The Sun. — 1862-11-28 (London, England)

ATTEMPTED CHILD MURDER.  Elizabeth Welton, 26, was charged with feloniously casting a child, twelve months old, named Annie Welton, into the water, with intent to murder her.  Me. Ribton and Mr. Oppenhein conducted the prosecution, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Sleigh.  It appeared by the evidence of a woman, named Jane, Robinson, that on the 30th of October she was looking out of the back window of her house in Bacon-street, Bethnal-green, when she saw the prisoner and a young elan in the back garden of an adjoining house, and they appeared to be quarrelling, and the man made use of most foul and disgusting language to the prisoner. She had the child in question, which was her own child, in her arms at the time; and while the quarrel was proceeding she rushed to a water-butt that was in the yard, and which was nearly full of water, and threw the child into it. It struggled and got its hands to the edge of the water-butt, and the prisoner, according to the evidence, forced them away and pressed the body of the child into the water and then left the spot. The young man who had been quarrelling with the pri: soner immediately ran up to the water butt and took the child out, and it appeared to be nearly exhausted, but eventually recovered, and did not sustain any material injury. It was stated in the course of the inquiry that the man who was referred to was the prisoner's stepson. Some further evidence was then adduced, but none of the witnesses were able to prove that the name of the child was Annie Wilson, as stated in the indictment.  Mr. Sleigh, upon this, submitted that the indictment was bad in point of form. Mr. Justice Byles said that with such an objection as the one now taken, which was purely technical, he should certainly give the widest latitude to a statute which was passed expressly for the purpose of preventing such objections prevailing to defeat justice, and he should amend the indictment. The learned Judge then summed up, and the jury after deliberating for a few minutes, found the prisoner not guilty. Geo. Robert Kilaby, the late clerk at the Westminster Bridewell, who was convicted on Wednesday of having, in an unfounded fit of jealousy, shot at and wounded a person named Cook, with intent to do him grievous bodily injury, was brought up for judgment.  Sir. Justice Byles, in passing sentence upcn the prisoner, said he had carefully read a statement that he had forwarded to him, and he felt the deepest commiseration at his own position and that in which his family had been placed, but he must protect the public, and he was responsible to the law for the sentences he pronounced. If the jury had convicted him of the intention to murder the prosecutor he should most certainly have sentenced him to penal servitude for life. The jury had, however, convicted him of a much less serious charge; but the only point that he saw at all to be regarded favourably was, that it had not been made out that the pistol was loaded with buck shot, as was originally supposed, but with small shot only, ti-,at were not calculated to do so much mischief. The prosecutor was however, very seriously injured, and the surgeon stated that, although he was at present in tolerable health, his condition was such that dangerous symptoms might come on at any moment, and he must inform him that, if this should be the case, and he should die within a year and a day, he would be liable to be tried for murder. He then sentenced the prisoner to be kept in penal servitude for five years.