Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-08-02
A Boy DROWs A RABY.
The Rash Act That Followed Playful
Suggestion.

The Rash Act That Followed Playful
Suggestion.
from tide st. John (New Brunswck) Telegraph ]
The residents of the compact village of
Long Beach, Salmon River, st. John
Country, were startled and Mortified Mon
day afternoon by the news that Richard
Tufts, s-year old son of Capt. Simon Tufts,
of that place, had carried an infadt baby of
Mr.. Edos Surat, a neighbeI, from the house
to a highway bride, about 20 yards distant,
and thrown him into the rushing stream
where he was drowned. The body of the
child was recovered at once, and every effort
made to resuscitate it, but without success.
Captain Simon Tufts, the father of the boy
who was instrumental in causing the death
of the child, is respected and one of the
most opulent residents of the place. He is
the master of a woodboat carrying deals
from Martins Head to St. John, and at one
time commanded the bark Connaught. Mr..
Edos Surat, the father of the drowned in
FAINT, has been living at Long Beach but
short time. He is of French descent. 1t
appears that all the residents in that vicinity
are very intimate with each other, and their
children spent most of the day at this time
of the year playing in one another's compa-
ny. The boy Richard Tufts, who is four
wears and seven months old, is bright, in
telligent child with black eyes and very
prepossessing appearance. He was general
favorite with all who knew him and was full
of life and spirit all the time.
It seems that while in the company of
Mrs. Surat and her baby and others some
days ago, Mrs. Surat playfully remarked to
the mother of Richard Tufts, ''That bad lit
tie boy of yours will drown my baby" This
line of conversation was pursued for some
time in the same jocose way, and when it
ceased no person except the boy Richard ap-
pears to have thought of it again. At the
inquest, which was held afterward, one wit
ness said that Mrs. Surat told her that she
one day offered the baby to Richard to throw
off the bridge into the water. Richard, with
the usual persistence of a boy of his years,
was anxious to throw the baby over, but of
course was prevented by the mother. What
ever influence these incidents may have had
on the mind of Richard to make him COM
nit the act which he did would be difficult
to determine.
On Monday afternoon Mrs Surat left her
house to visit her neighbor, Mrs. Jacob
Tufts, for a few minutes. She left both her
children, girl three years old and her baby
ten months old. asleep in the house. She re-
manned at Mrs. Tufts about fifteen minutes
and then returned home. When she went
into the house naturally her first thought
was of her sleeping children, and she looked
to see if they were all right. To her sur
prise and fear the baby was gone. She ran
to Mrs. Jacob Tufts and gave the alarm, say
ing that her baby was lost. Mrs. Tufts told
Ida May Els to go and find the child and
followed soon after herself. The conversa-
ton of few days previous flashed into the
minds of both women, for they at once di-
rected their steps to the highway bridge,
which was about twenty yards distant. The
brook which this bridge spans~is not large
one, and usually has but small flow of wa
ter and is very shallow in all but one part,
directly under the bridge. Here the stones
and earth were removed when the bridge was
constructed and hollow left about two feet
deep, which was filed with water. The
bridge planking is about four and one-half
feet above the surface of the water When
| Ida May Ellis reached this place the first
| thing that met her gaze was the baby lying
in the pool of water. She recovered the
| body at once, but there were no signs of life.
The child was carried to the nearest house
| and every effort was made by his mother, as