, armed with a
shotgun, but jeffrey judiciously kept
out OF range. There wasa cat in the
house. This Jeffrey wonld hold by the
hairs of its head with one hand, and
with the other band hold the child by
the hair of its head to see which could
endure the torture the greater while,
At other times he would whirl the
child through space by holding fast Of
leg or an arm, never being particular
as to what objects its body came in
contact with, nor caring about the con
sequences. In spite of manifold cruel
ties, the little one chung tenaciously II
life.