WIRE BABY WAS BURIED

NZ Truth, Issue 569, 13 May 1916, Page 5

WIRE BABY WAS BURIED

A NEW-BORN INFANT IN A CESS-PIT

TIMELY Mm PY h liP

Chgrgc of Attempted MurtJer Dismissed

The discovery of R ne^^y-^Pr 0 an^ m a rubbish 'hole'caUse'4 qui^e a flutter of escitemept m the usua^y 9}i||t country district of PukeKbbe, < outside of AuckVaatf, o^ad a}l sorts of stories yjere soon going the Vounds. However, tjie facts "were made kncjwn on Thursday week when Elfaabetli Anfa £]fcke, known as Lily Blake, a singje girl of. 19 years, was charged pefpre Mr. F. y. F'razer, S.M^ •m the I>i|ke^9he Court under sect|ons -IS.B aiti^ 169 pf tpe Crimes Act ! WTTH" ATTEMPTED Mp^D,E]? of her newly-born chll^, and a]so witfi having abandoned the Child. Detective-Sergeant Hollls went up from Auckland and prosecuted on behalf of the police while Mr. R. N. Mpody appeared f.or Jhe gs}. "In outlining the case Detective-Ser-geant Hollis said that the accused was IS years ot age and Uve^^ftk fcer pa^ent? at Pukekohe. Oii the night of Friday, April 7, the girl retired to bed as usijal, but about half -past live next morning her step-m(kher npUced tlxe girl clad m her flight attire, Returning to the house from the bottom ot tho yard. The girl appeared to be ill tmd wjjis assisted to bed ' and ' pi\ - Brdhte sent for. An exarnmado'n" revealed that she had bee.n delivered of a child. Soon afterwards' a iielgfibpr catfed "attd, )iappening to go Into ,tbe yard, Ijeard a faint cry. Proceeding m the "direction Jtrhonco tho sound .came t^p neighbor discoyerea a cWld's "foot protriilding through spme rubbish- Tp9 *n*a n t as lifted' put arid was jp be a xemafe child. An" examtnadb'n* showed a scar oh one arm. When spoken to the, ag r pused admitted she was tho mother and had placed the patjp wher# U wag dlgcpvered. " " The first witness, calleji was JS|i?ab.oth Blake, accused's stepmother", who said she had not noticed anything unusual m the condition of the girl. About 5.30 a.m. on Saturday, April 8, Witness heard a dpor'opeii and op gtplng to the back saw* Lily coming towards the house m her nightgown. Witness^ asked what tho matter was, but tho girl seemed too faint to reply and witness, not suspecting ' ajny^l^kr l?»t thinking it was just an'ordlhafy case of illness, put the girl to bed. Later, the gir) appeared to l?e bad and fitness went for Dr. Bronte, leaving the gir) 4h carje pf a neighbor, tfip.- pjdmfng. The doctor eaipe alsput 1,0 p'clqpk |n the morning, but before hjj? arriyjU witness had been speaking to the glrj and osked who ww responsible for her condition, and SHE REPLIED GQNSTABLE ' ;* v 'Watson. '" The JajLter had' been station cd m tho district The glrj was npt tpp" clear' "ln her mind, "but Kiiew what sJjjb wtte ing. While Ihe doctor j^bls at* fhe'Jjpqsjs i£r3. Flexnips 'went outside "and VlltUe later returned ph|lo. ' Lawyer Moody:^Mrs, f Fleming showed you the place where the child was found ?r~sTes. ■ What was the hole used for?— For burying all kinds of rubbish — broken bptfles. glass and tins. Are there fences at the back of the section? — Yea, two. < And the hole could be seep by neighbora?—Yes. ' "* When the girl returned to the house what was lie? condlt(o,n?— She was m a dazed condition, doubled up and was moaning and staggeHpg. When you spoke to Her did she say anything?— She made an atjternpt to answer, but I could not understand hen Did she sc&m to' know what Vho ytaa doing or where she "waaT^JSto." How lopg was it. tippi tiip Mpie yt>u beard her go out $11 ?) ie "returiied?-^ Less than five minutes.* What was the state of her mind ?— SJie was dazed. Had sho complained preyjously abpjuj; her health?— The night before she com? plained of being unwell. In answer to further /juestlpns, the witness said the gir) had bacomo vpry fond of the cbijd and 4'd everything sbo could Its Tycjfare. Tho phW3 was hpt now m the girl's care, tba Intention being to Ijiayp JJfc- adopted. Th© girl often cried about JLuu chlM *«d did not want to mrt ifltli It Re-exftralned j>y peUctivo-Sergoant Holtts: You said that you had a conversation wit)ii tho girl about tho child. Whon was that; before jor of tor Jbe doctor came?— Jt waa after. Did she heslUito at oil before she to)rl you Constable WaUon was tho fa^httr? YES, SHE HJ3SITATED. She appeared quit* raUonal?— Yes. How long wa« it between the time you heard her go out Into the yard and the time the child was brought m from the hole ?-<-Flvo or six hours. Alexander Bronte, a medico nt Pukekohe, said that he received a call about eight o'clock but did not arrive nt Wake's house until two hours later. JLo Uum exajtilned the accused and learned that she had given birth to a child, but uaousod denied it Witness placed her under chloroform for treatment. On KPiJiff into tho Kitchen he met Mro. Fleming carrying a baby. The child was ley cold and gasping jfor breath and u'l(ne«H at onct got a hot bath mnd ro«tor«U tho child's life. Tho cnllu had probably bcon born «omo six or eight hour* writer. Tha occusod'w condition waif due to loss of blood and the effects of chloroform. In tho condition she was In wjtnens did not think it possible for her to bava dJspofle^ of tho child knowingly and ho would Judge that the excessive pain would cause her to be m a fronted condition at the time. Ills Worship: Would you say that «bQ was sane at the tlmo7-r-N6, I gay that It m probable that ttho was tornporarily insane. Could tho nrnrka on top arm bo oaut f

Ed by a piece of tin or anything In th« cjes£pjt?-%e|. : " n Co you think |b,e child, being strong and "h.jsd|tljiV In struggling could :hav« covered ' Itself inT the looSo matter on it'^^s" p'iaee'd?— Yes. CjauW tM'earlii m its mouth bo causeii py ' inhalation ?— Yes. "" ' Do yod think' jho accused was, physically $apablp ! of using a spade?— Nbl js it I "q.oH^stl;nt''vi ; ith ,■■""• THE T^EO^Y. OP FRENZY thaj; >ho cjiild should be placed m the ijpis?— Yes, Jn Tthe case of illegitimate birth, jthp mothers mind often became depressed and distraught and'sti* nifght.and }h cases" did, attempt to destroy the child. Do you think that when you arrived $} &? )>9 use the accused knew what she had done ?— lt was posslbler but" in my opinion she did' not When you questioned her about th« child?— She denied that there was & baby or that she knew of any baby. Mary Fleming, a neighbor, said that she was present when Dr. Bronte eatlejj and h.earti him say that the girl had given birth to a child. Witness went out to the Vash-houso witli some clothing ■*{ Was thon that sho heard a faint try in'the direction of the rubbish hole. On going over to the hole she saw a 9R>'~{fiftf <>xp~Qseo ahd found" the body 0/ a female chfjd covered w-ifh earth. She carried the 'child "into the house where Dr. Pronto attended It, Later wltnq§§ notlded a" spado near the hole. J£ Tyas about 7.15" a.m. when' witness w<snj: to the house, 'b^t it must hayt} been after twelve o'clock when the child was .found. The girl had fainted wneh witness went to the house. Mr. Moody: When you sny tho child was coVered with" forth do you mean that It was buried?-—!^. Could 'clie earth" on tho body have been caused by the child wriggling about? — I cannot say. Ypu sajtj thaf whj?n you went to the hoje ypii only remember seeing a foot or buttdck?— Yes. ' ' Would you deny that the child waa not lying on the top of the material In tho pit? — Ns>. n M.W IWPl WP ! iav * >'PU known Miss Blake?— About five years, la Bhe fond of tho baby?— Yea. LPOKBD AFTER IT WELL? —Yes. ■' ' :' ' raln ? d h y Petectlve-Sergeant /yoji notice any earth In the Cora's m6uth?^refi, before the doctor wa^ed If ' *'" * < J&TOf Woody: In the mouth? $?ltneas:' Kof m the mouth— riround It . "" " '■■* '" - -'- •■■■' ••.•'- ' *• Lawyer Moody: I wish you would listen to the ijuestlonsV ■""" '"' * „ Tfc» Sergeant (to Mr. Moody) : Why don't you to Into the ho£ . Wl^S^- ? «f» !|sle#Jng, but one is barking at me from onV^ld©' ana one from the other. You bamboozle me. Lilian Watson soild Bho was colled to fepuge at the time the. girl fainted, W fitness did n^'fennw uptlf 3 p.m\ Bprgennt Cowan " jxnd Constable Thornljill gay fi ey^enco .to the offset IVUl V U ?y hci ' tnte nl.oWcd tf\Q accuied said B}xb did not remember what' happen^ betjvoon Iho tjmo sjfjp went to bed on the night of Aoril 7 and latq m the afternoon pf the following day. This jConpjydQd evidence. Magistrate Frjuser said thnt. whlla thero was no dqubt that tho pecused put ttio chH4 thexe, it wns obvious from tho medjeal and other evidence that she did not know at tlio ttmo what she was doing, on the evidence he had no altermUlye but tp disinJ^a tuo charges b t eea«so no was oertaJn no jury would ccavteu Both charge* would therefore be dismissed.