Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1886-08-07 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

ROAD. VERDICT OF "WILFUL MURDER."  A DEAD BODt FOUND ON ELLAND On Tuesday afternoon, at the Rawson's Arms, Elland-road. Southorram, Mr. J. E. Hill (deputycoroner) held an inquiry on the body of a newlyborn male child, name unknown, which had been found wrapped in a brown paper parcel on the previous Sunday afternoon in a field on the road side near the Rawson's Arms. The jury comprised: -.—Messre• James Milnes (foreman), John Nettleton, Isaac Tillotson, Joseph Wood, Edward Aspinall, William Clayton, John Hill, Ernest Ambler, John Foster, Abraham Barstow, John Murgatroyd, Thomas Noble, and George Park. Inspector Punton was also present. The jury having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, which had been placed in one of the rooms of the house : the first witness examined was  William Hornsey, coachman, of Salterhebble, who stated on oath that on Sunday afternoon, at ten minutes past four o'clock, be and others (including a man named Harry Spink) were walking on the Brighouse and Elland-road, in the direction of Brighouse, when Spink called witness's attention to a parcel, wrapped in brown paper, lying on the right side of the edge adjoining the causeway ; the parcel was in the field, on a level with the road. Witness got over the hedge, and on opening the parcel, found it to contain the dead body of a male child. The body was wrapped in red flannel, apparently part of a woman's petticoat, aud was enclosed in two pieces of coarse harden, and two sheets of brown paper. The harden was pinned with two black-headed shawl pins, and the flannel with two small ordinary pins. The outside of the parcel was tied with string. Witness took the body to the Rawson's Arms, and sent for a policeman. Witness and the policeman examined the place where the parcel was found, but could find no trace of footmarks.  George Hoyle, surgeon, practising at Elland, stated on oath that he had made a post-mortem examination of the body, which was that of a newly-born fully developed male child. The child had not been properly washed, but otherwise bad been properly attended to. The child had had a separate existence, and, though not being able to form an exact opinion, he should say that it had been dead about a week or a little more. He should say that the cause of death was suffocation, the internal organs presenting every appearance of such having been the cause. There were no marks of violence, except such as might have been caused by R natural birth. He was unable to say how the suffocation had been caused. He thought it was certain that the child was dead before it was wrapped up in the parcel. The flannel was marked with meconium, and was probably the flannel in which the child was wrapped at birth. There was no food in the stomach, nor had there been any. The Coroner stated that this was all the evidence to bring before the jury. If they thought the child was willfully suffocated they would return a verdict of Wilful murder " against some person or persons unknown. He believed the police hau made every inquiry into the case, but had not been able to find any person upon whom suspicion could be laid. Dr. Hoyle : There would be more than one party at the birth by the fact of the child having been properly attended to. Evidently a practised hand had been present. The mother must have been assisted by another person. It was a splendid fully developed child. The stare of the head showed that the mother must have suffered severe labour. He could not tell how long the child had lived, but it could not have been very long. After further discussion, the jury returned a verdict of Wilful murder" against some person or persons unknown.