The Sun. — 1846-03-14 (London, England)

ROLFE.) Elizabeth Butcher was placed at the bar, and charged, upon the coroner's inquisition, with the wilful murder of her inbutild An indictment had been preferred aint her, the grand jury ignored the bill, at which som against se surprise has been expressed. Mr. Hodges appeared on behalf of the prosecution, and stated the facts of the case to the jury. By .the statednibereietnofatphaeuLpeerarinnetdheCcourincskeila,diet aanpdpelavroeodtttchnaia t the prisoner i Bassett workhouse, and in December last was delivered there of an illegitimate female child. In the course of the next month she wished to leave the house, and accordingly give notice of her intention, as was required by the regulations of the house on her leaving. The unfortunate baby was stripped of the clothes it had worn in the workhouse since its birth, and the mother was obliged to take it away without any covering except a shawl, which the mother happened to have when she left. The child was quite well, but shortly after the mother had left the workhouse, the child was found naked and dead in a brook of water. It was, therefore, for the jury to say under all the circumstances lsliethorerwthheethme ro tt hh ee r chh ial dd been guilty of the crime imputed to her, d died beenafte thenrivar cadstlllierdow—n into the stream by her.ha l'b e and h Learnedad Counsel Jane Cook-1 ant a nurse in the Cricklade Union, and was so in December last. The prisoner was there at that time, and was delivered there of a female child. She gave notice on the 9th of January that she wished to leave the house, and at that time she had no clothes to put on the bady, and I told the mistress of the workhouse so. She said that she (the prisoner) had better not leave the house until she bad obtained some from her friends, and told her that by the riles of the house if clothes were not brought in none were alloWed to be taken away. The prisoner said that she could not stop to get any clothes, but must go directly. I took the union clothes off the baby, and it was then naked. The prisoner wrapped it up in a shawl she had, and also put a handkerchief on its head, and a pair of socks on its feet. The matron of the union was present when I so stripped the child. The prisoner left the house at about eleven o'clock in the morning: I was afterwards shown the dead body of a child. It was the same child. • [At this stage of the case the gaoler stated that the pris'ener had employed an attorney to instruct counsel to defend her, but no learned gentleman had, it appeared, received any brief. The trial then proceeded.] ; Ann Coward—l remember meeting the prisoner on the 9th of January. She was going on the road from WoottonBassett. She was carrying a child ; it was crying violently. I spoke to her, taking her for a person I knew. I did not know her before. [Here -Mr. Slade, the attorney of Devizes, came into Court and stated be had been employed to defend the prisoner'; but as the grand jury had ignored the bill against her, he had no idea she would be tried on the coroner's inquisition, and .therefore had not delivered any brief to counsel. He their handed a brief to Mr. C. Saunders to defend the prisoner.] , Charles Brown—On Friday, the 9th of January, I was going along the Trinity-road, which is a few miles from the union-house, and met the prisoner, who had an un rella and a small bundle with her. About a mile after I assed -t her I had to go over a little bridge, and saw someth g in the water which looked like a child. • I went back to is cottage near. Mary Ann Longley lived there. She returned with me, and brought a garden rake, and with it we drew out ( f the water the dead body of an infant child. t was quite dead. The child was quite naked. Mary Ann Longley confirmed the witness as to tak g thO, child out of the water. • i John King—l am a policeman, and apprehended the prig Softer on the 10th of February. She had the shawl and handkerchief, the same; that had been wrapped round the prisoner's child's. body when she left the union. ' -•