Widnes Examiner. — 1888-01-28 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

ALT,EGED SHOCKING CHILD MURDER AT ST. TTFLENS. On Monday some excitement was caused in St. Helens by a report that a young woman residing it the neighbourhood of Greenbank, a low quarter ol the town, had been apprehended on s a charge o: murdering her infant child under somewhat shock. ing circumstances. At the assembling of the Police Court in the forenoon, a large -number- of attended, and found 'that the rumour foundation. The magistrates present weee Mr. Thomas Pilk ington and Mr. A. Sinclair. A young single woman, named Mary Dolan, of 14, Anne-street, was placed in the dock on a charge of causing the death of he' newly-born female child; and further with col cealing the birth of the child. The prisoner, whi appeared to be ins very weak condition, was commodated with a eclat. Chief Constable Wt stated the. charge against the prisoner, and pi ceeded to say that she was 19 years of age and rend with her father 'in Anne-street, GreenbaL. Sbor before six o'clock on Saturday night, from what ha told, he went to the house named. Prisoner was' there. Her father, Daniel Dolan, wentin search of bert and in a few minutes returned with her, and said in JO presence, "Now, Mary, where is the child ?" She Ter plied, "There is no child here; I have not had a ' child. On Wednesday morning last I took cramps; which I had before when I was in Manchester." He (Mr. Wood) get a candle, and asked the accused to accompany h 513; They looked into the pantry and upstairs, but returnee to the pantry, where there was a dolly tub containing dirty clothes and water. - .Ho asked the prisoner to take the clothes out, and she took out two sheets and partly 3 quilt. saying, "There le nothing there," and at the-sani!, time letting the quilt drop into nine or ten inches_ water in the tub. He (Chief Constable) put his hand into the tub, and there found a dead female child, bad, cut about the head and other parts of the body. TM skull was fractured. The prisoner then burst into teare* He said to her, "I will have to take you into custody 011! the charge of having caused the death of that child. Shemadeno reply. He brought the prisoner and Oil dead child to the police office in a cab. He said to thg prisoner on arriving at the station, "I am about W. charge you with a serious crime. You are not bound te say anything in reply to the charge, but whatever i yog do say may be given n evidence against you at yell trial. He then repeated the charge, but the accW,' made no reply. He then told her that she wage charged with concealing the birth of the child, 'Her 'ply was" It must have been struck with the legs oft dolly. It was dead before I put it into the tub. Ja sister did not know it was there, and she must hale struck it with the dolly when cleaning the clothes. 10 one saw the child but myself." The: Chief C,onstabie asked that the prisoner should be remanded until Oa the inquest, which would be held on the following da9o and she was remanded until Thursday. A post-mortem examination subsequently made surgeons showed that the child had been brutallybeell with a blunt instrument on the head, and that bones had been smashed. •