The Sun. — 1844-01-19 (London, England)

FATHER SETTING FIRE TO HIS OWN CHILD. An inquest was concluded on Tuesday night, which had been adjourned twice, at the King's Arms, in William-street, Bishopsgate-street, Birmingham, on the body of Eliza Andrews, four years old, which disclosed the following revolting details : On Tuesday morning, the 9th inst., an alarm of fire was given in No. 10 Court, Vale-street, and it was discovered, a little before eight, that a room in the court was on fire, and the deceased, who was alone in the house, was so dreadfully burnt as to cause her death in the Queen's Hospital the next morning. On the jury meeting on Thursday, circumstances of so much suspicion against Richard Andrews were elicited, that he was ordered by the Coroner to be forthwith placed in the custody of Sergeant Hall. Among the evidence taken en that occasion was that of Joseph Pearce, who said,—l live in No. 10 Court, Vale-street. I know the prisoner, who lives in the same court. I knew the deceased, his daughter • her mother has parted from her father about three weeks. The father and the child were the only inmates. On Tuesday morning, a little before eight, I beard screams in Andrews' bed-room. I ran up into my attic, where I could see into his room. I there saw the child in flames amongst a parcel of shavings, on which she slept. She appeared as if fighting with the flames. I ran down, and found the door locked. I burst it open, and brought the child out, and tore her clothes off as well as I could. No one was in the house but the child ; there was no fire in the grate upstairs, but there was a fire down stairs. The child was taken immediately to the Queen's Hospital. It was burnt snore in the upper part of the body, and the clothes as well were mostly burnt at the top. Elizabeth Chambers, after describing the state of the fire, and the burning of the child, said, that after it was taken to the hospital, the father came up the court with a key on his finger. I said "Do you know that your child is burnt to death ?" He said "Is it?" He took no further notice whatever. He did not display any feeling. I never saw him ill use the child ;he seemed very fond of it. Betsy Woodhall, of 53, Vale-street, heard Andrews slap the child about six o'clock on the morning of the accident, and declare that if it did not go to sleep he would dash its brains out. Sophia Griffiths, of 10 Court, Vale-street, Mr. Bull, the agent of the landlord, Lucy Ridding, who resided with Sarah Griffiths, and Caroline Pearce, of the same court, all swore positively that a cinder was found among the remains of the bag of shavings on which the child lay. Mary Whittaker, a patient in the hospital, said that about eight o'clock on Tuesday the deceased said she was cold and had gone down stairs to warm herself. She afterwards fell asleep, and on awaking about eleven o'clock, when I was giving her some drink, I said, " My dear, you will not set yourself on tire again ?" She said, " I did not set myself on fire, it was any father set me on fire, and he gave me a slap, and covered me with a rug, and called me a little naked frog. I consider the child was in her senses when she said this to me. She repeated the same thing many times, and said, " Oh 1 naughty father 1" The father came to see her in the hospital, and she clasped him round the neck. The Cots ONER pointed out the various bearings of the evidence upon the ease, and the jury having retired for about ten minutes, gave in a verdict of Wilful Murder against Richard Andrews.