ALLEGED INFANTICIDE. The Dead Body of the Child Discovered. A Mother Charged with Wilful Murder. Painful Disclosures.

Te Aroha News, Volume 64, Issue II, 23 August 1884, Page 6

ALLEGED INFANTICIDE. The Dead Body of the Child Discovered. A Mother Charged with Wilful Murder. Painful Disclosures.

From tho Auckland " Star," August 19. One of the most painful tragedies that has happened in this city for many years paat has been brought to light [to-day, the evidenco so far adduced pointing to tho complicity of a mothor in the cold blooded destruction of her own offspring. The loading facts are as follow: — For some weoks past a young woman named Mrs Wilson, alias Miss Smith, has been boarding in tho house of Mr Wakoham, storekeeper, of Brighton Road, Parnoll. Mr Wakeham has. only been a month in the possession of tho premises, Miss Smith having hired a room from a fonxior tenant named Walmesley or Wansbury, but as she was approaching maternity, Mr Wakoham, at the solicitation of his wile, allowed her to remain till after she had got over her trouble. She did not give any information regarding her antecedents, merely saying that her name was Mrs Wilson. On the 31st of last month, tho child, a girl, was born, tho woman being attonded during her confinement by Dr. Wright, of Parnoll, and a midwife named Mrs Norric. The woman suffered severely after her confinement, but the child was healthy, and throve, although the mother gavo it no other nourishment but that derived from tho bottle. On Wednesday last Mrs Wilson was ablo to get up, and on Saturday evening about seven o'clock, despite tho rain and wind, she left Mr Wakeham's-, taking her baby with her. She returned in tho course of an hour and a half without her child. Mr Wakeham noticed that her dress and hands a\ ere muddy, and his suspicions being aroused, ho questioned her as to tho "whereabouts of tho child. Shoreplied that she had given it to some friends. Subsequently ho informed the police, and efforts were made to trace out tho child's whereabouts, but without success. Last evening Mr Wakeham bi'ought the woman to the police station, where Sergt. Gamble questioned her about the child. She then admitted that she had hitherto beon lying about the child, and said she would frankly confess -what sho had clone with it. Sho then made a statemont to the effect that on Saturday night the infant was ill, that she gave it some laudanum to soothe it, that it died in her arm?, and that she threw it over the cliff at Parnoll. Sho said her name was llosina Smith, not Wilson, and that she was unmarried. She declined to give- tho name of the father. The unfortunate woman, who Avas deeply affected during the making of this statement, was then taken charge of by the police. This morning the case was placed in tho hands of Dotectivcs Walker and Twohcy to " work up," and at 10 o'clock, taking Miss Smith with them, they proceeded in a cab towards Parnoll. It appears that while in the cab tho woman said that sho had not thrown the child over the cliff, but that it was in tho Domain. Constable Hobson, in charge of the Parnell polico district, was picked up en route and tho cab proceeded along tho Manukau Road towards Newmarket, probably with the intention of making a search of the Domain. When the cab was passing Mason's gardens, the woman exclaimed in heart-broken accents, " Don't take me in there. It s there. ' ' The conveyance was at once stopped, and the oincers began to search tho ground. Miss Wilson refused to budge from the cab or to givo any further information. About 100 yards from the main gate, Detective Twohey discovered some footmarks, and spent a good deal of time searching about the spot, without result. Constable llobson was more successful. While searching tho shrubbery close to the hot-house, ho iound a stopperless feeding bottle, and a few yards further on there wero evidences that the ground had been recently overturned. His suspicions being aroused, ho procured a spade and commenced digging. At a depth of about IS inches he came upon a bundle wrapped in a woollen shawl. It was opened, and the body of a child was disclosed — its poor little doad face shrunken with tho moisture, its eyes closed, and its face flattened a\ ith the pressure of the soil. Tho body was placed m a gin-case, and subsequently was conveyed to town to await tho inquest. AH the time the detectives avcio searching, the wretched mother remained crouching in a corner of the cab, the veiy picburo of abject mlaery, and when &h« became cognisant ol the fact that the awful discovery had been made, she moaned in a most piteous manner. Mr Wakeham's Statement. Mr Wakeham, having beon invorvicwed by a reporter, gave the following narrative : — Six weeks ago I took occupation of tho place in a\ Inch I now rc&idc at Brighton lload, Parncll. The previous tenant had sub-lot a room to a woman then known as Mrs Wilson, but now as Miss Smith. Her week not being up, the previous tenant asked me to allow her to remain until she got another place. 1 consented, providing that Miss Smith should leave as soon as possible, as I wanted the room. Mrs Wakeham being taken .suddenly ill A\ith erysipelas, Miss Smith got up in the middle of the night and did what she could for her while I went for a doctor. After the lapse of a couple of days Mrs Wakeham told mo that the woman Avas in trouble, and that it Avould not be long before her trouble would be over, so a\ c had better try and let the poor thing remain. I consented. On the 30th of July the woman was confined of a female child. We did everything foy her ffliat avc possibly could, and ljyst Friday she wont out of the house, leaving her child Ayith the nurso that confined hor, romarking that sho was going to look for her husband, from whom she expected to receive money. She came back in the OA r cning,saying she had no money, and she did not know where he Avas. On Saturday evening, about a quarter to six, I Avas standing at the shop door,and saAV Miss Smith coming out of the piivate door, and going across the road. Thinking that sho was going to Pn.yn.oU f.or some'neccssarics, I took up notice 6,f the occurrence. Mrs Wakeham Avent and sa.\v that front dopr A^as open, and alfro the door of \]\q room, that Miss Smith occupied. My wife thon aakod me where Miss Smith was, and I replied that I had seen her going up Parncll. I also asked if the child Avas in the room. She said "No," but she expected sho Avould leave it Avith the nurse as she had done on the previous day. Mrs Wakeham said she Avould see Miss ftwlth Avhen she returned, and closed fyoth floors. About an hour ar 4 d twenty after Miss Srn^h, AVQnt"out-^h J e>eturnecl, by the back way." Ml^'Watceli^m 1 was sitting in th 6 kitchen bathing th,o children,, i\ns asked her, ''Wherever haye you, taVfca,' on a n[ight }iketh^s?,"(^\YasWning heavily at the IMibs' Smith replied, " Oh, I have taken the child out to nurse j" and Mrs Wakeham remarked that she thought a more suitable* night could be found in which

to tako out a two weeks old infant. Miss Smith said " It may bo wot on Sunday and I Monday, and I thought I had better get it off my hands as soon as I could. Miss Smith was covered with mud, and Mrs Wakeham asked he how she got into such a terrible stato, and she answered, "If oil down in tho Brighton Itoad." Mrs Wakeham thon said that Miss Smith's hands, and some few inches above her breast, were- covered with black mud, also over tho tops of her boots, trhile her drees and cloak were marked with yellowish clay. She said she had takon tho child to a friond of her husband's, that she took the 'bus at the top of Parnoll Road to drive to Queen-street, and then went in another 'bus to the Kyber Pass Road. Miss Smith then went into her room. I heard a portion of the conversation between my wife and Miss Smith, and felt sure there was something wrong about the woman, and felt quite uneasy. I said to my wife, "Leavo her to mo, and I'll be guided by circumstances." During the whole of Saturday night Miss Smith was very restless in her room. In the morning I told Mrs Wakoham to take her a cup of tea, and she camo out of her room during tho forenoon. She said, "Now that tho baby is off my hands I will dry my things and try and do something for myself." My wife told her not to, be in a hurry. All Sunday she was very restle&s and could not oat, and on Sunday evening I saw the constable at Parnell and mentioned the circumstanco to him, and suggested that he might mention tho facts at hoad-quarters next morning. Yesterday, shortly before 12 noon Miss Smith went out again. Feeling uneasy Mrs Wakeham and I examined tho things in Miss Smith's room, and came to the conclusion that the story about her falling down was Hot correct. Then I got the constable to interview Miss Smith, who stuck to the statement that the child was out at " nurse." Tho constable thon went to make inquiries about the child. She acknowledged that she had given the constable a wrong address, and insisted that she should go with me. Sho took me to a house, left me outside, went in herself, and asked the occupant to say that the child had been left there. The latter said the child was not there. 1 then brought Miss Smith to the Police Station, and handed her over to the police. She has since confe&sed that she gave tho child laudanum and threw it over the cliff at Parnell. Mrs Wakeham's Statement. Mrs Wakoham was subsequently interviewed, but her statement is much the same as her husband's. She said that Mrs Wilson had always appeared to her a strong-minded, determined woman, and very reticent as te her antecedents. Sho told Mrs Wakeham that she came out in the ship Wellington te Auckland three years ago. She once vouch' safed the information that she had been de ceived by a married man, and that that was the cause of her trouble. The baby was a fine, healthy one, and looked well, considering that the mother resolutely refused to give i 1 the breast. On Saturday night, when she went out, it was raining very heavily, anc Mrs Wakeham felt much astonished at the woman taking her child out on such a night, When Miss Smith returwed, Mrs Wake ham said, "Good God! Where have you been ?" and Miss Smith replied, " ] have given the baby out to nurse." She accounted for her muddy condition by say ing that she had fallen down in the Brighter Road. On the following morning then was nothing particular in her manner, with the exception that she was fidgety or rest less. She never said a word about tne chilci the wholo day. On Monday when sho was questioned by Constable Hobson, &ho was quite impudent to him, denying that she knew anything about any child. Mr* Wakeham also informed our reporter that she had been shown the body of the child by tho police, and that sho had identified it as Miss Smith's child. The Nurse Interviewed. Mrs Nome, who nursed the woman during her confinement, lives close te Wakeham's store, and when interviewed, sho said that she had been engaged b^ Mrs Wilson herself. Tho child was born on the 30th of last month, and was healthy, It had a little rash on its body, but nothing of any consequence. Mrs Wilson had always seemed kind to the baby, though she did not suckle it. Important Evidence.— Herbert Gent's Statement. Mr Herbert Gent, a gardener in the employ of Mr Ma&on, alter reading tho reference to the caso in this morning's paper, was able to give the polioe important information. His statement is to the effect that he was standing at the gate of Mason's gardens on Saturday night at about 7 o'clock, when ho was accosted by a woman (whom he subsequently identified as Miss Smith.] She asked if the gato was an entrance to the Domain, as she wanted to go through tho Domain to Newton. Gent informed her that sho could reach the Domain by going through the gardens, but advised her to go by Kyber Pass. He noticed that tho woman had a child in her arms and heard it cry. The woman then loft tho gate and proceeded along the road towards Newmarket and Gent shortly afterwards walked to Parnell. CHARGE OF WILFUL MURDER LAID. The theory of the police is that the mother murdered tho child shortly after her conversation with Gent, though they do not give much credenco to her statement that sho gave tho child laudanum. Tho facts, as at present known, give strong ground for the horrible suspicion the unfortunate infant was buried alive. On the roturn of Dotective Walker and his assistants from Parnell to-day, the charge of wilful murder was preferred against tho woman. Tho Accused in Court. The accused, Rosina Emily Smith, was brought into Court at 2.30 this afternoon charged with wilfully, unlawfully, and with malice aforethougkt, did kill and murder one Emily Wilson, at Auckland, on the lGth inst. Mr Superintendent Thomson appeared on behalf of the police, and statod particulars as recorded in another place, and, as an inquest will be hold on the body of the child in a dj\y ox two, he asked for a remand. Tbs> case was therefore remanded \\x\t\l %h,e 26th inst, Registration of the Child's Birth. It has transpired that tho accused proceeded to the office of the Registrar of Births, Marriages, and Deaths yesterday, and. thfflro registered the birth of her child in the name of Emily Wilson. She gave her own name as Rosina Emily Smith, and that of the father as William Wilson. The Prisoner's Antecedents* Vory little has yet beon discovered regarding the prisoned antecedents. Although she stages %b&t she came out in th§ Wellington,, ifc is surmised 3h,e. -\ya.B a^ immigrant by tho Rangitikei. A.bou,t three months ago s3»o opened a babylinen shop, in Karangahape Road under the name of JVftss Wilson. The shop was fitted Hit foy hor by a man named Wilson, a carpenter, to whom it was understood that she was engaged to be married. The Prisoner Refuses Fqo& The accused woman has refused, t©. take my food since she has been* in custody, and t is stated that sh,© kas neither eaten nor lra.njs sfocci Swft4ay last,