The Sun. — 1864-01-19 (London, England)

COMMITTAL OF THE MOTHER.  Yesterday forenoon Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the deputy coroner, resumed, at the Victoria Tavern, Three Colt-lane, Limehouse, the inquiry respecting the death of the male child of Rebecca Porter, said to have been murdered on Christmas-day. The prisoner, Rebecca Porter, a respectable looking middle-aged woman, was brought up in the custody of Inspector Beare, under a warrant obtained from the Secretary of State. It will be remembered that the accused had been for a period of five months in the service of the keeper of an eating-house in Hales-terrace, Limehouse, and that, as she wore an immense crinoline, the suspicions of her mistress were at one time excited. The accused, however, indignantly denied the imputation, and gave notice that she would leave rather than leave off wearing crinoline. On Christmas-day, while playing cards with the other servants, she was noticed to be ill, and, though she denied having given birth to a child, the deceased was found in a box.  Mrs. J. Harris, 2, Hales-terrace, West Indiaroad, was re-called, and she stated that she did not know that the accused Lad prepared any baby linen. Witness never saw any. Rebecca Porter used to sit at work in her room in the evenings for nearly the whole time. She was in service ; but witness saw her make no preparation for a child. She worked for herself as well as for witness. When, on Christmas-day, witness taxed her with having given birth to a child, she denied it for half an hour. She afterwards showed the child to witness in her box, whieh was under her bed. She asked witness to allow her to bury the child, and to take her again into her service, but that could not be done.  George Cronk, 330 K, said that on Christmas-day he was sent for by Mr. Harris. By the inspector's orders he then accompanied Mr. Brownfield, the divisional surgeon, to Mr. Harris's house. He saw the child in the box of the accused. There was a hassock in the box, and one or two other things, but no baby clothes.  The prisoner said she bad no questions to put to ,he witnesses.  The coroner then cautioned the accused in the usual manner, and asked her if she wished to make any statement.  The prisoner merely replied, "No, sir." Mrs. Harris, recalled, stated that she had been informed by the sister of the prisoner, that the prisoner had been married and had iven birth to two children: These children were dead. Witness did not inquire what was the cause of their deaths. The coroner then read over the depositions at length, and said that all the circumstances were of such a character as seemed to render a verdict of wilful murder inevitable. The medical man examined in the case indeed said that, though the child had fully breathed he could not conclusively say that the child had been fully born alive. Bat the other facts should not be overlooked—the deter. mined persistence in concealing her condition by means of a large crinoline—no clothes being provided for the child, although the accused must have known that she had gone her full time—the denial  for half an hour that she had given birth to any child—the concealment of the dead body is a box— and the marks of violence on the throat, which were plainly visible—all seemed to show a settled intention to make away with the child, and doubtless to deposit it in the street at a convenient opportunity.  The jury, after a tong deliberation, returned a verdict of wilful murder agaiusi., Rebecca Porter, but stated, in tendering their verdict, that had the law given them an option they would have brought in a verdict of manslaughter in preference, as they believed that there could have been no malice against the deceased, but that the mother had deprived it of life in an attempt to conceal the fact of its birth in order to avoid the shame of detection. The coroner then made out the warrant for the committal of the mother to Newgate for trial at the Central Criminal Court.