PETERSFIELD.
THE ALLEGED CHILD MURDER. — A very sad affair has happened at Riplington, five miles from the town. The daughter of a labourer there, named Keziah Drum's came home to her father's house from service at Godalming in the family way. Soon after she told her friends that she had had a mis-carriage, and then left. A body of a full sized infant child was found hid in the roof of the house, and Mr. Pink, surgeon, and Dr. Leachman, having made a post mortem examination, declared that death had been caused by suffocation. They also ascertained that Zeziah Dennis had had a child. Other circumstances also pointed to her, and the jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder."
CORONER'S INQUEST.—SERIOUS CASE. — On Saturday an inquest was held at the George Inn, Eastmeon, before Mr. Harvey, deputy coroner for the county, touching the death of a full sized male child, found secreted in a skilling of a roof covering three cottages at Riplington.
John Moor deposed—I am a police constable at Eastmeon. I went with Superintendent Bennett to the house of Henry Dennis. In going into the woodhouse I passed through a woodhouse belonging to William Shoyer. I got up on the wood in Shoyer's woodhouse. I saw a piece of paper and a cat. Upon getting up to where the cat was there was a flooring over Dennis's premises; there was room enough between the flooring and the roof, and I crawled along and found a bundle, but being dark there I could not see, and brought it out and gave it to Superintendent Bennett, who was standing on the wood. The Superintendent opened it and I saw it was that of the deceased child. There was no means to get to the place except through Shoyer's woodhouse. There was no door to the woodhouse, no means to fasten it up, and was open to any person. Shoyer's and Dennis's house and another form one building under one roof.
By a Juror—Shoyer's house has a back door. Dennis's house has not. Any person taking the body of the child from Dennis's house must have gone from the front to the back of the premises, and could do so without passing Shoyer's house.
Superintendent Bennet deposed—On Thursday, 25th March, I went with Dr. Pink to the house of henry Dennis. I saw Keziah Dennis. I said Dr. Pink says you have had a child. She said "I have not had any child, its only a miscarriage." I said "What did you do with it?" She said "it was all to pieces, and thrown away in the slops." I said "Where was the slops thrown." She said "I do not know." I then asked her to let me search her box, and the premises. She replied "You can look anywhere." I searched the premises and her box, but without finding anything. From information I received I wnt on Friday, the 26th of March, and saw Mrs. Dennis. She told me that her daughter had on the Thursday said that she thought of leaving, but did not think she should that week, if she did, she would leave word with her mother where she was gone. On the following day I went in search of her at Godalming, and found her at her brother's, at Haslemere. I took her into custody, and said to her "You did not leave word with your mother where you were gone to. You must go back with me on the charge of concealing the birth of your child." She made no answer. I then took her to the police station, at Petersfield, where she remains at present. On the 21st I went again to Riplington, and made a further search with P.C> Moore, crawled into the place described, and found the dead body of the child. It was wrapped up in a towel sufficiently large enough to cover the whole, with two pieces of newspaper. The two pieces of tape I found round the body. The towel appeared to be tighter round the face. I noticed a portion of the face eaten. When I found the child I sent for Henry Dennis, and asked him if the place formed part of his premises. He said "I know nothing about it." After making further enquiry I carried the body to Mr. Pink. A post mortem examination was made yesterday by Dr. Leachman and Dr. Pink upon the body shown to the jury today. On Thursday, 1st of April, I told Keziah Dennis I had found a child under the roof of her father's house, and that Dr. Pink said it was born alive. She made no reply.
Henry Dennis deposed—I live at Riplington in the parish of Eastmeon; I am a labourer. My daughter, Keziah Dennis, returned home the day before Christmay Day. I did not then observe that she was in the family way, but about a month after I observed she was. When I asked her if there was a chance of her getting married; she said she "Did not know yet." My wife told me my daughter had a miscarriage. It was more than a week before the police came, but I cannot say when. My wife told me the same time she sent for my married daughter.
Mary Ann Dennis (who was very deaf, and who can be made to hear with great difficulty) deposed—My daughter came home from Godalming the day before Christmas Day. I fancied she was in the family way a fortnight or three weeks after she came. I asked her, but she did not say; if she did I did not hear. I went for Mrs. Knellor at seven or eight o'clock in the morning. My daughter slept in the same room as I did. I got up at six o'clock, my daughter told me she had a miscarriage, and I thought so from her clothes. There were no stains on the bed clothes where my daughter slept.
Martha Kille said—I am the wife of George Kille, a bricklayer, at Froxfield. I saw my sister was in the family way about six weeks ago, when I asked her why she came home. On Monday, the 8th of March, Mrs. Knellor came and asked me to go down to my mother. She said something had taken place with my sister, and wished me to ask her. She told me she had had a miscarriage, and that she had burnt it (the witness appeared painfully overcome). Mrs. Knellor was out of the room when my sister told me she had a miscarriage. She was sitting down at the table with her needle when she told me.
Mary Ann Knellor deposed—I am married, and the wife of James Knellor, living at Drayton. I remember Mrs. Dennis coming to me about seven o'clock on the 8th of March; she said will you come down, as she thought Keziah had had a baby. I went for her sister, Mrs. Kille, at Froxfield, and got to the house about 10 o'clock. Keziah was standing in the room picking her finger nails. When the mother came in the morning she said in my house that when she swept the bed room two days before, she found many napkins and diapers put together, and underneath a little hamper, and when she asked to look at it, he daughter pushed her away, and Mrs. Dennis thought it was an afterbirth. The mother then left to get some water, and when she got back she could find nothing. I was not in the room at first when the two sisters were together.
George Pink deposed—I am a medical practitioner, residing at Eastmeon. On the 23rd of March it was rumoured that Keziah Dennis had had a child, and concealed the birth. I accompanied Supt. Bennett to the house of her father. I examined her, and found that she had been confined not long since. I told her that she had had a child, and she admitted that it was premature. I had no further conversation with her on that day. She had been confined about a fortnight. At six months the appearance would not have been so developed. On the 25th I again examined her, and came to the same conclusion—that she had had a child, but I cannot swear that she had gone the full period. On Wednesdat evening last, Superintendent Bennett brought a dead male child to my surgery. I examined the child, and found that it had gone the full period. I know that from the finger nails, &c. The legs were gone and a portion of the neck had been knawed off. The umbilical cord had been torn, and not cut. The towel was wrapped round the body, and over the face drawn tight, pressing down the nose so as to intercept the air. I opened the chest in the presence of the superintendent, and removed the lungs. I tested them in water and they floated—decomposition had set in. My opinion is that the child had breathed, and had been fully born. I went into a more minute post mortem examination yesterday with Dr. Leachman. The heart, &c., was in a normal state, and all tended to confirm my previous opinion that the child had been fully born and had breathed; there were no marks upon the body. I believe death was caused by suffocation.
Albert Warren Leachman deposed—I am a doctor of medicine and a member pf the Royal College of Surgeons, and reside in Petersfield. On the 28th of March I was requested by Supt. Bennett to examine Kezia Dennis, at the police station, Petersfield, and found presumptive evidence that she had been confined recently, but for a period of one or two months I cannot say. On the 2nd of April, with Mr. Pink, I made a post mortem examination upon the body of the child delivered by Supt. Bennett. The body was well nourished; the legs had been eaten away—the right up to the thigh and the left to the knee, and the right side of the neck also. The nose was flatted on the face by compression; the naval string was not tied. We examined the lungs; they had been pretty well filled, and would not have been inflated as they were if the child had not been fully born and breathed. The doctor, after a minute description (which for want of space prevents our inserting) concluded that in his opinion the child came by its death from suffocation.
The Coroner, in summing up, went fully through the evidence given, and having clearly pointed out the law relating thereto, the jury retired for consideration, and after being locked up for half-an-hour, returned into court and delivered their verdict of "Wilful Murder."
(See also 6-Apr-1869)