The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-08-28 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER.  Ellen Bannon, a good looking young woman, aged 20, was indicted for having in this town, in May last, murdered her female bastard child. Mr. Venables and Mr. Paget conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Murphy the defence. The circumstances of this case are not fit for publication in detail. The particulars, so far as they could be put upon record were published at the time when the prisoner was committed. It appeared that on the 14th of May last, as two nightmen were taking out a privy from a court in Addison-street, they found the body of a female child, which had been evidently recently born. A police-officer was sent for, and the child was delivered to him. The prisoner worked as a shoebinder and stitcher, in the service of a Mr. Fenelon, a shoemaker, residing in Addison-street, not far from the privy where the child was found. The circumstance of the child being found caused the female inmates of Mr. Fenelon's house to recall to mind the conduct of the prisoner on the day preceding, for some time previously to which it had been observed that her person had undergone a very marked alteration, which she accounted for to Mrs. Fenelon, by a statement which was believed by that lady. It was deposed that on the morning of the 13th of May she was exceedingly ill, and that she sent the young woman who slept with her out of the room to obtain some medicine for her, and subsequently for coffee and on various other errands. The young woman on her return with the medicine saw the prisoner crouched down by the side of the bed, apparently in great pain, and immediately afterwards she heard a sort of smothered cry, upon which the prisoner observed that she was ill in her inside, and asked the girl if she did not hear the noise therein. The prisoner had placed herself between the bed and the wall, and had erected a board so that her person was only partially visible. This witness, who was very young, did not observe much more, except that the pri, soner was in bed when she went up subsequently. There were other appearances and acts of the prisoner observed, by Mrs. Fenelon and others, which subsequently led to the inference that the prisoner had given birth to a child. The prisoner went out that evening with her cloak on, but without her bonnet, and remained about ten minutes. She subsequently stated to Mrs. Fenelon that she had miscarried in the street, which Mrs. Fenelon doubted, as she had been led to believe that something had occurred at her house. Mrs. Fenelon was much affected while giving her evidence. She gave the prisoner a very excellent character, as a good, industrious, sober, and sweet-tempered girl. Police-officer Guy stated that the prisoner admitted that the child was hers, and that she had put it in the privy. Mr. Cooper, the surgeon who examined the body of the child, stated that there were two punctured wounds in the head, which had been inflicted after death, no doubt by the prongs of the nightmaies fork. The only mark of violence was on the face, where pressure appeared to have been applied over the face and nose, which pressure he was of opinion had produced suffocation. From the development of the lungs there could scarcely, be a doubt that the child was born alive. He examined the lungs by the hydrostatic test, and that confirmed him in his judgment that the child was born alive. He believed death had been caused by suffocation. •  On cross-examination, Mr. Cooper said that it was possible, from the crouching attitude that the prisoner was stated to have been, that the child might not have been born alive. Mr. MURPHY dwelt strongly on the latter fact, upon the ignorance of the poor girl of what she should do under such circumstances, and of the little likelihood there was that one who was described as so sweet-tempered and so gentle should have violated all the instincts of such a nature and laid violent hands upon her offspring. While his LORDSHIP was summing up, Mr. MURPHY requested permission to put another question to Mr. Cooper, the reply to which strengthened the inference that the child might have been suffocated during birth. The jury acquitted the prisoner of the murder, and found her guilty of concealing the birth. The prisoner was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.