CRIPPLE BOY'S DEATH

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 436, 19 February 1909, Page 5

CRIPPLE BOY'S DEATH

XMIDNIGHT CRIME. : A MOTHER CHARGED WITH MURDER, v v'/ THE JURY;DISAGREE.' ■■- ;.'/;■■'! (nr TEMOHAni—i'hess association—cqprnioni.) ,'(Hec/. February; 18,' 10.50'p.mi) /'.;.,;;.. ;. London, February 18. , . '■■ The jury disagreed in the trial of -Mrs.' Haskell at Devizes for. the alleged murder of the oripple boy Teddy on October; 31., - A MIDNIGHT HUE AND CRY.' "/.;, The "Daily News" of November 1 stated: ' A mysterious murder was committed at Salisbury, the victim being a crippled lad, named Edwin Haskell,'. aged twelve years, who; was found dead in his bed with a deep gash in his throat The boy, who lived with his mother, a widow, at : Meadow. Koad, Fiskertpn, ,Salis- : -bury, among the artisan oiass and railway workers, : went to bed at ten o'clock,' and.was left, alono in the house for about a quarter of, an hour while his mother;, went' out to purchase ; provisions. ■ A-', lad. named Percy Noble, a cousin.of the victim, called at.the.house at half-past ten, and had just entered. the' back' door Avken he heard his aunt cry out; "Stop that man; he has murdered my Teddy." The woman .then rushed into the road and raised ah ."alarm..There was. a hue, and cry in the streets,; "but in the neighbourhood, .with its ■short.l.terraces, and many, corners,- it was..'an easy matter, for a man to escape pursuers on a dark night. .'There is some suggestion that the murderer was bent upon a robbery of-a particularly mean s ', character; The crippled boy had for some years been saving up all his odd ponce to purchase a cork leg to take the place" of the limb he lost some, years ago. The neighbours, '■] out of; their.; small earnings, 'had been extremely'generous'to the boy, and he had saved about .£B,'.which ho kept in a box in a bedroom. -Mrs.-Haskell states that £i of theboy's savings is missing. She says that directly after-her nephew nocked at the door Reheard a noise, in hor' ; son's .bedroom and saw a man come downstairs .and, escape .by tho street door, throwing /down, a blood-stained knife ,as he ran. ' Apparently tho boy was killed- while sleeping: peacefully., -Tho. city police immediately took steps to form a' cordon round the city and district in order that no -one might leave without being, seen.- .Mr: Frank Riohardspn, the chief constable; telephoned to all the neighbouring" towns, ■: posted men at the exits fro'mtlie city, arid hadthe country roads searched by officers on cycles.' The indignation of the residents of Fishertoh, the district in which the crime' was:,committed, 'was very great, : and. bands of men with lanterns set out to ■ search the-downs",and.farm lands.round the city. .The unfortunate, boy victim was,quite a local character; ,- Although,'he;had: only one leg' he .was ' very active, and actually. kept, goal'-, for' one .of, the minor; Salisbury football teams. .; ," '