The Herald of Wales. — 1888-05-26 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SATURDAY MAY 26, 1828  !STRANGE AFFAIR AT A HORRIBLE MURDER D STRAN HOTEL. Mr Troutbeak held an enquiry on Friday, at AND SUICIDE AT the St. Martin's Vestry Hall, London, eorioernlug the deaths of the three female children of COLCIIESIER• Elizabeth Robson, a domestic servant, employed at Osmond's Hotel, in the Strand. Clara Gillete, a servant at the hotel, said that Robson A horrible tragedy occurred at Colchester on Monday night, a publican murdering his sequence of what transpired she suggested Om was taken very ill on Sunday night, and in conwife and afterwards shooting himself. The it wrehed a doctor should be summoned, but Robison sal i tc man's name was Murdock Jemmies He was an army pensioner, and wasa widow "No." The next morning Robson asked her to move a black tin box which with three children, until about a year Kee, was near her bed. when he married the widow of a man named but witness refused, bemuse she was afraid if she (Robson) had got out of bed to help her she Went, who kept the Wheat Sheaf beerhomie at Colchester. Their married life proved most might faint. She had said nothing about any children. When witness did discover what had unhappy, consta,t quarrels took place, and the inane happened, she questioned Bub., who wife, finally, about two months ago, brought admitted that three children had been born. Jeaaeman before the magistrates on a charge of Mrs Osmond deposed that Robson had been assault, and a judicial separation was effected, ei.tht years in bar employ, and was a most desseman receiving £lO from hie wife to leave her in possession of the business. De then took' invaluable servant and highly respectable. a situation as baker. On Monday night he went Witness had not the least suspicion as to her condition, believing that she was—sue to the Wheat Sheaf, and after closing time the from a tumour and dropsy. Witness ff= landlady's eon found his mother dee..., at her scarcely been near her since the occurrence, bedroom door, and het husband lying a little being so busy. As Rebsou had be ) further eff, insensible. Medical assistance was lie s ill, at once /etched, but he died in a few minutes. witness had granted.her two months' holiday, and she was to have left town for her home on ila had two nvolvers with him. the 17th inst. Dr. G. A. Hamerton stated that when he was called in he examined Robeon, and found that the had recently been confined. She told him where the child, which he would now designate as No I was, and be found it near the head of the bed, tied up in a bundle. Upon examining toe chile, he discovered a piece of cord fastened in a knot round its neck. Robson told him tha the child IME dead when it was born, and that she put the ligature round its neck because she hated it might cry. He detected bruises on the right shout ler, and on the middle finger of the left hand, and across the knuckles, and the womin accounted for those appearances by saying that the child might have fahen on the floor. Witness made a post mortal,' examination and found all the evidencesof the child having had a separate existence, and being born alive. The °aura of death, in his opinion, was suffocation through the pressure of the cord on the windpipe. On the following day witness was informed that two other children had been found, and he saw them loosely wrappedupin a to wel.With reference to the second child be found no marks of violenze, but upon subjecting the lunge and other organs to the hydroatati teat he discovered that it had breathed. The cause of death was suffthation. No. 3 child was very small and feeble, and, no doubt, breathed very imperfectly, if at all.—By the Coroner: The mother must have been co,mcious when she fastened the ligature round the child's neck. At first she denied everything, but ultimately she placed no obstacle in his way.—The jury, after de.iberating in private, returned into court with a verdict " That child No. 1 died afrom r  ~on guff cation, but how canoed there wee not diffident evidence to allow Spa to Noe. 2 and 3, they found that they died from want of attention at birth.