Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1871-10-28 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE SINGULAR CASE OF ATTEMPTED CHILD MURDER AT SOUTH SHIELDS. On Friday, the prisoner, Margaret Frazer, was brought before the magistrates (James Young, Esq., and Aldermen Glover and James), charged with attempting to murder the child Mary Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of Mr John Robinson, shipowner, Wellington-terrace. The case excited a great amount of interest, and the court was crowded i throughout the inquiry. When placed n the dock and charged she appeared a little abashed, but continued cool and colrected.—Mary Richardson, aunt to Mr John Robinson, said that on Thursday evening the prisoner was left in the house with the children. Witness was also there, and her duty was to attend to baby— three months old—the prisoner, who was nurse, looking after the other three children. All went well, during the early part of the evening. The prisoner gave the children their suppers and put them to bed, and all appeared as cheerful as could be. After juitting the children to bed prisoner came downstairs, and nothing more was heard until the alarm was given. The alarm was given by the two elder cluldrea screaming. She at first thought it was fire, and ran upstairs inquiring what was the matter. When she got to the bedroom door, she saw the prisoner sitting on the second step, with the two children near her. Addressing her, she said, "Oh, what is the matter, Maggie?"- Prisoner signed to her to go into Mr and Mrs Robiuson's room, and on entering it she saw the child. Previous to entering the room, the child had heard her (witness's) voice, when, being laid down, it endeavoured to scramble on its feet by the aid of a slop pail whicli was near, but being weak from loss of blood it could not stand, and fell down again. Witness went and took it up, and seeing the condition in which it was, exclaimed, "Oh, who has done this ? " Prisoner replied, "I don't know; it was done while I was in the little room beside Willie and Annie." Witness took the child downstairs into the kitchen, when she saw that its throat was cut. She then sent the prisoner for the doctor, who arrived about twenty minutes to nine o'clock. The prisoner was in the house the whole time,— Prisoner: I went to the door for, the postman.— The Assistant Clerk: You had better be cautious what you say.—lnspector Hudson next gave evidence, and said that on going to Mr Robinson's house, from enquiries he made he was induced to take prisoner into custody. She made a statement to the effect that she put the child to bed about half-past six o'clock, in one of the bedrooms upstairs. She then came down stairs and talked to Mrs Richardson. About half-past eight o'clock she went up-stairs to her own bedroom, and after she had been there about ten minutes she heard one of the children, little Willie, call out that something had hurt his throat. She went into his bedroom, and found him sitting up in bed, when he again said that something had hurt his throat. She replied, " Oh, non3ense, there is no one here." She then left him and went into the room where she had previously placed the child Mary Elizabeth in bed. On entering the room, to her great surprise, she found the child out of its bed, and lying on the hearth rug, and attempting to raise itself by means of a pail which was standing near. She went towards it, when she found it was bleeding from a wound in the throat. Being greatly alarmed, she called out "Murder," whereupon Mrs Richardson came upstairs, and sent her for Dr Armstrong. She also stated that when she went upstairs the front and back doors were fastened, but when she came downstairs again they were open. He searched the room, and found a knife underneath the bed. He noticed that the prisoner's hands were stained with blood, which she accounted for by stating they had been smeared when she I lifted the child to give it to Mrs Richardson.—The prisoner was remanded.  The HERALD, Saturday, October 28, 1871.