The Sun. — 1849-04-09 (London, England)

ERLE). CHARGE OF CHILD MURDER.  Bridget igtanton, 25, was charged with the wilful murder of Thomas Stanton, and pleaded Not Guilty. Mr. Trafford and Mr. Brandt prosecuted. The former stated the case, to the effect that the prisoner, who is the wife of a match-seller, came to lodge at North Rode, near Macclesfield, in October last. In the middle of November last her husband joined her, and they continued lodging there till Sunday the 17th of December, the day of the alleged murder, having with them the deceased child, Thomas Stanton, which she suckled. On the morning of that day, the husband being in bed, he and the prisoner quarrelled because she had not washed his shirt ~on the Saturday night. They subsequently quarrelled at dinner time, when the husband hit her a tap on the side of her head, she having the child in her arms. She fetched the constable, and told him her husband had beaten the child and knocked two teeth out, and had hit it a blow on the thigh, and she showed him the child. The constable sent her and the child to Macclesfield workhouse; and when on her way there she was seen by several persons, and the child appeared to be quite well. The last place she called at:no child was seen, but she had something under her cloak that appeared like a bundle. She arrived at the police station, Maccleafield, about four o'clock, and produced the child which was dead, and she stated that her husband bad killed it by abusing it, and knocking its head and its teeth out. The husband was apprehended on her statement, and a surgeon made a post mortem examination and he found some severe bruises on the side of the head, a mark on the cheek, and a bruise on the thigh. The surgeon was of opinion that the blows on the side of the head were the cause of death. The examination on the inquest resulted in the discharge of the husband and the committal of the prisoner. Several witnesses were called to prove the occurrences at North Rode, and on the way to Macclesfield. One of the witnesses said, that when at the lodging-house the child had two teeth knocked out, and looked sickly and delicate, and she said that her husband had done it, and that she would send her husband where he was before, for her child would die. Cox, the constable, in his evidence, stated that when the prisoner fetched him she said her husband had abused her and the child, and that the latter would die before night. Williamson, a constable of Macclesfield, proved that the prisoner brought her dead child to the police-office, and she said her husband had inflicted the injuries on the child in bed that morning, and that the child had died when she had got a small distance on the way from North Rode. Mr. Newbold, surgeon, stated that he examined the child, and found bruises on the forehead, left temple, left cheek, and left thigh; it had but about eight teeth, and the two lower middle teeth were missing, having been violently extracted. A quantity of extravasated blood was found on the brain and on the base of the skull. The bruises on the skull were the cause of death. Five or six hours might have elapsed between the blows and death. The Learned JUDGE went minutely through the evidence, and said, that if the cause of death admitted of reasonable doubt, then, in a serious case like this, their verdict must be on the side of mercy. In this case the cause of death was involved in great mystery, and there was no direct testimony implicating the prisoner, or even whether, supposing she inflicted the injuries, that they had been inflicted wilfully; but there was some evidence that those injuries had been inflicted before she left North Rode. It was an extrein, ly improbable motive to assign that the prisoner did this act in order to charge it on her husband, and get him sent to gaol. Verdict—Not Guilty. A verdict of Not Guilty was also taken on the coroner's inquisition. CIVIL SlDE—(Before Mr. Justice