SUSPECTED INFANTICIDE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 7

SUSPECTED INFANTICIDE.

A young married woman named Mary Leo-, nard Mudgway, and, her mother, Mary Ann, Trueman, were brought before G. Crawford, Esq., J.P., on Sept.' 18, akthe Resident Magistrate’s Court, and remanded until Sept. 21; on the charge of having on,or.about the 27th of August last, , murdered a male infant, to which the daughter is supposed shortly before to have given birth. It appears that in consequence of information received 'by the , polioe, . a search was made on The premises where the parties resided, near the corner of Cuba and Abel Smith streets, and the body of a fullgrown male child was found buried in a hole in a cowshed, ;in a paddock at the back of the house. The body was covered with lime and earth. Further particulars will no doubt be brought to light on the investigation, of'the case on Sept 21. , In addition to the above, the following account has been furnished tons.:-

On the warrant being issued, Sergeant, Smith and Constable Ryan proceeded.to Trueman, junr’s, house and there arrested Trueman, senr., and Mrs Mudgvvay, and brought them to the station. Inspector Atcheson immediately despatched; Constable Ryan; aud Detective Darrell .to,search for, the body. They went, to a stable.situated about 400yds. from the house of the prisoners, and in a corner of the stable, where a bag of chaff had been placed near the r wall plate, they noticed indications of the,'eaHh-shaving been re-cently-disturbed. -Constable Ryan dug all round the . spot, with a view of . the spade not coming in : contact with the body. At 3ft. down ha came upon' lime. They theni lifted the eartbybody -arid all, without disturbing any portion of sthe: body. It will be in the recollection : of lour readers that in the celebrated murder case in.which Wainwright was found guilty, in’ London; the body in that instance was preserved - owing to the murderer having-used chloride of lime instead of quicklime. The*same thing,has: occurred here ; for: though the child has been folly three weeks dead, the body is in a state of preservation, as it was covered with chloride of lime. :