The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-02-24 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE SHROPSHIRE TRAGEDY.  CONFESSION OF THE MALE PRISONER. Thomas and Elizabeth Mayos were on Monday morning brought before the instiotte at Wellington on the charge of the wilful murder of the child Mary Elizabeth Mayo& On Sunday night the prisoners were removed from the gaol at Shrewsbury to Wellington. Every effort was made to keep the affair a secret, but a large number of people assembled, and the local police had to assist in keeping prisoners from the violence of the mob. Police-constable Smith stated that he resided at the lock-up, and at about four o'clock that morning he was Galled up by Police-constable Barrett. He went to the cell of the male prisoner, who said he had a statement to make. Witness cautioned him, and told him that the statement he made would be brought against him at his trial. The prisoner said "What you put down will be the truth, and I will sign my name to it. It cannot be any worse. I am charged with murder, but I never did it." The prisoner then made a statement, which witness took down, and to which the prisoner afterwards affixed his signature in the presence of Foliee-oonstables  Barrett and Challinor after it had been read over to him. The Clerk then read the statement, which was as follows :—" I was employed as groom and gardener at Mr. Ogle's, of Kynnersley. On Thursday —a fortnight last Thursday—l went from my breakfast to work. I left my wife ant three children in the house; and Pollie was all rfght, and had been for some time, then. When I went to my dinner the same day, about half-past one o'clock, the mother and her was upstairs. The mother was making a sort of a mourning noise. I asked the little boy, Will, what was the matter. He said, "I do not know,' Wien my wife called, ' Loin, come upstairs,' I went up, and my little girl was on the bed, and appeared dead. She told me she left Pollie cleaning up the fire.plaoe, and when she came in she found she had fallen down before the fire. She picked her up and took her opstairs, but whether she put her in a hot bath before she took her upstairs or not I cannot tell. I got anxious about it myself, and wanted to go and fetch a doctor, and sent Mrs. Evans in to her. She held me and kept me busk, and told me to consider myself, and said she thought she would come round again. It carried on until night, and I did not know what to do with it. I .think the reason she Was anxious to make away with it was she had not treated the child properly and given it food enough. Her and me were continually quarrelling about it. If I spoke to her about the treatment of the child she used to tell me to go to hell,' and use other bad language, and wished the child was there. and I was afraid I should lose my situation through it. I have previously lost two situations through her. On the Thursday night, when I came home, I saw it was quite dead, and we left it alone that night and the next day, and at night we out it up with a knife and an old ' brnmhook," and on the Saturday morning she took the body sway. I went with her two or three hundred yards on the road. When she Game back Tacked her what she had done with it. She said, have put it in the Severn near Atoham bridge.' On the following morning she wanted to burn the head. I would not yield to that, and I should think she put it in Apley Pool on the Tuesday, as she was in Wellington. I don't know when she brought the legs. She told my son, Will, to say that she had taken Pollie off dressed up on the Saturday morning.  P.S.—The legs were put in on the Sunday. Signed, Tumuli IdAltos. in the presence of Police-constable Edwin Smith, Police constable Barrett, and Police-constable Samuel Challinor." .  While the statement was being read over the female prisoner, turning to her husband in the dock, shook her head at him, as if to protest that the statement was ipeorreot. On being asked by the Clerk whether they had any questions to put to Police-constable Smith, the male prisoner replied, "No, Sir," but the female prisoner, referring to the statement just read, said, "The greatest part of it is wrong," The prisoners were then remanded until Friday.