The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1847-10-19 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

CHARGE OF CHILD MURDER AGAINST A FEMALE.  Yesterday, an inquisition was held before the borough coroner, on view of the body of a new-born female child, found in the house of Mr. Samuel Marshall, 38, Moonstreet.  Mrs. Eliza S. Marshall, wife of the gentleman alluded to, said that a young woman, (aged about thirty,) the mother of the child, had been with them as servant fer six or seven years, with the exception of a period of a few months. About six months ago witness observed a change in her appearance ; and she frequently came in laughing, and saying she had been' accused of being in the familyway ; but added that she had got a cold, and that it had turned into dropsy. On Thursday she complained of being ill, and said she had a cramp in the stomach. She went to bed about two o'clock, and said in the evening that she was better, and would not 'require the doctor. She appeared better on Friday, but on Saturday refused to have the bed made, and witness's suspicions were consequently excited. Mr. John Burroughs, surgeon, was sent for, and on examination said there were evident symptoms of recent delivery. He also advised a strict search to be made for the child, which was done, and between two beds, on a bedstead in the same room with the mother, but not that on which she lay, was found the body of a full-grown female child, with a yellow silk ribbon tied very tightly round its neck. The accused (Eliza Matchan) was then charged with being the mother of it, but refused to answer any questions. She was the only servan. in the house.  Sarah Serjeant, a married woman, who had atten&ci temporarily to do the work of the accused for a day, during her illness, took breakfast to the latter on Saturday morning, and observed marks upon the linen which excitsd her suspicions. She and Mrs. Marshall made a search, and found the body of the child as described. The accused (who was not yesterday in custody, being yet confined to her bed), immediately before the body was found, said, "If I must tell you, it is there." Accused afterwards said, " I could not bring it away in giving it birth, and I tied the ribbon on its neck to enable me to do so." The ribbon was produced in court, and identified as the same. Mr. Burrough, surgeon, said the accused had called on him on Wednesday, and asked him whether she should not be bled. He charged her with being pregnant. Four months ago she had called on him on account of attacks of vomiting, and he was then of opinion that the cause was pregnancy. When he saw her on Wednesday, he was satisfied she was in the family-way. She seemed at first a little confused, but, recovering herself, said. that her relatives were subject to dropsy, and that she was not in the family way. On Saturday morning, he was sent for by Mrs. Marshall to see her. He afterwards saw the body, and the ribbon round its neck, in two circles, and tied in a single knot. He had examined the body, and found deceased had arrived at maturity. and had been born alive. The head presented a double fracture of the parietal bone on each side, the result of external violence. He found a layer of blood under the scalp. The violence could not have been produced by any natural efforts on the part of the mother during parturition, and the fractures were the immediate cause of death. The tying of the ribbon was not the proximate cause of death, but might have accelerated it.  The Coroner charged the jury, who almost instantly returned a verdict of ," wilful murder," against the mother, Eliza Natchan. The witnesses were bound over to appear at the assizes, and the coroner issued his warrant upon Mr. Inspector Boyd, who was present, for her safe custody and transmission to Kirkdale Gaol, when fit to be removed, preparatory to her trial at the next ' assizes.