The Sun. — 1827-03-17 (London, England)

CROWN SIDE. Betty Stinton, aged 70, and Mary Potter, aged 26, were arraigned this morning upon an indictment, and also upon the Coroner's Inquisition, for the murder of William Potter, an infant, aged 11 months, by wilfully administering, on the 26th of last January, at the parish of Kyre Parva, powdered glass mixed in sugar to the child, whereby he became sick, and his stomach inflamed, by means whereof he languished until the 30th of January, when he died. They each pleaded " not guilty." The Jury were immediately sworn.  Mr. Gonsow—Gentlemen, the two prisoners, Betty Stinton and Mary Potter, Betty Stinton being the mother or Mary Potter, are charged with the wilful murder of William Potter, the infant child of Mary Potter. The circumstances are so mysterious, that I shall not detail the case further than by mentioning dates, times, and places, so as enable you the mere easily to understand the evidence. Mary Potter lives in that part of Stokes Bliss, which is in this county. She is a married woman, not living with her husband. Wm. Potter was her illegitimate child, and shortly after its birth she put it out to nurse with a person of the name of Vernall ; she used to go and see the child when at nurse, and you shall hear her conduct on those occasions, from Mrs. Vernall.— The child was taken from Mrs. Vernal' to another nurse of the name of Tyler. The reason of this is material. The parish officers were spoken to about the child, and by their or. den it was placed under Mrs. Tyler's care, where it continued until the mother made application to the officers to have her child. They consented, and both the prisoners came to Mrs. Tyler's house at Tenbury, and took it away. This is the first time I shall show the prisoners together. The next we hear of the child is on Saturday morning—about 11 o'clock Potter took her child to the supposed father. She then went with it to several cottagers, to ask if it could be put out to nurse; they will be called. As we are counsel, not against the prisoners, but for the investigation of truth, it is proper to observe, that some of the cottager. remarked that the belly of the child was hard. Not finding any nurse, Potter took the child to her mother, Stinton, at Kyre Parva. She was in bed, but got up, came down, and witness will tell you what then occurred. From thence, until the next Tuesday, we have no information ; but Mr. Griffin, the parish officer, hearing the child was dead, went to Stinton's cottage.— What was then said is very material, but you shall hear it from the witness. Ihe minister of the parish thought an inquisition necessary. Mr. Hebb, a most respectable surgeon, was examined before the coroner. He gave his opinion then, and he will give it here to-day—he will produce the stomach and its contents. He is of opinion that what he found in the stomach were bits of glass. Glass of itself will not cause death—none of its constituent parts are poisonous ; but as it is hard and brittle, it will cut and wound the stomach, and this will cause inflammation, which, if not removed, must ultimately end in death. The questions to decide are, whether the child did come to its death by unfair means ? Mr. Baron GAaaow—Mr. Godson, you have opened this case with great propriety, candour, and good sense. Mr. Trawnrrr called  William Hebb—l am a surgeon. On Monday, the Ath of February, I viewed the body of William Potter, lying dead at the aouse of Betty Stinton, in Kyre Parva. I found no marks of external injury. I found that the internal coat of the stomach was inflamed to a very great degree ; that within the stomach there was about four ounces of a darkish coloured fluid; that interspersed in this fluid was a considerable number of green-coloured transparent and brittle fragments and particles, which, I have no doubt, were glass. I have no doubt that the child's death arose from an inflammation of the internal coat of the stomach.  To a question by Mr. Baron