The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1875-03-30 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

CURIOUS PROSECUTION.  At Penzance, the other day, William Rodda,a butcher, was charged with a curious offence. The Rev. G. A. Warner stated that on the 11th March he went into the butchers market to make mane purchasea Defendant began to whistle to Ids annoyance, and on his asking him to desist from whistling, he refused to do no. Consequently he WM unable to make his purchase, and had to leave the market. The bench tined the defendant to. and costs, in all Ils. 6d.  WESTEItIi IteUlT.—Ttlncrog, Mango 27. (Before Mr. "limos lhoorr.) Louisa Man(ford, 31, glover, was indicted for the wilful munler of her twin infant children, Sarah Ann and Mary Jane, aged one month, at Yeovil. Mr. 11. eary Batten prosecuted ; Mr. T. W. Saunders defended the prisoner. The case for the prosecution wax that the infant, as well as her twin sister, had been starved hi death. The prisoner is the wife of a leather parer living at Yeovil, and earning lffs. to Psi. • week. fin the lith of December last she wan confined of twins, one of whom died on the 9th of January, and the other, whose death was the subject of the present indictment, on the 15th of January. On the Zipl lks:einlier a medical man was sent for by the prisoner's father, in whose house she lived. Ile came and found the children ailing, and inquired with what food they were being fed, and was told with arrowroot, corm flour. and biscuit. Ile explained that this was improper food, and that milk wan the only right food, and he gave some medicine to check the diarrhow which the children were wid to he suffering from. liii the 6th of January the child that 11101 tinit was brought by the prisoner to the surgery of the doctor, who plainly told her that he thought the child was living starved, andilirected that both children should lie fed with milk and water and have a little wine given to them. hi the 9th thin child died. On the lath the second Child was brought to the nursery, and again on the 13th. It was then in an emaciated condition, nal according to the prisoner dill suffering from diarrhow. The doctor, however, was of a different opinion, aud pointed out to the prisoner and to persons who were there that what the chill wanted was not medicine, lint fool. The dochir, on, this is-melon, asked if the first child was buried, and said, "1 suppose you have kept it to bore with this one I" To which the prisoner answered, "I suppose it will not live." On the 15th the child died, and a post ptorteus examination was made, the result of which, showing, as it did, no trace of disease and no inflammation in the intootines, but entire emaciation, confirmed the doctor in the opinion lie had previously entertained that the child had Iliad of starvation, an opinion which wiss also that of a sawimil medical man who took part in the pod afortsta examination. On the other hand, the father and mother of the prisoner deposed that the ch.l.lren hat been well treated, and the mother and another witness dolmal they had both suffered f iliarrlitea. A medical man who had not seen the children, tot only heard the evidence in court, was of opinion that it was COWlixtent with the symptoms that itenth hal resulted from atrophy. It wax mentioned incidentally that max three"( ten children of the prisoner were living. The evidence of the lastduentionol witness was relied on for the defence, as showing that the prisoner was guilty neither of murder nor of the minor offence of Manalatighter by culpable negligence. The jury took this view of the case, and acquitted the prisoner. A verdict of acquittal was taken in the case of the other child which the prisoner was charged with murdering, the facts being precisely similar.