Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1867-12-21 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SAD TALE.  At the Lambeth pollee-court in London, Thomas Clarke, aged 27, a labourer living at 55, Tyer-street, Lambeth, was charged, on his own confession, with wilfully causing the death of Annie smith, aged ten weeks, by strangling her with a cord.  George Moore said he was on duty on Sunday night in the Waterloo-road, when the prisoner came up and said " Do you want a job," and he replied that it all depended upon what it was. The prisoner said "I shall give myself up to you for murdering my child, at 55, Tyer-street ; I strangled it." Witness told the prisoner he must consider himself in custody, when he replied "Very welt." Witness then took him to Towemstreet police-station, where the acting inspector asked him what he had done, when the prisoner again said "I have strangled a child at 55, Tyer-street." The witness then proceeded to 55, Tyer-street, where he saw the child dead in her mother's arms. The deceased was about ten weeks old. On examining the neck he found the mark as though a cord had been tightly tied round it. l'idice-constable Mullins stated that when the prisoner was charged he said, in answer to the inspector, "I strangled the child, a' 't with a cord, but with my fingers." On the way to the Kennington-lane policestation the prisoner said, "5 hope she has not done anything to herself (meaning the mother of the child), I am afraid she has, for when I went back at half past six o'clock I found the door locked." Witness asked of whom he was speaking, wl en he replied, " Eliza Smith, the child's miither ; I left her asleep at halfpast five o'clock. She had been asleep about twenty minutes wht-n I strangled the child with nay fingers, and I In pc it is Amyl. I have been out of work ten weeks." The prisoner interrupting said,—" No. you make a mistake, I said eight weeks." The witness continued to state that prisoner said 'During the time I have been out of work we have been obliged to  sell nearly everything for food, and when we got up this morning there was no breakfast, and all we had I to-day was a piece of dry bread, anti there is now none left." The witness further stated that he went to the house, to, Tver-street, where in the back room he found Eliza Smith with the dead body of her child in her arnot. Witross examined the child's neck, and found marks such as would be produced by a writ being tightly tied around it. Mr. Richards, a surgeon, was called in who pronounced the child to have been dead some hours. Eliza Smith said she had for some months cohabited with the prisoner at 55, Tyer-street. The deceased child was tiers, but the prisoner was not the father of it. It was nearly ten weeks old. On Sunday about dusk she laid down to sleep, leaving the prisoner to soiree the child, which he consented to do. She awoke in about half an hour by hearing the street door shut violently. On looking about she found the prisoner had guile out, having the deceased by her side. She lifted the child up to give it the breast when she found it to be quite dead. Around the neck was a piece of cord tied very tightly. She went to the house occupied by prisoner's father, and found he had been there a short time before. In reply to the magistrate, the witness said they were, in spite of the poverty surrounding them, very happy together. They never had words, Filla he was always very kind both to herself and the child. On Sunday he appeared perfectly calm, although in very low spirits. They had scarcely a thing in their room, and no bed to lie on or clothing to cover them. The witness further said, in answer to the magistrate, that she removed the cord. She did not remember having seen such a piece of cord before. Prisoner : You know it very well ; its the piece of cord I had fastened to my pocket-knife; look again— you'll know it. Mr. Hoggis, the coroner's officer, here informed the magistrate that an order had been given for a post-mortem examination of the body prior to the inquest being held. The prisoner, in answer to the magistrate, said, "I have nothing at all to say." He was remanded.