Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1871-11-04 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A CHILD AT  GLIIELDS.  At South Shields Police-court, on Monday, Margaret Frazer was charged with attempting to murder Mary Elizabeth Robinson, aged two years, daughter of John Robinson, Willington-terrace. The court was densely crowded. The prisoner was not in thealeast affected by the evidence, which showed thit on the night of the 19th October she put the child, with two others, to bed upstairs, and shortly afterwards Mrs Richardson, Mr Robinson's aunt, who was downstairs, heard the two elder children scream, and on going up-stairs found Mary Elizabeth naked on the hearth rug, attempting to raise herself up by means of a slop-pail. When examined the child was covered with blood, and had its thro,at cut. It was also stated that an elder boy in another room was awoke by feeling something at his throat, and upon looking up the prisoner was found lying across him. On examining the room were the youngest child had been sleeping a gully knife was found underneath the bed. It had been marked with blood but cleaned. The prosecution alleged that no person but the prisoner was upstairs, and that she was the person who had done the deed. The wound in the child's throat was an inch and a half long, and half way through the wind-pipe. The child was in danger of dying for two or three days. The court sat ten hours, and adjourned until Tuesday. The case was resumed on Tuesday. Mr Duncan addressed the bench on behalf of the prisoner, and stated that his client was quite innocent of the charge imputed to her. Witnesses were called to prove that the prisoner was out of the house at the time the deed was committed. One witness—a Mrs Stove—stated that she had occasion to pass I along Wellington-terrace on the night of the 19th October, and saw a woman dressed in black hurrying from Mr Robinson's house and suddenly turn up another road. Witness afterwards heard cries and screams proceed from Mr Robinson's house. Mrs Stove almost immediately saw prisoner at Robinson's house door speaking to another persons about the affair. The bench retired, and after a short absence returned to the court, when they stated that the evidence adduced was not sufficient to warrant them in sending the prisoner for trial, and they therefore acquitted her. The announcement of the decision was received with applause.  ANOTHER RAILWAY SERVANT KILLED AT WEST HARTLEPOOL  An inquest was held on Monday last, at the Athenceum, West Hartlepool, before Mr Coroner John Settle, touching the death of Mathew Ellerton, aged 27, who expired on Sunday evening from injuries received whilst in the execution of his duty as a shunting &Tani on the North-Eastern Railway on the previous afternoon. It appeared that the poor fellow was shunting near the side of the Jackson Dock, Middleton, and was about to enter between some moving wagons to , couple them when he was caught between the ' buffers, and 'so seriously crushed about the chest that he died on Sunday evening at his home, whither he was conveyed after the accident. The verdict of the jury was that deceased was accidentally killed.