AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF CHILD MURDER. The Father Committed For Wilful Murder.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 289, 11 August 1888, Page 5

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF CHILD MURDER. The Father Committed For Wilful Murder.

Mr Gower, disbricfc coroner ab Wilcannia, returned from Ivanhoe where he had held an inquest into the cause of death of a female infant. The father, named Thomas Harris, was present in custody The evidence waB taken of Senior-constable Piggobb in charge of the Ivanhoe station, Doctor William M'Phins Semple and A. J. M'Keime, grazier. Constable Piggofcb's evidence was as to the exhuming oi the body and the arrest of Harris ab bho Nagundy hub, on the Kilfera Station. The body was found in a hole ab the Mournangah Swamp with no marks of violence on the body, which was bhab of a fully developed child. Dr. Semple deposed bhab he accompanied Piggott to Harris' camp and held a postmoriem, which showed the child had lived bo be a fully matured child. Harris stated bo the doctor that the child was born alive and breathed, bhab his wife was too weak bo nurse ib, and he was obliged bo suffocate ib, otherwise his wife would have died. He furbher said bhab ho rolled the boy in a bed bick and so smothered the child, as his wife told him to do. Tho child was born on Tuesday morning at 6 o'clock. The doctor further deposed that he examined Harris' wife, who had an abundant supply of milk. Mackenzie deposed that Harris was kangarooing on thcKiltera run. He heard Harris state bhab he killed bhe child. Thomas Harris made bhe fallowing sbatcmenb :— " I am a rabbi Lor living on bhe Kilbera run. The child was born on Mournangah Swamp on Tuesday, July 10. We were coming into Ivanhoo ab bhe bime. The child was crying day and night for two days. I suffocated the child. My wife bold mo ib could nob live. She had no milk. The child annoyed me and my wife very much. Wo could nob sleep and I smothered it to put it out of pain." Harris volunteered a further stabemenb bo show bhat he was not bo blame, as he had either to lose his wife or child. The jury returned a verdicb of wilful murder againsb Thomas Harris, who was then commitbed to take his trial on bhab charge ab the Hay Circuib Court on October 4bh next.