A MOTHER DROWNS HER BABY AND COMMITS SUICIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6566, 2 December 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

A MOTHER DROWNS HER BABY AND COMMITS SUICIDE.

Tiik Home papers report a sad and shocking occurrence which took place at Tottenham. 11l Cambria Villa there lived Mr. and Mrs. Clarke and their four children. Clarke is a packing-case maker, carrying on business in London ; the woman was ."5 years of age, the eldest child, a girl, is fivo years old, and the youngest a baby about three months old. Husband and wife lived on most affectionate terms, but a marked change had been noticed in the woman, who seemed to lie considerably depressed. She told a neighbour that her husband had sustained a serious loss by the death of a valuable horse, which had had to bo killed, then she spoke of the fraotiousneas of her youngest child, which was nearly | always crying ; and she displayed annoyance-1 at notice to have thn 'baby vaccinated forthwith. The latter, it is said. | '-.or very much. Her mother visited | her ami was alarmed at the alteration which I was apparent in her daughter's, general con- ! duct as compared with what it had previously been. She promised to see her again, but. I her father went int-K-ad. About half past 1"2 \ he went into the garden, and on returning to j the kitchen heard a strange ;;oise in the front ' bedroom above and some of the children ' screaming. He ran upstairs and fouii'l the i door of the room from which the sounds pro- I eeeded locked. Unable to obtain admission, | he hurried into the street, and two policemen were called to the spot. The eldest child was seen at the window, and L'olice-eonstalilf ; Sutherland, :1,-117, requested her to tell her; mother to come downstairs. She replied that ' her mother wa3 in the water. The oliicers, ! accompanied by the woman's father, at once j went into the house, and forced an entrance into the- bedroom, where they found her and I the baby in .1 cistern creeled under the floor j of the room. They were taken out immediately, ll\e infant bring quite dead. The woman, however, seemed to be still alive, and while a medical man was being summoned, attempts were made to restore her. Dr. Wbit-ton soon arrived, hat the woman was dead. The cistern, which only contained ivst.ii- to the depth of 11.', inches, was constructed between the Hoor "joists, ami was protected by a t,hiftin<; lid. This had been removed, and it is known that the woman plaei'd the baby in first, and then followed herself, lying with her face downwards Tnis was witnessed by the otlter children, .-ir.rl it was thought that the mother i-itendc- 1 to drown tin in all. The eldest child state that her mother attempted to force her and one of the others into the tank, but the\ resisted and screamed, which caused her tl desiat, and she then hurried the baby into tl.o opening in the floor, and w.-ut in after it hhertly before the occurrence the deceased woman gave a neighbour her purse, with .1 request that itshould be given to her husban when he came home, and to no one else. The purse was found to contain a weddinp-rinfc ami keeper, two half-sovereigns, and s\bo "" 9s. in silver.