A Case of Child-Murder.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 281, 11 October 1889, Page 3

A Case of Child -Murder.

A MOTHER DROWNS HER INFANT. Last. Qveiuqg an Italian woman nrmed Agnes Ann Cortado, about 85yoai's of age, w..s arrested by Detective Campbell on the serious charge of murdering her infant. The accused resides with her husband, Peitro Carrado (who is employed at the Colonial Insurance Company's office 5 ), at the corner of Sussex square aud Nelson street, and has three young children, aged respectively 11, 6, and 5 years, in addition to the infant she ie charged with murdering. Her husband left his home as usual at 9 o'clock yesterday morning, and, on returning shortly after 5 o'clock, the your.gest of the three children said «o him, " Oh, papa, the baby's dead. Mamma put her in the bath face downward, and kept her there. " Corrado, who was naturally very much shocked to hear such a statement, immediately ran upstairs to the bathroom, to find that the child's statement was only too true. Alter taking the dead child— a fine healthy looking girl about four months old — out of the bath, he states that he asked his wife 4K>w*the infant had got into the bath* but she would not tell him. He tlu4 went for Dr Fell, who attended immediately, but he was unable to do anything for the child, who was past all human aid, having been dead several hours. Dr Fell also asked Mrs Corrado how the child had met its death, and she replied that she had drowned it in the bath, but that it was not her child. She also said that the child " had'been changed on her," and it was the-be-t thing that could happen to he *. After leaving the house Dr Fell at once reported the matter to the police, and. Detective Campbell subsequently proceeded to the accused's housd aud took her l into custody., r When tho accused was acquainVfjd with the nature of the charge against her at the police station she did rot appear very much! affected, and she made & similar statement to Campbell that she had made, to Dr Fell, to the effetf that she had drowned the infant, and repeated the statement that the

child wa& uot her own, but had boon changed on her. She, howevor, did uot offer any explanation of this remarkable statement. It appears that about six years ago sho was connfiodiu apriv.ite lunatic asylum in Otago, but since then, hor husband states, she has not shown tho slightest symptom of insanity. She appeared quite rational in hor convertation.with the detective but tho 'question whether the uufortunuto woman is still deranged will ka settled when she is medically ; examined. — N. Z. Times.