INFANTICIDE IN ENGLAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 84, 11 April 1877, Page 4

INFANTICIDE IN ENGLAND.

Our telegrams by the Ringarooma on Monday stated that a woman named Elizabeth Kirkbride had been committed for trial for the murder of six of her children. On looking over our files by the San Francisco mail, we find the following particulars of the case .~-

A moat extraordinary discovery has just been made near Liverpool. Ia June last, Mrs. Kirkbride, a widow. who for ten yeara had been a schoolmistress near Penrith, Cumberland, left that town and came to Liverpool, leaving behind her at an hotel two boxes to be called for. About a week since, not being called for, they, were opened owing to a bad smell coming from them, and were found to contain the bodies of two young children, one with hia throat cut, and the other Apparently having been suffocated. I A warrant waß issued for Mrs Kirkbride'a. apprehension, and it was executed at Tuebrook, near Liverpool, on Sunday. The Liverpool Mercury says . — When Sergeant Robinson went; to the house he knocked at the door, and enquired whether Mrs Kirkbride resided there. The door was answered by Mrs Kirkbride herself, and at once seeing that sbe answered the description of the person for whom the warrant was intended by a mark upon one of her cheeks he told her his mission. After reading the warrant in which ehe was charged with concealment of birth at Penrith, she stood silent for a short time, and then remarked that there mast be some mistake about it. He however told her that she must accompany him, and she then begged that she should be allowed to leave the house quietly, aa she was only in apartments, and they were most respectable people with whom she resided. Mrs Kirkbride bad two boxes, both: of which were placed on the stair landing near to her bedroom, and one of which, a large, japanned round tin trunk, was fastened with a padlock. The padlock was forcibly removed, and the lid opened. Immediately this was done, a most horrible stench was emitted from the contents of the box, Tbis waa on the evening of Monday, and informa-^ tion was sent to tbe police of the discovery. The box was removed the same night by the police to the mortuary of the West Derby Local Board, and the contents jwere thoroughly examined by Dr Pitts, in the presence of Inspector Walsh and Sergeant Shepherd. It was then found to contain the remains of three — what had been apparently newly born infants, They were each wrapped in several folds of sheeting and pieces of carpet, and a large quantity of old rags and other materials were stuffed into the box, so as (o prevent any disagreeable odour being emitted when it was closed. From enquiries which were made, it appears that Mrß Elizabeth Kirkbride: is a widow, having lost her husband ia 1864. After bis death she obtained a livelihood by teaching a school, but haviog latterly become involved in circumstances her goods were seized for debt, and she left Penrith for Liverpool in June last. She has four children, one of whom, the eldest, a young man 19 years of age, obtained a situation at Tuebrook, and came to Liverpool prior to his mother leaving Penrith. The young man engaged apartments consisting of front parlour and front bedroom, at 21 Sutton Street and his mother arrived soon after him. Inspector Walsh has ascertained tbat Mrs Kirkdale, on leaving Penrith, came at first to Aintree with two boxes, aod left them there, either at the railway station or at some private house. After ataying at Aintree for some days she left, and went to Everton, where, after remaining for about a week, she joined her son at 21 Sutton. street, Tuebrook. The boxes were removed from Aintree to. Tuebrook at the latter end of June. The people with whom Mrs Kirkbride lodged had not the slightest suspicion of anything being wrong, and had always looked upon her as a most respectable lady. She paid the rent of her apartments regularly, and occupied her time in doing fancy needlework. On the police searching her apartments several letters were found dated anterior to tbe time that sbe left Penrith, and which reveal the name of the parson who is the father of. the children, and who, it is said, is a respeo .able aod well-to-do tradesman in the neighborhood of Penrith. In the afternoon an inquest was held on the three bodies found at Tuebrook. The medical evidence

was to the effect that all the bodies were those of children newlyborn and fully grown, but it could .not be said whether or not they had lived, owing to the condition of the remains. One of thß bodies had been there for nine or ten yeara, and another for about five years. An open verdict was returned. , ,