The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1893-02-25 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

CASE.  About noon on Monday, great sensation was embed at Pontypridd by the news that a married woman had thrown her daughter, a child of seven, into the river Taff at Ithydftlen, and then attempted to commit suicide by drowning herself. The facts, as far as can be ascertained, are as follow :  Mrs Molka King, about 30 years of age, wife of Aaron King, a glazier, residing at Trallwn Gardens, Pontypridd. has been suffering from melancholia since her confinement some three Months ago. The little girl, whose name is Phcebe, went as usual to the Coedpenmaen Schools about nine o'clock, and at eleven o'clock the mother called at the school and asked to be allowed to take the child home. Mr T. Jones, schoolmaster, thinking that the request was an urgent one, and little thinking of the consequences, readily granted the application, and the child was taken away. Instead of taking her howe, it is alleged the mother took her towards Rhydfelen, about a mile and a half from Pontypridd, and threw the child into the rive', which was running very high consequent upon the recent heavy rains, and the child was carried away and was drowned. The body was seen by two men, floating in the river at Upper Boat, a mile from where it was thrown in, but the flood was too great fer them to catch it, and it was carried on its way towards Cardiff. The mother was seen struggling in the water by some men, who, divesting themselves of a portion of their clothing, got into the water and rescued the unfortunate woman, who, no doubt, had by this time realized what she bad done to her child, and tried to drown herself. On the men taking her out, the poor creature called loudly,—" Oh, my child, my child, my child." Assistance was at once procured, and she wee taken int, the Duffryn Arms close by. After a time she was taken by P.C. Cummings to the Treforest polio. station, and thence by trap to the station house at Pontypridd, where she was attended to by Dr Howard Davies. The poor woman appeared to be demented, and was at times seized with convulsions. bhe  continually cried out for someone to bring to her, her child. Dr Howard Davies failed to elicit anything sensible from her, and he then gave Mr Supt. Jones, a document for the woman to be taken to the workhouse. She was too weak to walk unassisted to a cab which ;v.'s in waiting, even with the assistance of two constables, but eventually she was carried away at the same time crying for herchild. Her right hand was blood-stained from the effects of a bruise. Her husband is a most respectable and bard - working man, ansl on hearing the sad and painful news, he burst into tears and cried bitterly. Mr King and his wife have resided at the Trallwn, near Pontypridd, for the past eight years, and it is stated that the unfortunate mother is a very respectable woman. Several constables and a number of other persons walked alongside the river for miles on Monday but failed ti discover the body. From inquiries made it is stated that the woman has for some years lean considered an imbecile, and has been once or twice in a lunatic asylum but was liberated some time ago, when it was thought that she was cured.  han,