ST. HELENS SENSATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12698, 29 October 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

ST. HELENS SENSATION

. „„.«, j ARSENIC POUND IN A GIRL'S' BODY :' St. He-ens is greatly excited over the m TS ■• tery of a girl's death ami the developments which have taken place since the body was exhumed by order of the HoMmI Office. The dead girl is* Sarah Ann June? and her adopted parents, Joseph iV A m£! ■ \ ' Burndred, are in custody on the charge 7i ' having murdered her. Jones had. li v < <U i 4 the Burndreds since''August?, 1901. tt $••-'" cember, 1895, she was admitted to the Whig', ton Workhouse, and a month Liter was Seat by the Prefect; Board of Guardians to thU v Fazakerley Homes, where she stayed until August 29, 1901. Very shortly altera she was adopted by the Jiurndreds, who however, ,received a weekly allowance fo * her maintenance from the Guardians. Shi had only been under their care ' four davitwhen prisoners effected an insurance on her ' life, and as recently as February last a second policy was taken cut in anothe,, society. Deceased commenced to be isuiwe'! on July 29,, and died on August 7, he r m cal attendant having been Dr. Bellew SMIPI interment took place at the St. - : Heleti* Cemetery on August 11, after which certain ■' ' information came to the knowledge of tha police, and, inquiries resulting, facts WeS4wS brought .to light; ; sufficiently suspicious te' lead the coroner {Mr. Brighoase) 10 get an '- '< order for exhumation. Dr. Unsworth mimt ducted the post-mortem examination ami forwarded the digestive organs tc' M i Davies, who made an analysis of the' intents. After death the foster-parents "re* ■ ceived from one insurance company £20 lgT and from another £9 12s. , On August 21' Mrs. Burndred attempted; io drown herself in a disused clay pit, and was arrested on A charge of attempted suicide, but her husband was not taken into custody uatulater. presumably after the analyst's certificate ' had been .. received. ;■\ These' were the ' main points of the story kid before the magistrates by Chier Constable Wood.whea'. j the two prisoners were brought before tho " Court on the capital charge.. When charged the male prisoner said: "I have nothing to - say I la'ofr, nothing," the female prisoner remarking, m answer to a similar question "It is .not, %rect." Mr. .Edward Herbert Davies, analytical chemist, Liverpool, stated that in the litomach, intestines, liver, ai&fe-pl kidney of the girl Jones he found considerable quantities ot arsenio, sufficient',-ti» cause death; •; The chief constable asked that- - prisoners be remanded until the day en which the inquest would t?ke pl*&&MMr. Riley, foi. prisoners, said he would submit to the remand. Prisoners were then tisMi amukted to Walton Gaol, the female beine also remanded oh -.the";; charge of attempted suicide. : ; Further developments of a startling-Ml| nature have tafen place. ; Since the arrest of the ooupie the polic© have been maMn* inquiries into the deaths of the BinTtdreds m twelve children. Thirteen children *-* L born to the couple, who have-been rwaiTifcd 29 years, and only one is living, a darteriSll aged 21. The police, inquiries showt i thst&lSf symptoms: similar to those Exhibited ay the girl Jones were alleged to have occurred lihJll the case of .the last two children who died, and it was decided that, the body of one of these— Burndred, aged three months buried m. September, 1900— be « humed. ;:; .This second . exhumation' tookulact ! recently. The little coffin was seventh «|tt 1 a-grave containing 17. It was removed td?lfli shed and a post-mortem was afterwards held by Dr. ttaworth. The body is much de- ••' composed, but medical men say that if me* , nic has been administered traces of iit will ' still be foimd, although it may be necessary to analyse even the wood of the '-coffin-to make the test certain. Mr. Herbert Davies,. the analyst retained in the case, is the son : ! of Mr. ; Edward Davies, who acted 'n the Maybriek case. The police state that otnef' exhumations mav follow. They are in pos- ,' • session of the full particulars regarding, . > dates of the death.? of all the BumdrsdV - ': children, which extend over the last filiate . ot sixteen years. The how* in South Johnstreet, where the Burndreds resided, is 'aMIS in the possession of the poiJce.' Both Bsi&hss Sv j, Was taloTrn bv the sobriquet of. Staffordshire Joe," and his wife were loot- ~ ed upon by their neighbours as very i*< 'r spectable people, though very reserved in : i ': their demeanour. They wen? also regarded a<, ' ; somewhat .religious. : .The licensed stbil|S'S| maintain their innocence: \ The inquest ;on f : i the .body of Joseph Burn&ed. aged three months, was opened at St. Helens; Tl»i'#.3 •coroner stated th.it in the case of tie shiM ' - Jo»es the analyst had found considered* ■ ■ quaaitities of arsenic, sufficient '■? cause '' ' death. m On that information, arc on certain other information in the possession of.dSQbi police in respect of the conduct of the BaMm dreds towards the child Joseph, no had o£fft| dered the exhumation of the bodv of the' - ,\ child which died on September '?. 1900.' : ' liiat: order was carried out, and after iva. > ' examination of the body it was decided ibt \, - m order to get the best T>no',ical rani*, it - would be tetter for the coffin containi,i« the remains ■off the body to be sent to ah atti|M lystn laboratory no that a complete analyi!*Sf 1 might be made. Whether the fury would be troubled with any further inquiries inlo . ) the denta of children of the Burndreds would '■ ', depend upon, the result of the analysis', ■ « •Evidence wa- then given bv ■ Detwfehe Strong and Mr. Hesford, registrar of tie'' J cemetery, relative to the exhumation .if thi body. Tin; inquiry was then adjourned.- '&W£