The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1844-06-04 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SUSPECTED DESTRUCTION OF AN INFANT CHILD BY ITS MOTHER.  An inquest was held yesterday afternoon before Mr. Curry, the borough Coroner, touching the death of an infant child—the rumoured circumstances regarding which had excited a painful interest throughout a great part of the town. The following are the heads of the evidence. The mother was brought up in custody. of Aliceago, saidS e Stevenson, 0,,n. a, satnh e interestingdaoglter lookingo f Elizabeth Stevenson,li y ears and had for the last two years resided with her in Garner's Court, Roscoe-street—sleeping with her in the same bed. Her mother acted occasionally as a sick nurse. About two months ago she saw reason to challenge her mother with being in the family way, and asked her who was the father; but she denied being pregnant, anriddawyitlnaessts, herdid not afterwards refer to the subject. On Friday mother being employed out as a sick nurse, witness in turning down the bed in which she and prisoner slept found a bundle in dark cloth, and being alarmed ran for a female neighbour, who came, opened it, and found it to contain the body of a child. Witness was so frightened that she did not notice the sex. On Friday week her mother was very poorly ; and remained so during Saturday, but came down stairs that day. Witness afterwards saw that night some appearances in the room thatfirst led her to suspect thatsome_ thing improper had taken place but did not name her suspicions.asshethoughtitmiehthave arisen from natural causes. On finding the body she called in Mr. Inspector Thomp. son, who after seeing the child had the prisoner apprehended. Her mother kept a mangle, by which, and as a nurse, she made a living. Witness said her father had died 4 years ago. Margaret Christian, whom the last witness had called in on finding the bundle, corroborated the finding of the child in a piece of black stuff cloth with calico within. Ann Foulks had thought the prisoner in the family way, aid remarked a difference in her appearance during the last week. Inspector Thompson went to the house when called, and found deceased to be a male child. Mr. M'Lelland, surgeon of the Dispensary—to which the child was carried—said he had examined the body, and his opinion was that it had died from general debility arising from natural causes. Neglect at the birth might have debilitated it, but he would not say it would have lived had it been attended to, as the pains of labour might have produced the effects he saw on the body. There was not the least external injury of any kind. He had spoken with the prisoner on two occasions about it. At the first interview she admitted the child was hers; and on asking her if it had been born alive she said "it had never struggled much." On the second occasion (Sunday) she said that after it was born she had lain two hours unable to a,sist it ; that she then tied the cord, went down stairs, got a pair of scissors and divided it. She also said at first, that she had been confined eight days before, and had delivered herself. The Coroner, after recaptulating the surgeon's evidence, said that the only verdict which the jury could return was that the child had died from general debility, brought on by natural causes. Had there been any evidence that the deceased had been smothered they must have given a verdict of wilful murder against the mother. So far the case was disposed of as regarded that count ; but the circumstances were such that he felt it his duty not to release the prisoner, but to send her before Mr. Rushton, who might, if he deemed it proper, commit the prisoner for trial on the charge of concealement of pregnancy,—or might discharge her. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with this direction. The prisoner was then taken in custody to the police•court (followed by the witnesses) but as the court had risen before they arrived, she was detained for examination until this day.