Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1874-04-23 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

ALLEGED CHILD MURDER NEIR SALTBURN. At the Gnishorough Police.court on Tuesday, a woman, who gave her name as Annie Storey, was brought up in custody, charged with the murder of her child. The child was discovered by a man named William Coates, with a piece of cord round its neck, lying on the beach at Saltburn. lie went and gave information to Sergeant Moore, who, along with Sergeant Bain, made inquiries into the affair, and found that a woman had been seen 'wandering about Marake the previous night with a child, antlhad been making diligent inquiries about the flow and ebb of the tide. When apprehended, she said she had come to Satltburn from Darlington to seek a situation, and denied all knowledge of tbe matter, but afterwards said the child had died from convulsions. It appears that the prisoner is a married woman, but living apart from her husband. She was taken to a medical gentleman, who examined her, when it was found that she had given birth to a child. Mr Addenbroke, solicitor, of Middlesbrough, appeared for the prisoner. Sergeant James Moore said: About twenty minutes past five o'clock this morning, I was called up by a man named William Coates, who was leaving work at the gas house, and who said that on his way home along the sands, he found the body of a female child on the sands, which had been washed up by the tide. I proceeded to the place, and found the body of a child, partly dressed, with a string round its neck. The Chairman: Tightly. Witness: Not tightly. It was tied round the nebk loosely, but there was a loop in the end. The Chairman Was it a young child? Witness: About three months old, sir. I conveyed it to the Ship Inn, Marske, and there I received inform:mien that a woman had been seen walking about Marske on tho previous evening with a child of that description in her arms. On further enquiry, I ascertained that she took lodgings about 12 o'clock last night, and that she had gone towards the railway station. I followed to the railway station, ovet took her, and asked her to accompany me to the police station, which she did. I then brought the person who had seen her with the child on the previous night, and they identified her as the same woman. I asked what she had doue with the child, and she said she knew nothing about it; she naver had a child. I then charged her on suspicion of having killed the child, and she said, "I know nothing about it; you must by mistaken." The Chairman: Did you get any name from her! _ _ _  Witness: She gave me the name of Annie Story, of Darlington. She made several different statements as to where she came from. She first said she had been staying at Statham about a week, then she said she had come direct from York to see if she could get a situation at Saltbnrn, and at last she said she had been lately staying with her mother at Darlington. On Whig searched, a bab3's frock was found in her pocket, a napkin, and a pair of gloves. On the road from Marske to Guisborough she started to cry, and said, "1 may as well tell the truth. I was on the sands with the aud, it being subject to convulsions it died, and I left it lying on the sands." The Chairman : Where is the child now? Witness : At the Ship Inn, klarske, awaiting an inquest, which is fixed for five o'dook to-night.  The Chairman : Did you warn her at all u to Making any atatement ? Witness: I did not warn her. Superintendent Prest : All we ask for now is to have the case remanded to get up the evidence.  Mr Addenbrooke said: I Cave wily been instructed (luring the last half hour. She will admit that the child is hers, and I believe we shall be in a position to prove that the child was delicate in health, and liable to convulsions, and that it died in her arms. She has made a statement that she knew nothing about the child, but these are the facts, and she proposes to call medical evidence on the adjournment of the case to prove that the child was in a delicate state of health.  The prisoner was remanded fora week, bail being refused.