Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-29
ADMITS HER AWFUL CRIME
Mary Barrett Burned the Laf-
ferty Child to Death.
APPLIED A MATCH TO ITS CLOTHES
Admitted Her Crime After
Being Arrested.
Was Also Guilty OF the Attempts to Set Fire
TO the Laffsrty House-Catsed the child's
Death because She Was Tired of Taking
Care of It--in Dover jail and Wii Rave a
Hearing To-day.

Special Correspondence Of Gazette and journal
Dover, June %. AS was foretold, the
death of the l5-months old child of Mr..
and Mrs. j. W. Lafferty, residing on
farm near Leipsic, was caused BY the
child's clothes being set afire by the
colored girl, Mary Barrett, domestic
in the family. The fact was fully
demonstrated yesterday afternoon.
Detective B. J. McVey and Every
Evenings correspondent secured team
and drove to the residence of Mr..
IIaiferty. Statements were made by Mr..
and Mrs. LatYerty as we'll as by the
hoy, George Pyle. to whom the negro
girl had made admissions. All the
statements made by the occupants of
the house were corroborative of those
printed in yesterdays Every Evening.
After gaining the desired informa-
ton, Detective Money and Every Even.
ing,s correspondent went to the house
of the Barretts about two miles dis
tant. Here the men were confronted
by the mother of the girl and five or
six children The State officer inquired
for the girl Mary, and she was imme.
diately produced Upon being informed
that she was wanted in Dover, it was
with some hesitancy hat the mother
consented to let the girl go. Finally
consenting, the girl prepared herself
for the trip, and in half an hours time
| the detective and correspondent, with
their prisoner, were on the road to
Dover.
At least two miles wera trayersed
before word was spoken b. any of the
trio. Finally the girl was questioed by
Detective McVey as to her age and
various matters relative to her con-
nection with the Lafferty family. As
was expected. she denied all knowledge
of anything concerning the burning OF
| the rags, child or bed, claiming to be
entirely ignorant of the questions pro-
pounded TO her about any Of the pre-
| sumed accidents. While she did not
| implicate any one Of the family, yet to
\ clear herself she did say the younger
children of Mr.. Lafferty were as liable
to do the deed as she. After some
questioning she soon began to contra
dict herself in such way as to belle
her former statements, and before
Dover was reached she weakened anc
made a confession to both Detective
Money and Every Evenings CORE
spondent, admitting her respohsibilit,
for the death of the child and the othei
two fires which occurred at the house
| The further the case is investigated
the more deeper grows the chain of evi
aence against the girl Barrett. Sh,
showed no signs of fright when ARRESTED
and assumed an air of indifference,
through the entire transactions Til
brought to Dover
She will be given a hearing befor
Magistrate Cooper tomorrow morninl
at 10 O'Clock. when Attorney Genera
White will be present and conduct tn
prosecution.
The girl. i'll her statement, said sh
killed the child because she was tire
Of taking care of it, She said tina
she set fire to its dress with a lighte
match and watched the blaze unit
she was satisfied the child was fatal
burned. Then she gave the alarm.