MOTHER'S AWFUL CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10972, 28 January 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

MOTHER'S AWFUL CRIME.

PATHETIC STORY TOLD AT THE : INQUEST. .; •

An inquest was held by the Kingston coroner, a few days ago, on the body of Dorothy Viol»t Dick, aged 2 years and 10 months, daughter of a butler, of 28, Kings Read, Norbiton, who was muidered by ha mother, under pathetic circumstances/ on No ember 29. The mother stands remanded from Kingston Police Court, on the charge of killing the child.

Thomas Dick, the father, said that deceased was his youngest child. His wit? had puerperal fever at the birth of the deceased. She was then taken to Brookwood Asylum, where she was detained for a few months.' She had not shown any suicidal or homicidal tendencies. In May of'thii year she was again sent to the Asylum,.!*cause of her frequent fits of insanity, it the end of September, however, she was let out for a month, and came to Kingston after having gone to Margate. Since then she had frequently stated that she wished lief self dead, and had been rather hasty it times with her children. On the day named she seemed to be in her usual health. Wit-' ness on that day met liei near the gate of Richmond Park. She seemed rather excited, and said to him, " I have murdered baby." He replied, " What have you done that for? Accused answered, "I thought she would bl happier." Witness immediately went back to his house, and found the child lying to the bed in the front room, with its throat cut. A carving knife was lying near tii child's head. When witness asked accused why she did it, she replied, " I came itstairs to make the child's dress, because tit light was better. The baby crawled up after' me, and as she entered the room, I TO! seized with an impulse to kill her.'' Wit, ness, in pathetic tones, said his wife nil » very good mother, and always had been most anxious for the welfare of her children. j

Frank Carpenter, a gardener, workingfe Mr. Norton (the employer of the last witness), of Coombe Warren, said that he nut Mrs. Dick in the town, and when he heard her tell her husband that she had cut the child's throat, he thought her mind WM affected again. Sub-divisional Inspector West proved finding the body of the child on the bed- with its throat cut, and the knife by its head,' Blood was all over the place, but there did not appear to have been any struggle. When the witness told her that she would be arrested and charged with killing til' child she made no reply. ■ , The matron at the police station at Kingston said that whilst prisoner was in her charge she said, " I strangled the child first and then cut her throat with a table knife. . Subsequently prisoner said that if she.had the opportunity she would have thrown herself into the Thames. ■ Dr. A. C. Ovenden, Assistant Divisional Surgeon, said that death was due to.™ wound in the throat, which had divided the arteries from the neck down to t»

spine. „witni The jury returned a verdict of " Wittu murder" against the accused, and asked tie coroner to represent to the Treasury th» some examination should be made as to tM woman's condition.