The Sun. — 1856-10-16 (London, England)

SHOCKING CASE' OF CHILD POISONING.  The greatest excitement has prevailed at Runcorn, a small port above Liverpool, during the past few days.. owing to the mysterious proceedings attending the death and burial of a female child aged nine days, daughter of Elizabeth and Thomas Brennan, a pedlar living in Nelson-street, Runcorn. The child was in good health on the afternoon of the Ist inst., was taken ill, and died that night. The day after its death the patents and a young man named Patrick Frain, who lodged with them, bought an old soap box, with the ostensible purpose of making a rabbit-box. Tile same night the father went to the sexton, told him that his daughter had died, and requested permission to bury it without any "fuss." The sexton consented on the man promising to bring the registrar's certificate the next merning. The child was buried in the old soap-box that night, and, the father having by subterfuge obtained the registrar's certificate gave it to the sexton. ..The suspicious circumstances came to the ears of the chief constable, the body was exhumed by order of the coroner, and the appearance of the mouth, throat, and stomach suggesting the suspi• cion that death bad been caused by sulphuric acid, or tome other deadly poison, the three suspected persons were taken into custody. An inquest was held, which after ajoarnment terminated on Monday. Elizabeth Reece stated that she nursed the child up to the 30,b tilt., returning it to its mother in perfect health. On the afternoon of that day, having occasion to go into Brennaa'a house, she saw the child struggling and kicking on its mother's knee, blowing from its mouth, and apparently scarcely able to breathe. Hearing on the following day that the child was dead, she went to inquire, but the mother said the child was asleep. The mother locked the door of the room in which the child was said to be sleeping, and, giving the key to a boy, went out with her husband and Frain. In their absence the boy unlocked the door, and witness went into the room and found the child dead, and naked, with a window-blind thrown across it and a cloth over its mouth and chin. Dr. Edwards, of :Birkenhead, professor of chemistry, deposed that ho made a post mortem examination of the stomach, intestines, and soft organs of the deceased. The ce3ophagus, or gullet, and upper portions of the stomach were deeply furrowed by the action of a corrosive liquid, which had destroyed the mucous membrane, corroded the tissues, and entirely dissolved a portion of the stomach. The smaller bloodvessels were blackened and charred, and in the large intestines black patches occurred, which, when placed on test paper, gave strongly acid reaction. He analysed the contents of the stomach and detected the presence of sulphuric acid, which was consistent only with the administration of the concentrated sulphuric acid known as oil of vitriol. Mr. H. Wilson, surgeon, Runcorn, had made a post mortem examination, and from what he had seen, and after the result of Dr. Edwards's analysis, he was satisfied that death had been caused by the administration of sulphuric acid. From the extensive destruction of the stomach he imagined that as much as 40 drops had been given. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder against the three prisoners, who were committed for trial.