South Eastern Gazette, 27 March, 1860.

Suspected Case of Child Murder.

On Thursday last, an inquest was opened at the "North Foreland Tavern," Chatham, before B. Marsh, Esq., deputy coroner, and continued by adjournment, until the following day, to inquire into the circumstances attending the discovery of the body of a new-born male child, in a water closet in Brisley’s-lane.

Alfred Tomlin, employed in the dockyard, deposed to finding the body in the water-closet of the yard near his house, shortly after six o’clock that morning. The deceased was lying on its back on the soil. The yard was open, and there was no gate at the entrance.

Mr. Hutchins, surgeon, said he examined the body of the deceased, and found that the usual offices had been performed towards it. From the application of the usual tests there was no doubt deceased had been born alive. On examining the skull he found a very large discoloured spot on the back, about the size of a crown-piece, which extended through the integuments to the bone, a deal of extravagated blood lining the brain. He was clearly of opinion that the child had suffered some violence on the back part of the skull, but evidently not from a fall. From the situation in which the body was lying deceased could not have been suffocated. From the appearance deceased had not been born more than a day. The jury, after deliberating for some time, returned a verdict "That the deceased died from the effects of a blow on the head, but by whom given or how it was caused there was no evidence to show." The body of the deceased was brought into the room where the inquest was held, instead of the jury being, as usual, taken to view it.