CALLOUS BABY-FARMING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 11

CALLOUS BABY-FARMING.

DEAN CASE RECALLED. THE SOUTHLAND MURDERS. - „ Few cases have aroused so much interest in New Zealand as that which will be known as the "Cooper case," but it has called to memory the now historic "Dean case," which aroused a thrill of horror in New Zealand in the middle of the last decade of the last century. Minnie Dean was the last woman to be hanged in the Dominion, and her offences were such that the most callous were shocked, and it was felt that the reputation of New Zealand was besmirched. Fortunately, however, cases such as this are few and far between, and it may not be inopportune to recall the circumstances that led to the arrest of this murderer of infants. A "Sun" reporter was in conservation with one of the principal witnesses in this case at Christchurch, and was told an interesting story concerning it. .Mrs. Dean resided at "The Larches," a cottage about one mile north of Winton, Southland, with her husband, who was a general labourer and who was not much at home. Mrs. Dean made a practice of answering advertisements in the newspapers asking people to take up the care of infants, and in that connection came in contact with many who wished to be free of the care of chilv dren for a time. She carried on the occupation of "professional nurse" for a long time, although a year before her arrest the police of Southland were j suspicious, ami at different times questioned the witness interviewed as to her movements. Detective Maddern evinced a special interest in her, and a dozen times made inquiries from the different railway guards in the Southland section, among whom was the witness interviewed by the "Sun" reporter. In reply to questions by Detective Maddern the guard in question once replied: "I've seen her going to and from Winton with and without babies." \ Among the household of Mrs. Dean was a Miss Cameron, aged about 20, and a girl of 12 or 13, Esther AVallace, to whom the "baby-farmer" would explain that she was taking back an infant to its V.parents, when she left her home with a child, but the child never reached its true home. She would return nt niglit with another, the dead body of the other infant being in a tin hat-box and it was eventually buried in the garden attached to the house. The victims were killed with laudanum. WELL-READ WOMAN. Mrs. Dean was a well-educated woman, always well dressed and reserved, though amiable when in the company of friends. She was also wellread, and an examination of her house after her arrest showed that her bookI shelves -were well filled with volumes j by the best authors, a point that was commented upon by Mr. .T. W. Poynton. who conducted the coronial inquiry and was on the Bench when she was first tried for murder. The arrest of this notorious murderess was brought about by a chance remark by the person interviewed. TTe was the guard on the train from Tnvercargill to Lumsden in the evening and in the morninc Mrs. Dean had travelled from Lady Bnrklev (near Winton) to Dipton. about half wav to Lumsden. She then had a baby wUh hn? and remained at Aylinp's" Hotel during the day. Mrs. Dean with a baby joined the evening train at Dipton. having with her a tin hatbox and a nig. The guard remarked. "Your baby is very cross. Mrs. Dean. -, "Yes." replied Mrs. Dean, "I've been trying to keep her quiet, but T don't know "what is the matter." Those remarks impressed themselves on the mind of the railway official and later had an important bearing on the subsequent arrest. THE BABY MISSED. The guard had no occasion to go through the train again and did not see Mrs. Dean alight at Lumsden, but at that station, the terminus, Mrs. Dean did not have a baby with her so far as could be seen. A lad, Jimmy Aitken, carried a tin hpx for the woman to Crosbie's Railway Hotel and William Crosbie carried it over to the train next morning, when the guard of tlie previous evening was on the platform, though not on duty. As a matter of courtesy he offered to assist Mrs. Dean with her tin box, but the woman made a quick rusn for it, and it was then that the railway- ' 1 man noticed that his passenger of the previous evening did not have an infant with her. The train steamed away on its way to Gore, and, as people in the country do, those on the platform commenced to talk of the topics of the day. They drifted away gradually until only Constable McKenr.ie and the guard were left. "Funny thing that Mrs. Dean came up with mc last night and she had a baby," remarked the guard, "and I see that she has gone away without one." "Are you sure it was Mrs. Dean?" | asked the constable, his curiousity 1 aroused immediately. "Oh yes, I've known her a long time," replied the railwayman. Constable MeKenzie then got in touch with headquarters, which were in Dunedin, and the net was cast. The wires were worked hard, all stations along tlic line from Dunedin to the south being warned to keep Mrs. Dean under 6b- • eervation. She travelled to Gore by the 1 , slow train from Lunsden and there 1 caught the express for the north. At the station where the express crossed the Slow train from Dunedin Mrs. Dean exchanged trains and also picked up anr other child which was supposed to come I from the Christchureh district. She went as far as Clinton that nisht and caught the early train as far as Mataura next morning, where she waited for the express to Invercargill. She waited for j a few hours at Cameron's Hotel, where 1 at one time she remarked to a gardener employed by Mr. Cameron, and who was carrying the tin hat-box: "Mind that box, it contains prize bulbs." She then went on to Invercargill and later in the afternoon to Winton. • ARRESTED AT HOME. Mrs. Dean was arrested next morning and it could be seen that a part of her garden had been freshly dug. A search I disclosed the bodies of two infants quite ! recently buried, one being identified as that of Dorothy Edith ■ Carter whom sue had taken to Lumsden two nights before. In respect of this one she was later charged with murder, found guilty and ; hanged at Invercargill. Later about 20 bodies were unearthed. Her husband. Charles Dean, was also arrested and charged with murder, but was acquitted in the lower court, it being shown that he was infrequently at home, and although he knew that his wife too£ babies, he was not aware of their fate. Mr. J. W. Poynton was on the Bench in the lower court trial and Mr. A. C. Hanlon appeared for the accused. The lower court trial occupied about a week,

the court being crowded daily. Mrs. Dean was committed for trial, and Mx. Justice Williams heard the case. A plea of not guilty was entered and in defence of the accused Mr. Hanlon made an impassioned appeal for mercy although the evidence was damning in the extreme. Over 20 witnesses were called by the Crown Prosecutor, Mr. T. M. Macdonald, including five railway guards, those who had carried the tin box of Mrs. Dean and the two girls who had lived at "the Larches."