Weekly News. — 1891-12-17 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

SHOCKING CHILD MURDER.  A shocking discovery was ma4e in the east end of Brighton shortly before 11 o'clock on Friday morning, when the body of a little girl, whose name was afterwards ascertained to be Edith Jeal, aged five years, and who lived with her parents at 8, Bedford.-buildings, was found by a Corporation employe, named Edward Villiers, in a shed in a cricket -field on the right of the Eastern-road, near the Sussex County Hospital. The little girl left her home soon after 8 o'clock on Thursday night in company with her brother. They had to go to a shop in Upper Bedford-street. The lad, it appears, went inside the shop, leaving his sister outside. On coming oue he was greatly surprised to find his sister had gont away, and as she did not return home the police were communicated with. They, as well as the relatives, were searching for her the whole of the night, but without, result, and her body was found as stated. The body, which was at once seen by s metiical lean, shewed signs of having been maltreated and violated. It was placed on a slab in the mortuary at the !Testicleld-road Police-station, ar,o it. presented a Intly horrible sight. There to e no dout,t that the little one had been I.,rossly tau raged. There were several injuries on the head. The face was covered with blood, which had apparently come from the nose and ears. The child's brown hair was also matted with blood. The throat was severely scarred, and the indications were that the murderer, after violating the victim, strangled her. The Brighton police made the most strenuous efforts to find some clue that would lead to the arrest of the murderer, with the result that a railway man named George Henry Wood was arrested. He was seen on Friday night arunk, accosting children in the etreet, and several children were called,who picked him out, as the man who accosted them.—lle said he was at the circits,but a constable states that he saw him in tine neighbourhood where the murder was committed at, the time he declared he was at the circus. He made no reply to the charge. The accused was brought before the magistrate on Saturday morning.—Edward Villiers, a gardener in the employ of the Corporation, said that about mid-day on Friday he had occasion to go into a field, where he was horrified to find the body of a little girl in a shed.—William Stanford corroborated Villiers's testimony, and added that he saw a mark urn the child's throat, as though she had been strangled.—Detective-inspector Jupp said that in con3i quince of inquiries he arrested the prisoner at Hie Brighton Railway Station, where he was employed as a porter. When formally charged with the murder, after reaching the police-station, Wood faintly replied, "No, sir. When asked where he went on Thursday evening, he said he visited the cir, us. Traces of blood were fouad upon the prisoner's clothing. The shirt apreand as though it had been washed,and on the leggings there were, in wi•neHi's opinion, bloodstains mixed with dirt. fbi accused seemed dazed, and when asked if he understood the charge against him said, "I don't remember one particle about it." He walked to the police-station very quietly.—The accused was then remanded. An inquest was opened on Saturday by the hcrough coroner on the body of the murdered girl. Evidence similar to that Fiven at the Police-court was taken, and the inquiry was adjourned for a week.