Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1880-11-06 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE ALLEGED CHILD MURDER  AT STOCKTON.  ACQUITTAL OF WRIGHT.  At Durham Autumn Assizes on Fridayweek Elizabeth Wright, 24, spinster, was indicted for the wilful murder of Elizabeth Marley, aged seven weeks, at Stockton, on August17th. Mr Skidmore and Mr Edge prosecuted; Mr Steavenson defended the prisoner.—The learned counsel said that on the night in question the prisoner was seen by the side of the River Tees with a child in her arms by a man named Drayton, whcse suspicions were aroused by her manner, and seeing her a ' second time he noticed that she was very wet, and that a child in her arms, which on the first occasion was living, was dead, and also wet. On being asked for an explanation, the woman said that two men had thrown her down and attempted to take liberties with her, and had thrown her into the water. Before the magistrates she gave a different story, to the effect that she had tried to drown herself. In the face of two statements so contradictory, he should ask the jury to believe that the prisoner either threw the child into the river, and then jumped in herself, or that they both went in together. It was possible that there might be the alternative proposition of manslaughter in this case. Perhaps the woman was drunk, walking along the river side, and if, in consequence, she fell into the river, and the baby was drowned, that would be culpable negligence which might amount to manslaughter. —A. labourer named Marley was examined, and said that previous to August 16th the prisoner had lived with him for some time, but they had some words, and she was determined to leave him, and went away with the child cf her own accord. —John Drayton, boatman, Thornaby-road, spoke to having had his attention drawn to the prisoner, who was carrying a child, and had no bonnet on, and on seeing her half an hour afterwards she related how she had been assaulted by two men, who had attempted to drown her. She looked distressed, and was crying. IL observed no signs of a struggle.—Constable Coates deposed that the prisoner told him that she had a long struggle to get out of the river after being thrown in by two men, but she managed to save herself by catching hold of a stone with her right hand, and pulling her- ' self out. —Police Superintendent Bell said the prisoner told him that she kept hold of the child whilst in the river, and on getting out of the water she found it was dead. She would swear to the two men, whom she described.—Police Insrector Parkinson corroborated, and stated that before the Coroner the prisoner alleged that the child was dead before she left Sarah Nicholson's house in Black Bull-yard. She had laid down in the afternoon, and on awaking found it was dead, when, in great grief, she attempted to drown herself and child, but she could not drown, and scrambled out.—Sarah Nicholson said the prisoner and her child called at her house on August 17th, but did not sleep • there, as alleged, and when she left at 4-30 in the afteinoon the child was alive.— Evidence was adduced to show that the prisoner and deceased were seen together ' several times not long before the occurrence. 1 —Dr. R. W. Foss stated that the cause of death was suffocation by drowning.—The de• fence was that the prisoner walked into the river in a state of mental distraction.—The • jury, after a consultation which lasted nearly • an hour and a half, found the prisoner not • guilty, and she was acquitted.  A WORD TO WrrEs.—Beware of Spurious hnitetionx—For 40 years Horniman and 00.: have advocated the benefits of Pure Tea, rejecting that " artificially coloured" on the surface of the leaf. The difference in quality is so great, and the flavour of genuine tea so superior, that it has become a household word,f.where "Horniman's fel is once used it is always used." The pleasure of partaking of tea, free from adulteration, facing powder, or foreign admixture, is realised by many thousands of tea drinker., who annually consume six millions of packets of Horniman's Pure For amazing strength, delicious rich flavour, and cheapness Horniman's Tea is unequalled. Horniman's Agents.—Middlesbrough : Middleton, 13, Cleveland-terrace: Taylor, Linthorpe-road: Hall, Marton-road. Stockton: Clarke, chemist; Pickersgill, confectioner. South Stockton: Stonehenge, chemist. Stokesley : Scotson, bookseller. Redcar : Cooke, chemist. Salttnu-n : Taylor, chemist. Skelton : Ellis, chemist. North Ormesby: Gray stationer. Whitby: Brooks oissinist 065