Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1866-06-22 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MURDER OF A CHILD BY ITS FATHER.  -........--. On Thursday night week, shortly before ten o'clock, a horrible and apparently cold-blooded murder was co. 11111 led in Nottingham-street, Sheffield, by a man named Wil.iarn Henry Turner, who is said to be a clerk at the Cardigan Works. The murderer is a young man about twenty-eight y.,ars of age, and he has only been arried about twelve months. For some ti e past he hiss given way to habits of intemperance, and at the time lie committed the murder he was intoxicated, and op.  peared to be suffering from delirium tremens. His conduct towards his wife has been of the most cruel description, as he has frequently beaten her, and only a short time before the murder he took off her wedding ring, for the purpose, it is supposed, of getting some more drink. On the above night, shortly before ten o'clock, he came home, and at once commenced beating his wife. Sha told him that "she had had enough of that," and defended herself with a walking stick. She struck him svveral titnes, and on her beating him off, he took up the tongs, which were lying in the grate, and struck her on one of her arms. The blows were so severe that blood began to flow, and Mrs Turner, thinking that he might do her some serious injury, rushed out of the house in order to get the assistance of a cousin. Whilst she was out, her husband went upstairs, and proceeded into a bedroom, in which his 0111, aged about eleven weeks, was as.eep in a cot., and then deliberately murdered it, by cutting its throat with a raz ir. After committing the murder he left the house, and, taking a cab, had himself conveyed to the Town-hall, %here he told Inspector King th q he had come to give himself into custody for having murdered his child. At first he could scarcely be believed, but on his showing some blood on one of the sleeves•of his b liirt, Detectives Battersby and Wing at once proceeded to his house, No. 41, Nottingham-street.. There it was foand that his tale was too true. Mr Turner, surg on, Burgreave-road, who had attended the mother in her confinement, was at once sent for, arid on the arrival of that gentleman, who examined the deceased, he expressed himself that the child had been dead about half-an-hour, and that death was instantaueous, the windpipe, gullet, and caro'id artery having been corn, pletely severed. At the time the murder was committed the child must have been lying on the left side; the head was then raised, and a cut made from left to right, the deepest part of the cut being on the left side. On the detective officers coming back to the station Turner was searched, and in his left-hand pocket a razor, the blade of which was stained with blood, was found, lie freely admitted that he had murdered the child. He was very much the worse for liquor, and whilst in the receiving room at the Town Hall he conducted himself more like a lunatic than a man in his senses, talking in a very rambling and incoherent manner. Ile stated that he had been drinking very hard for the last month, that he had lived five years in Sheffield, and that he had previously resided in India. His necktie and braces were taken away from him to prevent him corn miffing suicide, and two men were placed in his cell during the night.