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    I* [ I i, 8 fEft* VUtibtt* Saturday,

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    MISCELLANEOUS. rn ^ -n • .,. 4 , 4l * . ...

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    ' Fatal Cruelty: The Bidkford Case. £ An...

    1 _pirl , by continued cruelty , starvation , and blows . Bird t . _tid taken little Parsons from the Bideford Workhouse , " _es a drudge to assist his wife , who kept no servant : _¦> when , on the 29 th of September , she was taken from the house , she bore the character of a particularly good child , very cleanly , cheerful , obedient , and industrious ; ? nnd she was in good health , sound in body , and had f sufficient plain clothing . She seems to have suited her V T > lace at first ; for more than once before last Christmas Mr . and Mrs . Bird had praised her , in answer to inquiries . But about Christmas some change had occurred ; the child was spoken of as thieving and lying , and seems to ; _liave be , en often cruelly beaten : on the 4 th of January Mr . Bird conveyed the news to Bideford thatshe was dead , Grace Parsons , her mother , immediately went to Mr . Bird ' s lone farm to see the truth of this sudden and sad : news . Mrs . Bird received her with studied pains to con- ! ciliatc her good opinion , saying— " I am very glad you are come , Grace . I thought you would come . I have _^ ot the kettle boiling ; I thought you would be glad of Home tea . " Grace found her child dead on its bed filthily dirty , with her petticoat on , and a handkerchief tied round her arm . Mrs . Bird said that the Sunday before something was running from her arm ; " a place broke and discharged a good deal . " She told the story of her death . She was •« bad " the night before , and called out ior some water ; and Mrs . Bird told her to fetch it , and _hhe did fetch it , and went back to bed . Mrs . Bird went to her bedsi : e , and found her legs cold ; she put a warm i water-bottle to them , and another bottle between her 1 ; iims _, which were also cold In the night Mr . Bird said , " All is very quiet ; " and she said , " Go and see if Mary is dead . " He went to her room returned , and said , "I don ' t know whether she is dead or no , sne looks very , j smiling . " She then went to her room . She saw she had ii not moved , and the jar was in the same place between f { her arms . She then said she spoke to an old nun who 5 was Rleepinjr in the room , and said to him . "I think Molly ' s dead , she s so quiet " He said , I think she is 1 have spoken to her several times , butshechd not answer . " G race continued :- « Mrs . Bird persuaded me not to have a jury on the child , and said if I would not , she would be a friend to me as long as I lived , so long as she had a penny I should have a part . ' I said I could not give it up . I was sitting before the fire when Mrs . Bird came and fell down on her knees and said- ' My dear Grace , will you forgive me ? think of me and my poor children . ' I said I can ' t give it up . How can I ? Mr . Bird then spoke up and ** said , ' What ' s the good of having a jury on the child now ? look at the expense of it . ' I said , ' Never mind the expense , it won ' t fall on y . m or me . ' " i bod

    Mary Branch , a blacksmith ' s , y , She said , " I observed from the ankle to the thigh the child was cut very bad , big and small , and covered with blood . She had the mark of a violent blow on the hip . 1 took oil'some plasters from the left hip . I also ob- served marks of violence upward .. After examining the } body , I _wc-nt down stairs . Mrs . Bird was in the kitchen , ! J said , ' Mrs . Bird , how could you serve the child scf- . she is served very oad . ' She took me into her bed-room , / u ,, d said she would be a friend to me as long as she lived : / if I would persevere with the mother of the child and Vcrsuado her not to say auythint ; about it . 1 said , Why did you not send for the doctor ? ' She said she ,...,, f _^ u _u v f or nnt , ] _nin « r so T _s-iitl « T think vnn w « ' » m _laulty 101 not ( imng so . _luii _, 1 trjiiiK you was . She then said , « Will you do what I am _goinq to ask you ? 1 _* vill ho n _friotwl tn _vnn _TVTirv _n _< lnn < r n _« vnn _livo fnr 1 will bo a lrieml to you , Mai } , as lon < r as you ive _, lor fc _& ' one word of yours will _^ o a great ways . ' I said ' I could K uot mv _ronscionce would not allow me to do so ' She _iBk 1 JO . t ' m ? RO 118 cu t n ( ; e wouiu not auow me to an so . one ¦ _Kfe _^ s haul , 'I know I have been faulty . I have flogged her _^ B _^ _fWiferent and different times ' I then came out of the W _^^ ( . uitrent ana auicrenc . umcs . 1 tnen came out 01 tne _^^ room , and went down stairs . Mrs . Bird said that Molly w ridcilled down stairs for _something to drink 10 hrr f .. ui c _. uiea down siaub ior sometning to aruiK 1 . 0 ncr little boy , that she had called to her , ' Come down your- solf- dovou want a servant to tend vnu '" That the _soi _, uo you Miu a senanc 10 tenu _jou . xnat _tne child came down as well as she could , and that she rambled and foil She took her bv the arm but she 1 at- t 1 . \ * I uy l , - ai T 1 1 -It Haul , ' Missus , I'll try to get up by myself ; I look as if I Misdinnk lint T _lip-ini- 1 > p T ' ' Tons -i mason _s-d that in November he hoard Mrs lopas amason , saia uiat in _XNovemoer no noara i > irs . r _. _irdbi-at the child insido a door near which he stood , . •¦ ud immediately afterwards saw thc girl with blood on her face ir -i 1 1 _, i _i 1 r / _-11 l j Morwh _, a shoemaker , the day before Christmas-day , Paw Mrs . l . ird send the child with a menace into an out- luiuso ; as the child turned he saw blood running down frinn hpr _lu-iil Elon . HM- a labourer _iust after Christmavdav saw Mrs IHrdE with j . Jliu _uciii . 1 111 . _( iiini » iiii _> i iiil / ii 1 MHK . rtlJI _aull IL _tl _nllll liiiots- und with a fur _/ p-siun- tho child scoined vcrv ill Minis , inn _wiui iiu / . ( m I ) _inecnud seemed very 111 , _iiii miitio ( ll'OI ) S of 1 ) oo ( foil frinn linr _ii > _j 1 . in _ivnllfnrl It xt 1 V- _? ,. _, _•¦ _, Mrs . Norman , daughter of tho _gaol-keeper at Buie- f . in , ifiiinl the prisoners _convorse when thev were _brought to prison / Mrs . Bird ,,, 1 , 1 her husband ' he wa « _^' _n-HfUMl _' m , _' 1 _^ 1 . f : v pV > h " : ! l , " l K _» _Mv' _^ _lorj _' onl 1 _S _oiic iiiK a up ii < i i ) f s , _. iiki s . _iui , _rtly gnod _Jjord Jesus Christ , hoar my prayers th » once and answer them , .. ml l . ring me through this trial , and I'll never do tlie like a _^ air .. and walk us upright , s un . _^ els in he : m n . » Thoy H _. _nt fur their undo , Mr . _Cour _. is ; he ea . ne and told the _. u he HhouM never see them a « ai ,,, as it was tho kink _llohfrtgiivi _' h . _'r on _Christiiiiis-ilay that killed the < _: hiM . U . iasigu Iron . Mr . Hir . l tn be more _guiinlrd , the ohl ,,,: m _louUed _ruuud , saw Mrs . _Novu . an , _nnU s , i _, l i , _» mi _, ro . Thry _spnt him away , s . iyin . r he would do then , move harm than _jjon , ! ; n .., l Mrs . llir _. l told him to burn two letters ho would find in her box . Mr . Turnpr , a surgeon , of Hi _. loford , described tho _yost-nwrtrm appearance of tho _liody on Saturdny , the _, >! h of Jiinu . _'iry , the day after Mary Ann was said to h . ivo died : — " On tho legs and _thighs 1 suw _m-v ( ral wounds , _vatying in extent , nnd evidently iuilicted by _Minif irregular _tirnnuh _weiipon . It _stnieiv me to ) i : ; v _" e been by a birch . There 1 was h bruise on the { 'best . The face was diseolurrd , ; md tho forehead , and some ab .-ecsses on the arms anil fingers . The skin over the _buwcla was

    ' Fatal Cruelty: The Bidkford Case. £ An...

    discoloured . On the left arm there was an abscess , and the skin immediately round it discoloured , as if it had been bruised some time , perhaps a fortnight . The abscess had burst below the elbow . There was another abscess just forming . The nails of the little and fore-finger were gone , apparently some time . The two middle-finger nails were also gone , apparently more recently , and in one the bone protruded . On the rig ht arm there was also an abscess that had also burst . The body was then turned . On the right hip there was a large slough . On the pos- terior part of the hips were several wounds , apparently inflicted some time . They were covered with plaster , and appeared to be old sores . Between the shoulders were two trivial bruises . The outer layer of the skin of the back had separated from the inner . I thought it was the result of the serous part of the blood having poured out between the skin after death . The child appeared to have been dead some days . The weather was extremely cold at that time . That would have retarded the symp- toms of decomposition . There was also a mark on the face , from the temple down to the cheek . I made a post-mortem examination . On removing the scalp 1 found another bruise on the back part of the head , with . considerable extravasation of blood diffused between the scalp and the skull . On removing the skull I found the membranes of the brain extremely congested . The skull was perfectly sound . On removing the brain 1 found at the base of the bram extravasation of blood . I examined the chest ; the contents were perfectly healthy , with the exception of a slight adhesion of the right lung to the side The stomach was perfectly empty , and bowels healthy . I found the cause of death m the head . In my judgment death was the result of the external in- juries . Icould not form a judgment how that violence had been inflicted The condition of the girl must have been extremely reduced before death , and the powers of life weakened . 1 he injuries I observed would have pro- duced an effect on the nervous system , which is con- neeted with the brain _, On cross-examination , he stated that , though what he saw inside the head might have been produced by natural causes , he did not think the injuries he saw in the head were produced by falls . A person with incipient congestion would shun the light . The fingers had been frost-bitten probably : frost-bites would indicate languid circulation , which would tend to congestion under any circumstances . " The appearances I observed of decom- position indicated that that must have taken place some days before I saw the body . Those symptoms could not have appeared in thirty hours after death . " In the defence of the prisoners , Mr . Slade contended that there was no evidence of malice prepense ; nor any evidence whether the injury to the head was caused by a fall or a blow ; nor any evidence who gave the blow , sup- posing there had been one . The jury could not convict in the absence of testimony , and upon mere guess-work . Mr . Justice Talfourd said that according to the evidence the death was caused by a blow , but there was no evidence by whom that blow was inflicted . There wag nothing to show that the child would not have lived , except fur that blow at the back of the head , which pro- duced the effusion at the base of the brain . If the j _' ury doubted whirh inflicted the blow , they must acquit both . Mr _Rnwn _^ nn _rnn _^ _ndnrl tint tli P nri < m _nPrS _^ ill _mwhf be _co _'S _^ d of an _^ _assiuk -but the P Vud _" e held th _? g to , convicted ot an assault , but tlie judge Held that to bear out that the assauin mU 3 t have arisen out of the blnw whiP i , was illo < rpd to hp the _oaiiRP of thP _dp-ith , v w /> wa ? , al _, ' e o ca co De tne cause ot tne ae < itii . Mr . Itowe said the prosecutors had but done their duty _; n _livine _thn _pisp hpfnrp thP iurv -mil thov _wcro nirtP Uymg ttie case beiore ttie _jur > , ana they were qutte ready to leuve the matter In hKS lordship ' s hands . _* , \ r _Tnstiop _T-ilfonrrl s _^ d th *> _m « i _» _wn _« s nn P nf mn _« t Justice l . iiiuura saia tne case _% _vas one 01 most serious an ( i paiafnl interest , and ho was desirous that it 8 hould have _m-occeded to its _Witimatr _terminition 01 1 V pioceeuea to its legitimate termination , Shortly after the girl was good , honest , and well , some e oiir r ui rh an < rn r _^ mn nvnr _thp _trnminfion sj _» p _™ r _*« _«*>*»« ftd rtul _F' _^ 11 _^ 0 came over ttie transaction fane was seen to rccelve chastisement of which he did not approve , but which taken sin _« lv bv itself _inisrht have evcitpd ° . uc WIUCI 1 » iaKC _" SI " » y ° / _uscii , mignt nave excited llttl ° regard . She then lost her health , and is found dead 011 the 4 th of Januarv In ordpr fcn main . ,. January . in Older to main- _* am an l indlctl " ent for murder or manslaughter , lt must be ma j 0 out that the unlawful act was thc cause of t j ic death The medical gentleman had stated tho rausn of dpii . li to _h-Lvo i , m . n •) nrp « nn » nf stated tne cause 01 death to nayc been « i prcssuic ot blood upon the brain , and they asked how he accounted fur tha » consestion ? ne s _£ d he attributed it to the injnry upon the back of thehead _, producedeitherbyablow or a fa ii Now thev had arrived at this that whatever _«> r a iam . inow , tney nau arrived at _tnia _, tnat _>\ naie _\ ei _'""" _^ Re this poor child mi K ht have received , there was " 1 - pi ; Oof ° f _^ V" ca " 8 , r ° f le , _° _- \ - _H " _nart . _oeenfrom . 1 _Ifi / il _; , ir ¦• liliiw 1111 _infnri \\ v _fiithor r \ f th «» nnannnre > in 1 _\ i . ! oiow lnuictcu oy tuner or tne prisoners , no doubt that would have been murder or manslaughter , ¦• . . 1 1 . ¦ 1 _according to tho particular circumstances ot the case , The diflieulty th _.-y wore in was _thus-there was no proof of who it was that " _-ave that blow It was verv true they might suspect _ifwas Riven _oy one or othe _? of tile _V ' _^ T ' _^ _'Vli _^ lxh _*™? l ° ' a 11 _» ' _7 ° r _^ ho _™ M » ot f direct them that there was evidence to fix it upon one of those parties more than thc other . If tho death had boon ( _. _coasionod by privation , or want of food then tho male prisonrr _nloi _fe 1 would lave been ros ons b o it t ha I i _' _. een proved to have been _occasioned' by a success on injuries , which they might infer from the slat ,-of the budv , then there would have _bcu-n a case to go to ihem if I he " _lU-.-nh had been _occasioned by an _aceumul _. ticm of wrongs n » , \ _injuri _,.. It seem , d t _. / him that the c . i h " , f _., i | tMl " and , therefore , much to his regret , ho was bound i to teli _Hu-m that thJre was no case " upon whichi they « ouM safely convict , anl consequently tho prisoners | mu > t bo acquitted . ! Tho jury nocurdingly returned a verdict of "Not Guilty . " Cries of remonstrance and indignation arose from the audience . Mr . Slade stated to the judge that ! he should not apply for the- present discharge _" of the ! inisomrs ; it would be safer that they should return to prison at _presiiit . The prison , rs wore , therefore , t . _tkeu of to prison tncsi'anc the unycr , and perhaps , the vengeance , of thc mob , j

    ' Fatal Cruelty: The Bidkford Case. £ An...

    j STRANGE DEFAMATION CASE . j _^ n action was brought at Liverpool , by Dr . Nolan , thi minister of a Dissenting chapel in Manchester , agains one Pettigrew , to recover damages for gross defamatior of character . The defendant Pettigrew had accused th < doctor , who is a married man , of improper intimacy wit ! some female members of his congregation , and with th « Btm graver offence of administering drugs in order t ( _ , event the obvious consequences . From the evidence ii appeared that the plaintiff was in 1838 appointed ministei of Ducie Chapel , Manchester , but , having given greai satisfaction , a larger chapel was built for him in 1840 , j n the same year he was married . Disagreement ? seemed to have existed very early between the plaintif and nis congregation , and in 1848 rumours of impropr _- iety were aaoat . In 1848 Dr . Nolan quitted his chapel , lQ remove to tne south of England , and on parting rece _£ ved a testimonial from his congregation . In June last year he wag requested to return ; and then the _charges were brought forward , which gave rise to the act j on for defamation . Three witnesses were called by t j ie plaintiff , one to prove utterance of the slander , the otner tvvo being the young woman whose name was connecte ( j w _j th _hjg _j n tne charge of adultery and her motner __ Mary p Ostlethwaite stated that she is twentyfour rs of _wag and ig a member of Dr . Nolan ' s conoTeEation ; has been married four years : she was mar ° _£ e 2 by Dr Nolan Was a milliner up to the time of her m _£ rri ' Dr * Nolan never used any improper freedom with h ° er > The charge was withont the slightest foundation # On cross-examination she stated that she wag - n the nabifc of . tQ Dr Nolan ' s house , sent by hef moth - who h | d p _& ubHshed poems , for which Dr . Nolan wrQte noteg On most occasions Mrs . Nolan was nQt there She stayed sometimes not more than ten minute 8 Was a teacher , which took her a great deal th ch rf Had been ' at the vest frequently with the doctor P when n 0 one elge was th / re > \ ei _Jh ' } ects _xvere various . Never went about any religious exercise . This continued un to the time nf hpr _marriage There i _^ _^ er a _^ i m _' _puL _^ n _uponher con _d uct . _^ _CatSrK Gor the r mo _& er stated P that she had never heard imniitation _ae-ain «? t hpr _dauo-htpr till last week an _Jt T noTs the " called _t _^ fnesis for the defence 33 , _^^ _^ , _** _^^ winder and _unmarried thiJtv : _^ e _" ° a _™ * ° _J _'" le _^ _fa : _^*" x _^^™ Nli _? nt £ i _vearfaJo whfn _' _lTe nr _^ a _^ ed _^^ Xt * r * _JJ ° » _™ \ he J ? r _£ a Q c [ i ! r * _I „ _t- _* _£ _JfSw £ rh _*™ l ? _, ' _'S J _^ T _^ _f _£ _' 1 " ? g _! _t _WnSti ; ? a ' f _Sh _^ _^ T I _JEU _h ? _^ _L _? n ? n v ? _£ J and ; JJ _£ _" had , _^ J _^ _uJlT _. _ll _XjLi ? In h « l ° _unS women . . of the schools and of the chapel to his _£ ome ' - _* ome _' in ; . es tWO _? _£ > sometimes alone . His _^ _H- _" _™ T _t * home , sometimes not One _VV _? n * _' _£ a * * _P" _^ th _^ school-room , he had taken her lntO v th , e f > e ? t _?\ _, She f _^ m _^ _J 1 ° _, ecau f e th _, er S _? r ! n at \ r el _fo be very per ua _^ ve _" _ta S _? " urnne _^ _metlvetJd a _^ oBt l _^ t _^ Ae went into the _vStrv On one _ocltte _^ he onW man who had been _temSed and that she should _^ _oVeTD _^ d and UHih _' , P wife _ind how Christ had commended the woman taken n adut _^ erv At Ion ' th he _^™? eded in _oJeYeoSni he ? _scrupuS on tne ocf usion succeeaeu in overcoming ner scruples , on one _occasion onl _^ aboiit 1 8 IX ye * rs smce ' He said , he . _? ould P _^ vent any harmful results . He never proceeded to such extremities afrain but was verv free in his conduct and called •» II r . » _«?• _» very iree in nis conaucc , ana _cdiiea it " fun . " Sne became ill , and Dr . Nolan sent his own doctor to her She has been in ill health ever since uoccor co ner . one nas oeen in 11 neaitn ever since . On her cross-examination she said thatshe had been sin _^ _in" - and _craving before that time when he conouered ° in _» in o anu Pr <* ying oeiore _xnat time wnen ne conquerea her scruples . It was against her consent . She resisted ; but did riot call out because he said he would not harm uuc _"'" "O _1 cau one _oecause ne said ne wouia noc narm her . Plaintiff repeated his improper behaviour about twentv times She continued to so with him into the vestrv u y u , Si one contmueatogo witamm into me \ estry because others told her they did the same , and because he threatened to rlestrov her character Uir T ealeT \ ea ± P ' _^ str oy nei- cnaracter . Joseph Bottomley , the chapel-keeper , deposed to hivinc-looked in at the vestrv window one Sundav after _"aving JooKea in at ine _vestry window one _ounaay alter divine service , and to having th _» m witnessed the reverend gentleman's perfectly unreserved conduct with Mary _Gilohrist The window was _niintorl hut he had looked _^ llc'm , 8 C - . ± nc W 1 II _°° , W was P aintia > Dut ne uaa looKea through a large scratch _, The trial was proceeding when the latest report left . . ———

    I* [ I I, 8 Feft* Vutibtt* Saturday,

    I* [ I 8 _fEft _* _VUtibtt * Saturday ,

    Miscellaneous. Rn ^ -N • .,. 4 , 4l * . ...

    MISCELLANEOUS . rn _^ -n .,. 4 , 4 l * . ., _^ he Queen , Prince Albert , and the rest of the Roval Family , left Buckingham Palace for Windsor on Monday . The Queen has continued to take exercise in ¦ _J ¦ , ,... . 11 . , tlie grounL _j a adjoining the castle during the week . _On _Mnndw mil T . _iosrl-w th _*» rnvil _nh-triHn * wpvp VJll _J- _'AOilUay dllU X UCSClcVy lllc rO > ell Cn _< iritlCS _WC 1 Q distributed to _unwards of 800 nersons who received a _crowli each Or ? M _^ und cr < mn _^ _'J ; Utl Maunrtay Inursday the royal charities _^" be " f _^ _nd women _^^ _^ men ' _™ _^ _MaZmohmV _^ Zv ' _s * , the London residence of the _rinnm- n ,, _™ .,,,.,. w ; _n _. Kn tl » i , n _,, _iM ., ¦ _.,, t » ti ,, > / i . «!» .. liir _$ "S C P « _Sn _^ V , J lor M _^^ _Jsfv ' s _^^ , . P _. Ln \ iti v _? . T _p i r i * a- _> M ; V _, e ! ty _" _lep . esentativos . 1 ho J . c' »! " » _dcf _" l lll _« efi _^ s wllL be removed in the course of _S'r _^ _wS _^ _XEZi _^ _ni n ? _fST _' u _^\ _J _, H i th t _nmiSi . oaer _, of her M _. _jcty s t _, ' , £ " ° . l ° _, 77 ; ' , 1 _\^_ ri _inno , i v •„ rrn . lh ? Mll 1 u _^ of Bristol has placed his Komp-town _™?&* Z r , „ l f ° _^^ N _. _llulLd'ZV ? , ? l ' _! ' h « " , f « lth . T ll ' e _£ _"" "' ttlM d ° NcMiilly at d the _H ike and _Dudioss i _"}**? T _™ \ * ' _" _^ C _*^ Ct * d at _m _^™ _* _^ the Im Mr . _Pemberton , who has been for mnny years attached to the Treasury , has retired _iroin thc public service ; and the other office held by that gentleman , as agent for the Russian Dutch Loan , has been abolished _, The Marquis of Clfinricarde , tho Postmaster-Gcnrral , hns gone to Paris to _negotiate a modification of the rates postage upon letters passing between Great Britain and France , with a view to tho diminution of the present charges .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 30, 1850, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/ldr_30031850/page/8/