A Wanganui Mystery.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 73, 2 March 1883, Page 2

A Wanganui Mystery.

SUPPOSED MURDSII 0 VSE. (Yesterday's Herald.) At the R.M. Court this morning Phcebo Veitch was charged before Mr Liffiton J.P., that she <iid on or about the 26th February feloniously, wilfully, and of mah'ce aforethought kill and murder one Phoebe Veilch. Inspector^ •Tames asked"" for a " remand on "the ground-that there would be~an inquest ' on the body of the child on the following day, at which accused would be charged -with the alleged offence^" Mr ' Lilfiton having suggested offering bail, Inspector James said be would obj cb, and the further hearing of the change, was then remanded for three dayf.? > ': The charge arises out of the finding of f the dead body of a little girl-jon the beach, hear the cafre house, to which reference has been made m our columns. The child remained unclaimed and unidentified until last night, when some* thing came to the ears of \he police, which them" 'to make inquiries, resulting m the arrest of the accused, arid' the entering: -of the preseh't charge against her. It is understood the police . have worked up a strong case, but of course they are very reticent on the matter. .On her appearance m Oourt tbis morning, accused presented a miserable appearance, and she has a (j'uridus" history. Suffering from a cancer on her nose, her face is covered with a thick black veil. She is of small stature, and has a difficulty m her speech, due to the cancerous affliction/. .In .Court/ she also said she had grv»at difficulty m hearing. She was very quiet m her demeanor .} and /presented no" "appearmc.e o£ .^excitement ... Accused *i< .23 years 'of age, and is said to have been married, tq a man Veitch who .left - her* two years ago. She came to town from Feilding only a fortnight ag-o, and broughe lwith her two children, a boy aged * seven* and a girl aged four m May next. The latter is the child whose body was found on thMbeacb. Accused also leaves a girl nine years at Feilding. • Her firjjt cliiid was born when sb^Vv/asv. only fourteen years of a^e. The child found is evidently the daughter of a coloured man, supposed to be a Chinaman, but we understand a'ceused states" .that its father was an Anglo-Indian. When accused was arrested shefad- 1 mitted the parentage of the child^and" ,gave the story that on JVlonday night ;she went down to the wharf, and tlie 'little girl fell oyer into th& river,' bu't "ehe did not like to say anything about -it. •

:\ Later. . . ." It was reported last night that the woman Veitch had made a confession to: the police^ b«t* whether this be so or not, we believe that it will be shown at the mquast that some of her statements were damaging and suspicious. It is said that; she told a. female neighbour on Tuesday that she had given the child . to-a*lady; whose rianTelhe did not know, and on the previons day (Mqnday) - shi told her little boy (atfer her return from the wharf, where she says thelittlo girl fell over) that she had seat it away* np the country.