| Description | The Attorney General versus Elizabeth and Rose Edwards, Roscommon, details for the appeal of trial 26, 27 and 28 March 1935, both found guilty of the murder of Mary Teresa Edwards, newly born illegitimate child of Elizabeth Edwards, sentenced to be hanged Wednesday 17 April. Appeal on the grounds that no body was found.
Includes:
Statements from the defendants, for example, the following extract from the statement of Elizabeth Edwards:
'Why did you leave the child outside? Just because my mother was inside and I wanted my mother to go out before I brought in the child. Why did you want your mother to go out? Because she did not know about me having the baby'
Elizabeth Edwards alleged that the child was delicate leaving Roscommon County Home. However, the Judge's charge to the Jury from the original trial contains the following:
'It appears that 2 or 3 days after the birth it was noticed that this child was crying a good deal and did not seem to be right. Now Gentlemen, what was the immediate reaction to that state of affairs by the Hospital Authorities. It would at once draw their attention to the child and if there was anything wrong with the child you would expect that these persons of experience would there and then see what was wrong. But what was their reaction? It was to warn the mother to feed her child. . Now Gentlemen, the matter doesn't rest there. Immediately before they left . Nurse O' Gorman - told the mother. "I advised her to mind her baby and take care of it. I told her not to do what Miss Hamill did with her baby. She knew who Miss Hamill was but made no reply."' |
|---|