THE WINTON "CHILD" MURDERS;

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10444, 21 August 1895, Page 2

THE WINTON "CHILD" MURDERS;

MINNIE DBAN^fS LAST STAT3MENT.

'--(Per-United Pkess Association;) •? 77yJyJ: .///,-"./Wellington; Augnst 20. / ','- The Btatement left by Minnie Dean and forwarded to the.Government ocenpied 57iclos(slywritten pages of foolscap. ■ it ia ungr.mmatieal, and contains many faults of spelling.' Portion of-it -is-of 'a JMasi-religious charaotar, and the writer then goes on to detail her movements by rail, j The whole point of her argument-is that she "always;r_av»'; children- laudanum' when tir-ayellinj?, ascrying infants were such annoyance .J. She.- gave j the child, several do.»es: at various 'tim'ss,"*bufc; merely for1 the purpose of keeping itqui-t; and when the child died she IrVas frigbtmecl;- buried it, arid invented the f story 'about-f planting -bulbs to avert suspicion /' She says:—"■ I know I was the cause; Jof; child ' Carter's death, that/ I had given I her' ah. ■ oVer-dpse;■'of laudanum, bu*; with Ino iutsnttoh -of causing ' death, and 'God ! knows; I- have been, punished for-negligence. Bnt' a' hair of baby Hornsby's head I never ibjufed. .' The; baby was not 10 minutes alive inimy, care* altogether.^? - Further on she says :— "The drug Vas' given to cause sleep, .not death.". The rest.of ;'--the statement is devoted to minute details of various children committed id'herdarei somei"6f theni'«;everal yesars ago, who are alive now. There is frequent reference to names and initials. .It would-be impossible to follow-her- in 'theso details under several columns. Mrs Dean desired-the statement to be published, and tha proceeds given to her huaband after deducting £5 for Mrs Taylor, a widow.