Infanticide

Jane Reeves, a young woman, 21 years of age, cook in the service of Messrs. Jones and Chatfield, linen-drapers, No 3, City-road, was charged with having wilfully murdered her infant, one of whose arms had been found in a dust-hole at the residence of her employers in the City-road.

The head, which had likewise been cut off and the body were found in a ditch in the New North Road, Hoxton. There were various bruises on the head and body, which appeared to have been inflicted by knocking the infant against some hard substance.

Alfred William Wise, a serving-boy at the Blockmaker's Arms, Ashley-crescent, stated that about 1 o'clock in the afternoon of the 24th of January he was crossing the Shepherdess-fields with beer, and, opposite to the Bricklayer's Arms, in the New North-road, he saw two boys looking into the ditch, and one of them said, “ here is a child with his head off.” Witness saw the head, and at a little distance the body, wrapped up in a weekly newspaper. The left arm had also been cut off. Witness described certain appearances about the body, from which it was evident that the mother had not had medical attendance at the birth of the child. The neck was jagged, as if the head had been severed by a rough instrument. The body did not appear to have been long in the water; it was wrapped in the half of the Weekly Dispatch, dated July the 8th, 1838. It had no other covering on the body.

He saw no suspicious persons about the spot at the time; but on the previous evening as he was going in the same direction with his beer, he observed a woman near the ditch, with a basket in one hand, and a blue bundle in the other. She wore a brown cloak and white bonnet, and had the appearance of a servant. He heard her sigh heavily, and feared she was going to drown herself.

On seeing him she retraced her steps and passed him. Her hair hung over her face as if for concealment. He went on, and on his return he looked, but saw no more of her.

Mr. Preedy, of Chapel-street, Pentonville, a surgeon, coming by at the time of the discovery, told him to go in and get the head and body out, but before he could do so one of the boys jumped in, and placed both on the bank.

Mr. Preedy corroborated the testimony of the last witness as to the finding of the head and body. His opinion was that the head had been severed by some sharp instrument. He thought  the child had been born alive, without receiving the requisite attention at the birth, and afterwards killed by dashing it against a wall, and that the head and arm had been cut off after death.

Police inspector Rawlinson, of the G division, found the arm of an infant corresponding precisely with the mutilated trunk, in the dust-hole, at Messrs. Jones and Chatfield's, on the day after the Coroner's Inquest.

The prisoner, who was the cook, at first denied all knowledge of it, but afterwards acknowledged that she had given birth to, and concealed in the dust-hole, a child, which she said was still-born; and being told that the arm had been found there, she declared that the other parts must be there also. The dust, however, was cleared out, and particularly examined, but nothing further was discovered.

Mr. Chatfield, the prisoner's master, said that about a fortnight before the finding of the body, the prisoner was taken ill and obliged to go to bed earlier than usual, but, on the following day, she resumed her household duties. Her mistress had entertained a suspicion that she was enceinte, and taxed her with it, but she positively denied it.

Elizabeth Reeve, a fellow-servant of the prisoner's, stated that, at the time mentioned by their master, she was aware of the illness of the prisoner, who slept with her, and that she had heard a child cry, but she denied all subsequent knowledge of it.

Grove, an officer, in the waiting-room, stated that the prisoner, in reply to some remark of his, had said, that she had a still-born child and put it in the ditch, but did not know the head was off.

The body, when found, was wrapped in part of the Weekly Dispatch newspaper, of July 8, and Mr. Chatfield said that he did take in that paper; but he did not file it, and could not say anything with respect to a paper of that particular date.

The jury acquitted the prisoner of the murder, but found her guilty of endeavouring to conceal the birth of the child.

The prisoner was sentenced to be imprisoned for two years in the House of Correction, with hard labour.