The Winton Child Murders.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXVII, Issue 1374, 27 August 1895, Page 3

The Winton Child Murders.

MINNIE DEAN'S LAST STATEMENT. Wellington', August 20. The statement left by Minnie Dean and forwarded to the Government occupied 57 closely-writ ten pages of foolscap. It is ungrammatical, and contains many faults of spelling. Portion of it is of a gwasi-religious character, and the writer then goes on to detail her movements by rail The whole point of her argument is that she always gave children laudanum when travelling, as crying infants were much annoyance. She gave the child several doses at various times, bub merely for the purpose of keeping ic

quiet; and when the child died she was frightened, buried it, and invented the story about planting bulb 3 to avert suspicion. She says:—"l know I was tbe cause of child Carter's death, that I had given her an over dose ot laudanum, but with no intention of causing death, and God knows I have been punished for my negligence. But a hair of baby Hornsby's head I never injured. The baby was not 10 minutes alive in my care altogether." Further on she saysj:%' f The drug was given to cause sleep, not death." The rest of the statement is devoted to minute details of various children committed to her care, some of them several years a*o, who are aiive now! There is frequent reference to names and initials. It would be impossible to follow her in these details under several columns. Mrs Dean desired the statement to be published, and the proceeds given to her husband after deducting £5 for Mrs Taylor, a widow.