The Sun. — 1844-07-19 (London, England)

PARKE.) Elizabeth Beleham, 22, a good-looking young woman, was indicted for the wilful murder of her male illegitimate child, by casting it into the waters of the Chelmer river, and thereby suffocating it. Mr. Clarkson, with Mr. Espinasse, conducted the prosecution. Mr. Ryland appeared for the prisoner. Mr. CLARKSON addressed the jury, and from his statement and the evidence adduced, it appeared that the prisoner had resided with her mother at Southminster, in this county, but about twelve months ago she became acquainted with a man named Dean, a carrier at Chelmsford, and eventually went to live with him, her friends being induced to believe that they were married. They continued to cohabit together for several months, when the prisoner proved in the familyway, and it appeared that when this became apparent Dean behaved very unkindly to her, and at length turned her out of doors. The prisoner returned to her mother's house, where she was delivered of a child, the unfortunate infant in question, about five weeks ago; and it appeared that she had several times applied to the father of the child for assistance, but could not obtain any from him. On the morning of the sth of July the prisoner left her mother's house, taking the infant with her, and, just as she was about to depart, she told the nurse to kiss the baby, for perhaps it might be the last time she would see it. The prisoner represented that she was going to take the child to Chelmsford, to place it with a wet-nurse. She was traced along the road, and at a beer-shop in the evening, at a short distance from Chelmsford, she had some beer and a biscuit, and she was seen to chew a portion of the latter and give it to the baby. The last time she was seen with the infant alone was about ten o'clock the same night, at which time she was going towards the river, and at eleven she went into a public-house; where it was observed her clothes were very wet, and her boots were also wet and covered with gravel of a similar description to some that had been placed on the banks of the river. The next morning a labouring man, who went to the river to water his master's horses, found the dead body of an inftmt in the water. There were no marks of violence upon it, and it had evidently died of suffocation. To prove the identity of the deceased it was found necessary to call the mother of the prisoner as a witness for the Crown., and she was obliged to admit that the deceased was the offspring of her unhappy daughter. The man was also examined, in order to prove that the day before the dead body was discovered in the river the prisoner wrote a letter to him, to the effect that the child was no more, and that it had died on the previous night, An additional fact, tending to show the identity of' the deceased, 'MA also proved by the medical man, who said that upon opening the stomach of the deceased he found in It a portion of masticated biscuit. Other facts were also disclosed, which made out a very strong ease of suspicion against the prisoner. Mr. RYLAND made a very forcible appeal to the feelings of the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and commented in severe and appropriate terms upon the conduct of the man Deans, who, he said, had first ruined and then deserted his unfortunate victim. He admitted that a case of suspicion had been made oat, but contended that the evidence was not conclusive of the prisoner's guilt, and that, under the Circumstances, they ought to give her the benefit of any doubt that appeared in the case. Mr. Baron PARKE having summed up, the jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of Not Guilty.