The Blackpool Herald. — 1875-12-17 (Blackpool, Lancashire, England)

STARTLING CONFESSIONS BY A GIRL. ,  The Sherborne Journal states that Rosins Rue is in custody at Langport on a charge of arson and murder. She was in the employ of Mr. J. Barnard, of Huish Episcopi, near Langport, West Somersetshire. On the 4th inst., between two and three o'clock, a barley, mow was discovered to be on fire, and in a little while a hayrick, which was only a few feet' off, caught. The fire brigade, with two engines,, was soon on the spot, and by the exertions of the men and the neighbours the mow was cut through' the middle, thereby keeping the fire from spreading to five other mows adjoining. The property was not insured, and the loss is estimated at about £2OO. At the time of the fire Mrs. Barnard was at Taunton, but returned between five and six in the evening. Police-1 constable Sticklan Went to the house on the Monday to inquire as to the cause of the fire, but Mr. Barnard was, entirely at a loss to account for it. The same evening Mrs. Barnard asked her children and the servant girl whether they had been playing with any matches in her absence. The children denied that they had done anything of the kind, but Mrs. Barnard noticed that the servant girl appeared to be uneasy, and pressed her as to whether she knew anything about the cause of the fire. The girl, whose name is Rosina Rue, then promised to tell all labout the affair if she would not send for the police, and confessed, in the presence of her master, that she set fire to the barley mow, from which the fire was communicated to the hayrick.. Mrs. Barnard's suspicions were aroused as to whether the servant might not be implicated in the death of her little boy, named Jehu Henry, aged one year and nine months, who was found drowned in a ditch near the house on the 3rd September. He had been playing about the house with his mother, and was missed in the afternoon, having been lost sight of for about ten minutes only. Search was made for the missing child, and in half an hour the dead body was found in a ditch, covered with water. To reach this ditch a very muddy yard and also an orchard had to be crossed, and notwithstanding the tender age of the child, and the fact that he was only out of his mother's sight for ten minutes before he was missed, there was no suspicion of foul play at the time. An inquest was held on the 4th September, the day after the body was found, when a verdict of "Accidental death by drowning was returned. The girl Rue, when interrogated as to the death of the child, admitted having murdered him by throwing him into the ditch. She also admitted having caused the death of a child at Pitney about three years ago. Of this last crime she was suspected at the time. The prisoner was removed to the con= stable's house at Langport for the night, and whilst there she admitted to the constable that she set fire to the barley mow, but contradicted her former statement' that she murdered Mr. Barnard'e child. She was removed to the lock-up at Somerton, and remanded. The girl who has confessed to these dreadful crimes is only. about 17 years of age, but of womanly appearance.' The prisoner has given no reason for the perpetration of the crimes.