Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1888-03-10 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE ALLEGED CHILD MURDER AT MIDDLBSBROUGFI.  TRIAL AT YORK ASSIZES. THE VERDICT.  At the York Anises on Monday Annie Carrie Brier (17) was charged with the murder of her child at Middlesbrough on the 4th February. Mr Thomas prorwented, and Mr Skidmore defended.  In opening the ease Mr Thomas said that at the end of last year prisoner, who MIS charged with the murder of her illegitimate child, was hi domestic service at Middlesbrough, where her father lived. Learning of her condition, the father took her out of service, and told her he need not trouble about the child, Li he would keep it for life at her ~home in lnnis-street. Arrangements wore made with a midwife, and prisoner was safely delivered on the morning of the let February. The child and mother progressed well. The midwife dreeeett the child on the 4th of February, and found it healthy. The midwife tied a nigbt-goviu on the child, and certainly there was no mark then around the neck. At luslf-past seven that night prisoner's parents left her in charge of a little girl and returned two hours after. finding the mother bitterly weeping about the death of her child. Evidence would be called showing that the child bore a red mark round its neck, and that death was due to strangulation. The jury would have to consider whether that strangulation wae due to accident or to prisoners wilful action. It would be shown that the red mark round the neck did not correspond with the proper position of the night-gown, and the prosecution would suggest it was from prisoner's motion. While admitting that every kindness had been shown the girl, and that every preparation had been made for her at borne, the prosecution would suggest that the motive for the murder, if committed, was shame of illegitimacy and fear for future chances in service with such a character. _ _  Counsel then proceeded to call evidence in sup. port of his opening. Dr. McCuaig spoke to the post-moetem examination, and to the death of the child being due to strangulation. . . . .  . . Cross-examined: All the internal appearances were consistent with suffocation. The breadth of the mark round the neck fairly well corresponded to the string of the night-dress. If the , child had been freely suckling it would more easily be suffocated from presence of the bed clothes, or from pressure of the mother sleeping 1 in bed against it, and the action of the mother on hearing the cry and taking the child hurriedly upon her knee might easily have increased thy pressure of the night-gown upon the neck. The child had a very soft skin, which would easily be abraded. The excoriation of the skin was slight. The internal appearances of the child were consistent with death from suffocation, and also strangulation. Mr Skidmore, in addressing the jury, said he had many times defended women for child murder, gut never remembered being engaged in a case where the evidence on which it was sought to take away the life of a fellow-creature was so slight and unsatisfactory. They started with the case without the slightest possible motive for the murder of the child. From the birth of the child to its death every act of the prisoner was that of attention and aftection, and subsequently she showed genuine anguish at its end. In defending the prisoner he had relied solely upon the medical testimony, which showed that the internal appearances of the child were as consistent with death by suffocation as with death by strangulation. The protruding of the tongue and other external appearances were as consistent with suffocation as strangulation. He Ruggested that the mark made by the night-gown had been made by occident, and that death was due to suffocation by accident, and prisoner was not guilty of murder. The Judge, in summing up, said he concurred with Mr Skidmore that this did seem to be a case of murder or nothing. At the same time he did not withhold from the jury the right of reducing the offence to one of manslaughter. With • regard to the motive of the crime, he agreed that it was apparently edistent. They would have to satisfy themseivee that the act was committed by the prisoner by design to kill her child. The learned Judge then went into the evidence in  The jury, after about two minutes' consideration of their verdict, found prisoner