The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-12
BODY OF A CHILD
FOUND IN A WELL
A Clear. Case of lnfanticide
Apparently
NO CLUE TO IDENTITY
CORONER'S JURY RETURNED A
VERDICT OF DEATH BY IN
KNOWN PARTIES.
CHILD MAY HAVE BEEN WHITE OR BLACK
Physician Said He Gould Not Determine the
Race With Certainty. Authorities
are Still Working on
the Case.

About . O'clock Sunday afternoon \
dead child was found in a well in Idle.
Wild
1t was a young female ehild-'a very
Young one-that had been born aliye and
killed Immediately after its birth.
Whether it was white or colored has
never been determined. The best opin-
ion was that it was either white or had
very little negro blood in DIT.
When first found it looked perfectly
white. but after short exposure to the
sun and air it turned dark, which led
to the conclusion that it was a bright
mulatto.
There could be NO doubht that the in
FAINT was born alive and then murdered
either killed outright or amothered 10
death in the box in which it was found.
TO support the first theory there was ON
the child's neck, little toward the
back. a wound that looked as if sharp
instrument had been stuck into it.
There were also ON the neck and side
o fthe head bruises that had turned blue,
showing beyond all question that the
child had been born alive.
The child was in AN ordinary paper
shoe box. The body was wrapped in a
piece fcommon white cloth and placed
in the box. The box was then nicely
wrapped in "a piece of checked homespun
and securely tied with two shoe strings.
I'm this condition it was dropped into an
old, unused we'll in Idlewild, between
the Soldiers Home and Oalwood Gene
nj I'd
used to be.
found.--is told in the evidence of the
witnesses put on the stand Mt the coro
ners inquest, which is given below.
The inquest was held by DR. j. J. Ia.
MdtGller's. the county coroner, at ii
o'clock in Undertaken Browns Office,
where the body was taken Sunday by
Health Officer Sale. The jury was COM
posed of Messrs. r. L. Heflim II. l..
Fleming. John w. Cross, j. Il. Rowland,
.J. ID. TURNER and A. I'll. Adams.
before hearing testimony the jury
went out and examined the well in which
the infant was found and also made an
examination of the body. Then they
heard the testimony of four witnesses:
Henry Miles, Arthur Jones, john Hinton
and Health Officer Sale.
Arthur Jones was the first witness. He
said me and VIII Hinton and Henry
Mial went visiting Sunday on Hawkins
row As they came back they looked
into the old well and slw the box tied
up. Henry stIspicioned something and
went for John Hinton who came and
got the box out. The witness said there
was nothing special that attracted him
to the well: he just went there through
curiosity. He did not help get the child
out though he saw it.
Henry Mial said he went down to Ar
thus Jones house Sunday afternoon. Ar
thurs wife told him Arthur had gone
visiting ON Hawlsins' row He started
down there and met Arthur near the
well. They went and looked in and saw
the box, and noticed it particularly be
cause it was so carefully wrapped up
with cloth and strings. john Hinton
came and got it out. The witness sad
he had no suspicion as to whose child It
was, and had heard no supicions i'm his
neighborhood.
The first John Hinton knew of it was
that Henry Mial came and told him
he had found a box in the well nicely
wrapped up. Henry asked the witness
whether he thought they could get it ont.
They went to the well and got the box
ont with grab hooks. John suspscioned
something by its being so carefully
tied up. so he told Henry to call Mr..
Martins son to see it opened. He did
so. John clrt the strings with his knife
and there was a piece of homesDun
cloth wrapDed around the box