The Sun. — 1851-08-23 (London, England)

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PL&TT.) Ann Shaw, 27, was charged with having, at Ashtonunder-Lyne, on the 15th of,;June last, wilfully murdered her infant child. Mr. Pollock and Mr. Miilward appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Monk defended the prisoner. It appeared that the prisoner, who is an Irishwoman, residing at a house in Lees, near Ashtonunder-Lyne, kept by a woman named Fogg, and earned her living by washing. Her sister, who resided near her, had often accused her of being in the family way, and although she had been confined a year or two before in Ireland, she denied that she was in that state at the time in question, though else was large from another cause which bad ceased. On Sunday, the 15th of June, as a man named Adshead was proceeding through Cockfield, a few hundred yards from Mr. Fogg's house, he found a child newly horn, lying dead on the grass, wrapped up in brown paper, over which was a piece of bedticking, and also a piece of print. The child was dead, having a piece of thin cord round its throat, its feet tied up to its neck, and its arms folded across its breast, so that it was doubled up like a ball. It was then taken to Mr. Elliott's, the surgeon, who made a post 'inortem examination, and on applying the usual tests, he gave it as his opinion that the child had been born alive, that it was fully grown, and that death had been caused by the cord which was found round the neck having caused strangulation. The police then proceeded to make inquiries, and the prisoner was examined by the medical man, who gave it as his opinion that she had been delivered, but could not state how recently. They then searched the prisoner's room, and in a box, which she acknowledged to be hers, some brown paper was found, and also some ticking, and a piece of print. On comparing these with the ticking and the print found with the body of the child, they resembled each other in all respects. Some of these the prisoner acknowledged to the police were hers, and wondered how they had been found where it was described they had been. In addition to this evidence, the prosecution relied upon marks which were found at the bottom of the prisoner's box, and which led those who saw them to the conclusion that they might have been caused by a new-born child having been laid in it, and these marks were only the impression of the body and head, and not of the legs of the child, which would have been the case had the child's legs been tied up to its neck, as the legs of the child in question were found to be. Various witnesses who resided in the house with the  prisoner, and who slept in the same room with her, stated that they had observed that she had increased in site. One of them had given her some medicine to Alleviate her sufferings, which she did not understand proceeded from pregnancy, but from another cause. The witnesses likewise stated that a child could not have been born in the bedroom of the prisoner without their hearing or being aware of it. The underclothes of the prisoner and other linen which had stains upon them were adduced to show that a birth had taken place, but the medical man did not assert confidently that the marks found would inevitably lead him to that conclusion.  At the close of the case for the prosecution, Mr. Morro as.ked his Lordship whether there was any occasion for him to address the jury, as there was no evidence that the prisoner had been delivered of a child ; but the jury seemed desirous that the Learned Counse; should address them. Mr. MONK th en addressed the jury, and said that there was no evi. -fence whatever to support the charge of murder again st any person whatever, and that the mode and mann( ‘r in which the child was found, at most would only show that the person, whoever tihf WSF, whop had delivered of thi; child had endeavoured to con ceal the birth, by dispo,ing of the body; but he would contend, with the greatest con-. dence, that there was no evidence whatever in the  whole case which could justify them in coming to the conclusion that tha prisoner had been delivered of any child at all. His LORDSIIIP having summed up, Tae jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.