The San Francisco call., 1896-06-11
Weighted With Bricks She Threw
Scores of Babies Into
the Thames.
APPALLING RECORD OF CRIME.
Twice Attempts Suicide and Is Led to
the Scaffod in a Dazed
Condition.

LONDON, Eng, June 10.-Mrs. Annie
Dyer, the Reading baby-farmer who pre-
sumably murdered scores of infants in
trusted to her, was hanged in Newgate
prison at o'clock this morning. Since
she was sentenced to death Mrs. Dyer had
twice attempted to commit suicide. The
woman was completely dazed when
she was led to the scaffold and had to be
supported by the warden who had her in
charge.
Her crime was one that Mortified all
England when discovered. On Monday,
March 30 parcel was found in the river
near Reading, and when opened the body
of little girl baby was discovered. The
population of Reading consists largely OF
women working in the straw-hat works,
and infanticide is not uncommon.
An address on the parcel led to the ar
rest of Mrs. Dyer; and the police were able
to prove that she borrowed some string
and took out with her a paper parcel on
that day. The string around the parcel
was identical with the string she bor-
rowed. On Wednesday, April s, man
who was dragging the river brought up a
parcel of linen rags. When the parcel
reached the surface of the water a brick
dropped out, and also the head of child,
which f1oated upon the surface of the
river. On examination of the parcel it
was found that some tape had been tied
tightly round the neck of the deceased
child.
On Friday, the 10th, third body was
recovered near the footbridge at the Clap
pers. 1t proved to be that of child, and
was wrapped up in cloth and tied round
with string. There was a large brick in
the parcel. The body was that OF child
of about nine months old. 1t is sup
posed that the little baby was suffocated
by having something placed in its mouth.
1t is impossible to say how long the body
had been in The water.
On the same afternoon another parcel
was brought up from the center of the
footbridge. In this were found the bodies
OF two infants, accompanied by such other
parapheInalia as warranted strong sus-
picion that the murderer of the children
previously found was also the destroyer of
the lives of these.
The first body found could not have been
in the water many hours, for the river at
the spot where it had been thrown in was
shallow and muddy; indeed. there was
scarcely enough water 10 cover the parcel
and the top was plainly visible and quite
dry. On the inside of the wrapper was
found the address, "45 Kensington road,
Reading" Had the parcel been immersed
in the water for long time the ink would
have become obliterated. This child had
been dead probably ten days. and it is be-
lieved that it had been kept in Mrs. Dyer's
house all the while. When inquiries were
made by the police on the day of the dis
covery of the body it was found she had
gone away.
Mrs. Dyer had been indicted for the
murder of Doris, the two-months-old child
of Miss Evelin M&rmon of Cheltenham.
1t was the strangled body of her baby
which the police found in the Thames
that gave the clew to the identity of its
murdress. The body had been wrapped
in brown paper and this bore the address
of the Dyer woman.
Only nine days after she surrendered
Doris to Mrs. Dyer, Miss Marmon was
taken by the police to Reading, ana
there in the Morgue saw and identified
the body as that of her child, whom she
had given to Mrs. Dyer to be adopted
and brought up in good home" Miss
Marmon testified that she saw in a Bris-
tol paper an advertisement of Mrs. Dyer
for q baby for adoption and that she
answered it.
The second time the woman attempted
suicide she tied shoestring around her
neck, but was found before she had
strangled herself.
The funeral of the babies attracted
enormous crowds. Henley, famous for
its annual regatta and the palatial home
of William Waldorf Astor, is not far from
the scene of the crimes.