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Kentish Gazette, 13 May 1851.
On Saturday week, an inquest was held at the "Red Lion Inn," St. Peter's,
Thanet, before G. T. Thompson, Esq., coroner, and
a very respectable jury, with Mr. Ballard, of Broadstairs, as foreman, on
the bodies of Maria Harlow, 29 years of age, with her
infant five weeks old, whose existence was terminated by throwing herself
with her child down a well, on the premises of her
father, Mr. Charles Silk, landlord of the "Wheatsheaf Inn," at St. Peter’s.
George Tanson, sworn, said:— I am a labourer, and living at Margate.
Yesterday morning about half past nine o'clock, I, with
others. was standing against St. Peter's churchyard wall, when Mr. Silk came
running from his house towards us, and said
"for God's sake come this way." I and the others followed him to the back of
his house; on gelling there, I saw Miss Harlow,
deceased sister-in-law,who told us she thought Maria was down the well. Mr. Goodwin and another
person fastened the rope round me, and lowered
me down the well; when I went to the well both flaps were open. I went down,
on getting to the water, which was 24
fathoms, I saw a child's cap and a pair of woman's shoes. I called for a
grapple, which was lowered. I cast it into the water;
at about 17 feet deep the grapple caught her clothes, which brought up with
it the body of Maria Harlow, the deceased. I
made her clothes fast to the grapple, and I was drawn up, and deceased was
drawn u-p afterwards. I did not go down a
second time; the infant was caught by the grapple, and by it drawn out of
the well by Mr. Warren; it was the infant child of
Maria Harlow; they were both dressed, the mother had on a black silk gown,
and the infant white long clothes. Maria Harlow
is the wife of William John Harlow, carpenter, living at St. Peter's. Both
were dead when I came to them in the well.
Susanna Harlow sworn, said:- I am sister-in-law to deceased. I am a
spinster, and live at my father's. My brother's name is
William John Harlow, and his wife, Maria Harlow, is 29 years of age.
Yesterday morning I went to her; I was with her in her
room about 20 minutes, at her father's house, the "Wheatsheaf Inn." I went
to finish a dress of hers. At this time she was in
her bedroom, with her infant in her arms; her mother, Mrs. Silk, was also in
the room. Deceased laid the baby on the bed,
but took it up again almost immediately and wrapped it up in some flannel.
As she was going out of the room I asked her
where she was going; she said she was going to take it down to the taproom
fire to warm it. I saw her take something out of
her box previous to leaving the room, but what it was I cannot say, because
it was small and dark. I thought it was a purse;
she kept her money in this box. Her mother went downstairs about 5 minutes
after her daughter, through hearing someone
come into the house. This person stayed about 5 minutes, when Mrs. Silk
called from the bottom of the stairs, and said Maria
was gone out, and have got nothing on her; she said she thought she was gone
to Miss Busbridge's. In about 5 minutes after
I heard Mrs. Silk leave the house, and on her return call to me again
upstairs, saying, "I cannot think where Maria has gone,
as Miss Busbridge's door is locked. I from that ran downstairs into the
taproom. I saw a flannel petticoat laying on a chair near
the door that leads from the taproom into the kitchen. I then thought all
was not right. I went to the kitchen door, and saw
the well lid open; I then thought she had gone down the well. I went to the
well and listened, but could not hear anything. I
ran to Mr. Silk, who was in the garden and said, "Oh, Mr. Silk, I fear Maria
is down the well. Mr. Silk left the garden and ran
for assistance. I was in the yard when Mr. Silk returned with assistance. I
and Mrs. Silk went in doors I do not know how long
it is since they were married; I think it is more than a month since. The
marriage have given no offence to any member of
either family. I have known deceased from a child; she was very reserved and
quiet in a manner; she has told me if you could
not rally. I was with her on Sunday night last about 10 minutes; she
appeared very dull at that time. On Thursday last I was
with her all day; she was more low spirited that day then on Sunday. She was
attended by a medical man, Mr. Water, up to
this time, who saw her on Thursday last in the afternoon. My brother (her
husband) said she had told him she was afraid she
should go out of her mind; she has said the same to me. Yesterday morning
she appeared to be very low in spirits. No letter
or paper has been left by deceased. The infants was baptised, and named
James. I have seen the certificates of her
marriage. I knew her money was in the box, as I put it there myself by her
order before her confinement. I and my sister
have searched her box, but could not find her money. I think there might
have been from £10 to £12 in her purse. Deceased
and her husband lived very happily together, and were greatly attached to
each other.
— Walter. Esq., sworn said:— I am a surgeon, and live at St. Peter’s, and
have attended deceased; did so at her
confinement, and before that the confinement look place; three weeks since
she was suffering from jaundice, and also from
lowness of spirits; she had in a great measure recovered before her
confinement. She had the jaundice again, from which
she recovered about a week ago. I attended the child in consequence of its
not being well; saw deceased occasionally on
account of my attendance on the child. Last Thursday it was I saw her last
alive; was with her about five minutes; she
appeared well in health, but suffering from low spirits. I did not observe
anything peculiar in her manner to cause me to believe her mind was affected. I advised change, and that she should walk
out. I have always noticed that everybody about
her was particularly kind to her, and they all appeared very happy.
William John Harlow sworn, said:— I am the husband of deceased Maria Harlow.
On Friday morning last at about a quarter
before six o’clock, I went to my work as a carpenter. I left her very low
spirited, she said herself to me she was so; this was
about five o’clock; before I got up she said that it appeared to her as if
her brain was turned. I look no notice of this, as she
had said the same to me a few days before. I have asked her what was the
matter, and she has replied "her happiness was
gone;" sometimes I have spoken to her and she has made me no reply, and she
would also ramble from one subject to
another when in course of conversation, as if she was in an unsound state of
mind; she has expressed a fear to me that she
would become the village talk, how often I cannot say; she has said she was
afraid she should be short of money. I told her
that there was no cause to fear that, as I was earning money. About two
mornings back, without any cause, she said to me,
"William, should I die you would have to bury me;" this was before I got up.
I told her not to talk so. She said no more, but
went to sleep again. We were married within these last two months. No ill
words ensued when her father became acquainted
with his daughter's situation.
The jury requested to be left by themselves to consider their verdict,
when, after about an hour’s consultation, the following
verdicts were returned viz.:— That Maria Harlow drowned herself while in a
state of insanity; and the verdict on the infant
was, that Maria Harlow drowned her own child while labouring under insanity.
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