The Sun. — 1858-05-18 (London, England)

ATTEMPT TO POISON A CHILD WITH INK IN TIIE LIVERPOOL WORKHOUSE.  A young woman, named Mary Jones, who, according to her own statements, had been an assistant teacher in a school in Ireland, and had left her situation in anticipation of her confinement, which had taken place in the Liverpool workhouse, of which she had been an inmate for about three months, was charged at the Liverpool police-court with having attempted to poison her illegitimate child by administering ink to it. Mr. Carr, the governor of the workhouse, stated that the circumstances were reported to him by inmates of the sick ward. After giving the child something and laying it down in bed, the prisoner began to cry, and when the child was lifted out of bed by another woman it vomited something black, by which the clothes were stained. A middle aged woman who occupied the next bed to the prisoner's said that on Friday evening she went out of the room, leaving the baby in bed. It cried and slept alternately. Before that she had seen the prisoner feed the baby from a tin can, similar to one which was now produced. What there was in it she could not say. She bad often told the prisoner that it was a shame for her to neglect the child as she did. The witness took the child out of bed, and it immediately vomited some black stuff. She called attention to the fact, and search was then made for the can, which was found concealed under the bedtick. There was a spoon in the can, and also a cloth with black stains upon it. In the window of the room there was a bottle containing ink. The prisoner never took care of her child like othe women, nor brought it to the fire to warm it. Another inmate, Mrs. Brady, had heard the prisoner wish that her child was dead, or that she bad never seen the father of It, who was a Roman Catholic. Witness had spoken to the prisoner many times when she was ill-using the child, and had seen her put boiling hot meat into its mouth. The sheets of the prisoner's bed were stained with ink, as was also a napkin, taken from the child last week and the clothes which it had been wearing, which were produced. Oa Thursday last the prisoner said to an inmate that the child was very bad, and showed her one of its napkins, which was discoloured with black stains. Since the child had been taken from the mother and given to a nurse it took the breast with mach eagerness, and seemed to be recovering. When Mr. Parker, surgeon, was called to the child, it was in a livid and weak state. The prisoner confessed to him that the ink bottle which was found in the window belonged to her. I'he black vomit had been analysed by Dr. Ayrton, who found it to be common ink, which was an irritant, and a tablespoonful of which he supposed would be sufficient to poison a child. The governor had no Idea how she bad got the ink. It was not prohibited to those who wished to write to their friends, but it never occurred to him that a woman would use it for poisoning her offspring. Still the possession of the bottle was irregular, and was unknown to the matron. This is the second illegitimate child the prisoner has had. She said nothing in her defence, and was committed to the assizes on the charge of attempted murder.