Child Murder Case

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 89, 17 January 1891, Page 2

Child Murder Case

VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER AGAltfSf FEMALE PRISONERS. (PBR press association.) ; CHiiisTCHCiiCH, January 16. The inquest on the head of the child found in Gloucester street commenced this morning. The R.M. Court was crowded. ..Inspector Pender conducted the case, and Mr Stringer, appeared on behalf: of Daniel, Annie and Sarah Flanagan. Dr Moorehouse deposed that he -attended Sarah Flanagan, who was confined on 13th December of a male child. The father and mother were present. The former remarked it was a bit of bad luck. The girl admitted the father of the child was on the West Coast. Dr Symes deposed to the detective handing him a child's headon the 7th January. It was that of a matured child, severed from the neck at the junction of the head with the spine by two clear cuts. The face presented two gaping wounds, which were caused by a blow or fall, probably during life. The wounds must have been made by a sharp instrument other than a tomahawk.. He examined Sarah Flanagan^ but found no marks on her. .-Mrs Freeman, the nurse with whom the baby was placed, stated that she had two years before, received another child of Sarah Flanagan's to nurse, but this had died; Had received the last from Mrs Flanagan, who stated that her daughter was married to man on the West Coast named Stevens. Kept the child three weeks, when on January: sth both female prisoners came to the house, stating that Mrs Stevens . was going to Wellington; took the baby away wrapped it in a white and red shawl, and at Mrs . Flanagan's request left no,, white showing. Her daughter followed the two women along the streets, in the direction where the head was found, when they started to run. Had received the baby to nurse ; it was a male child and healthy. She described the clothmg giyen her at the time, and detailed the circumstances ! that led up to the child being taken away by Miss Flanagan (who represented herself as Mrs Stevens) and her mother, on the ground that her husband had sent for her from Wellington. She stated that she did not want to leave until quite dark. Witness then stated that the feeding bottle and articles found were positively those taking away with the baby by the Flanagans. The hole in the red shawl was not there when the child was taken away. On the following Thursday Mrs Flanagan called. After giving witness ill for kindnese, said, in reply to a question, "Mrs Stevens is very ill, and baby is dead." Mrs Flanagan told her two men had taken the child from Mrs Stevens and severed the head from the body. Asked where the'body was, Mrs Flanagan replied : Rest assured, they'll, never find that; you could not recognise the head if you saw it, it is so much knocked about. The police have found the head and shawl, and I come to ask you to say nothing about it ; only you and Mrs Higgs know anything about the baby.'' Witness could hardly see her way to that, Mrs Flanagan said: "Won't forget you ifyou see us out of it." Promised to do her best, and would not break unless obliged to. .■■: JobnTulley, publisher of the Ly ttelton: Titnes, deposed to seeing two women at 4 o'clock on the morning of January 6th, as be was going to the office. MThey avoided him, but he watched for a while, and saw them go into the section. Both were short, and. one was much shorter than the other," but he could not say that the female prisoners were the women he saw. '■■ , .• ' Joseph Sargeans, telegraph operator, deposed that as he was going home from work about 2.30 a.m. one day. early last week he saw Constable Flanagan aud two short women pass down Lincoln Road towards Ghristchurch Mrs Higgs, registry office- keeper, told how ; Mrs Flanagan called- to secure a. nurse for her daughter's baby, born on December 13th, and waa very vexed about it. She said she would kill it if she had to do anything with it, and used mother threats. As Mr Beetham summed vp — when speaking of the male accused— -Sarah Flanagan created a scene, crying out that her father knew nothing of it. The jury retired at 4,10, returning at 4.22, when the foreman stated they were unanimous in returning a verdict of "Wilful Murder" . against the two female prisoners, m which the Coroner concurred. The Magisterial Inquiry then adjourned till Tuesday morning.