A crime of a most fiendish nature
4 Mar 1879A crime of a most fiendish nature was attempted within the last few days in the city a crime which makes the blood chill, when remembering that it was the robbery of a couple of shillings worth of clothing which impelled the perpetrator — a woman to hide all trace of her act by attempting the diabolical murder of an unoffending child.
This dreadful creature, a woman advanced in years, a few days ago enticed a nicely-dressed little girl, about four years old age, away with her from the neighbourhood of Pill Lane. She induced the unsuspecting child to accompany her over town, it being then dusk, and eventually brought her to a place well-known as “the Back of the Pipes” near the Grand Canal Harbour, off James’s Street. Here the kidnapper stripped the poor child even to her little chemise, and then endeavoured to forever put an end to all evidence against her by drowning the infant.
Close to tho spot where the old villain denuded the child of her clothing runs tho river Poddle, which is here exposed to view, but lower down in covered over, and passes by means of an arched sewer under Ardee Street, Thomas Street, and Lower Bridge Street, till it empties itself into tho Liffey, near Bloody Bridge. At the spot whore the outrage was perpetrated the stream is protected by a wall some six feet high, so that tho actual fall from tho top of tho wall to the level of the river, when only half full, would be about eight feet.
Usually tho Poddle is a swift stream, and is often four feet in depth. Owing to tho groat incline the current if very strong, and anything thrown into the river where it is open would soon be carried down into the cowered culvert beneath tho city street, and thence into the muddy Liffey. The old barbarian took the naked child, hurled her over the wall into tho river, and then slunk off in the darkness. Fortunately the little girl was only momentarily stunned by tho fall, and there were only about two feet of water in the stream, whereby enabling the little creature to gain its legs, Its dreadful cries were heard by a man who lives adjacent, and he at once proceeded to where the screams came from.
He found the half-drowned little girl grasping the back in a death-like grip, and almost dead from fright. Speedily he rescued her, and, conveying her to the house, had restoratives applied with tho best success, so that the child is now progressing admirably. The police having been communicated with, the little girl related her story to the officers, and detectives once set to work to find tho monster who had endeavoured to murder the helpless infant. The following morning the clothes of the child were found pawned in one of the pawn offices in tho city, showing that it was merely for the sake of plunder that the awful crime had been attempted. Tho police are vigorously engaged in pursuit of the would-be assassin.—Irish Times.
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