The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1873-08-15 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

SAIIITEL BAKEII."  ALLEGED CHILD MURDER AT BATLEY  At the Leeds Summer Assizes, on Tuesday, Sarah Ann Richardson, 19, servant, was indicted for the wilful murder of her infant child at Batley, on the 12th May last. Mr. Tindal Atkinson appeared for the prosecution; Mr. Campbell Poster defended. The prisoner was a domestic servant to Mr. Robert Talbot, of Carlinghaw, near Batley. In the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Talbot, Mrs. Henry Talbot, their daughter-in-law, kept house for them on the 10th of May, and to her prisoner complained the following day of being ill. She gave hers little medicine, but it did not seem to do her much good. On the morning in question, about a quarter-past eight, she complained of great pain in her chest, which struck through to her back, and young Mrs. Talbot observed that she went out twice during the forenoon. In the evening of that day a man named Butler. a farm bailiff in the service of Mr. 11. Talbot, saw the body of an infant floating in the beck at the back of the house. The police were communicated with, and meanwhile Mrs. Henry Talbot and Butler's wife went to the beck, and also saw the body in the water. Mrs. Talbot, on returning to the house, went to prisoner's bedroom, and asked prisoner if she was any better, to which she replied that she was much better, and wished to be up; but nothing was mentioned about the child. A short time afterwards Police-sergeant Stringer arrived, accompanied by Butler, and they took the child out of the water. They found a string wrapped twice tightly round its neck, and knotted in two places with double knots. Subsequently Mr. M'Fadden, of Batley, examined the prisoner, and found that she had been recently delivered of a child; and on the following day he made a pest - mortem examination of the body of the child, from which he was able to say that strangulation was the cause of death. Prisoner made a voluntary statement to Stringer when he was removing her front the house in a cab to the lockup. She told the officer the child was hers, and that when she was living as servant down at Dewsbury the met with a man in the Dewsbury cutting who was its father. She added that she had never seen the man before that night, and never since Dr. M•Fadden, in course of cross-examination by Mr. Atkinson, was asked :—What is your opinion a to whether the child had been born alive or not Witness :It had breathed freely His Lordship: But I suppose its having breathed freely is not evidence of its haying been born alive ?...Witnees No Do you believe the child was born alive? I lean to that ouinion, but I won't swear. Witness also said from the appearances of the child he thought no skilled person had beeu present at the birth, and it was possible that the pi ineuer, in order to sever herself from the child, hail used the ligature, which was found round its neck, and in so doing had strangled it. The case for the prosetintion at this stage broke down, his Lordship remarking that. in order to find the prisoner guilty of the crime, the jury must be satisfied that the child was born alive; and Dr. MTadden, the only medical evidence, had said that he would net pledge himself that that was so, although he leaned to the opinion.—The jury found the prisoner not guili) the charge of murder, but guilty of come:dun; tue birth of the child. Sentence 'l, as deferred.  The health of Mr. Clay, M.P. for Ha, has greatly improved, and hopes are entertained of Lis complete recovery.