The Warwickshire Herald. — 1886-01-21 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

MALPRACTICES OF A SURGEON.  William Turnbull, 60, surgeon, and Mary Nottage, 40, midwife, have been tried at the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice Denman, charged with the wilful murder of Charlotte Louisa Clifford ; the male prisoner WAR also charged on another count with the wilful minder of Mary Ann Burton; a third count charged the maie prisoner with using certain means to procure the miscarriage of Charlotte Louisa Clifford ; and on a fourth tempt he was charged with a similar offence in regard to Mary Anu Burton.— From the opening statement of Mr. Poland, it appeared that the deceased woman Clifford, who was shout 18 or 19 years of age, had been a barmaid at Holloway. After being there for eight menthe she left on the 2nd Noveinber, after giving a week's notice. She went then to her aunt's at Acton, and stayed there one night, and left saying she was going to her father's at Norwood. That however, she never did, but on the contrary she went to the house of a Mrs. Burton, at Hampstead-road, where she took up her reaidence, and was visited by Dr. Turnbull and Mrs. Nottage. Neither her employer at the hotel nor her aunt, knew anything of the deceased being pregnant. There was no doubhhowever, that she was, and that she was treated by the two prisoners for the procuring of abortion, the result of which was that she died. The male prisoner certified that it was a case of typhoid, and the bedding Was diem feoted, and everything done to keep up the delusion that such was the case. Something transpired to cause the coroner of the district to look into the matter, and the corpse was disinterred, when a post-mortem revealed the true state of affairs, and this prosecution was instituted. Further investigations shewing that the two prisoners carried on a regular trade of this description,the Public Prosecutor had felt it his duty to take up the case. Evidence was then given in support of the learned counsel's opening statement as :0 the deceased leaving her situation, her going to her aunt's, her leaving there and going to Hampstead-road, her illness there, and her death,and the various aespicious circumstances that led to the arrest of the prisoner.—Augustus Joseph Pepper, said he was Master in Surgery, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Professor of Surgery in the Lindon University. He had made a post .mortem examination of the oeceased. He found no external niarks of violence. All the organs were healthy. There were evident signs that the deceased had been pregnant, and that there had been a miscarriage. In his opinion death had resulted from an illegal operation. Thee were no allots whatever of typhoid fever.—Dr. Jones, a medichl professor at the Loudon University, who was present at the imatehortem examination, said he agreed with the evidence of the last witness.—This completed the evidence fer the prosecution.—There being no witnesses for the defence, Mr. Poland addressed the jury on behalf of the Crown. Counsel having replied for the defence, the Judge summed up. Eventually, the jury found h th prisoners guilty of manslaughtert and they were i-entenced, Turnbull to 10 years' Penal servitude, and Nottage to IS mouths' hard labour.  The ship Two Brothers, of Portsmouth, when mewing the Kentish Knock ~.tw a large steamer with no one on board, and nfl boats gone. No news has yet been received of the crew, who had evident') deserted the statnier.