Infanticide at New Berlin
A Child Found Buried in a Cellar
Brookfield Courier, June 4, 1879
Last Saturday morning the people of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY] were startled by the rumor that a murder had been committed at the house of one Mudge, on Tan Bark Island, in that village. It seems that a party of young men gathered about the house on Thursday night, and hearing a loud altercation going on inside, listened to what was said. the quarrel was between a woman by the name of Emeline Hayes and Esther Mudge, wherein the former was accusing the latter of killing her child and burying it in the cellar. On the morning following, this information was conveyed to Deputy Sheriff Hazard, who caused a search to be made which revealed the facts as reported, when he immediately arrested the Hayes and Mudge women. A telegram as sent to Coroner Avery and District Attorney Church, and a coroner's jury summoned upon their arrival.
The facts elicited were substantially these; Esther Mudge gave birth to an illegitimate child about two months ago, and previous to this had spoken to Emeline Hayes to be present as she did not want to let anyone in New Berlin know it. It appears by the evidence that the child was alive when born and was heard to cry but was soon after put into a tub of water and probably drowned. After the child had lain in the house for about twenty-four hours, her brother was called upon to dig a hole in the cellar and bury it, which after some hesitation he consented to do. The crime was kept a secret and probably would have remained so had it not been for the quarrel alluded to. The jury after a short deliberation brought in a verdict that the child came to death at the hands of Esther Mudge and that Emeline Hayes was accessory to the crime after the fact. We are informed that this is the same woman that was connected with Willie Mathewson in a similar case for which he was sent to State prison for a term of four years.
Utica Morning Herald, June 2, 1879
Esther Mudge, of New Berlin, unmarried and 25 years old, in confined in the Chenango county jail on the charge of infanticide. Esther is one of the worst of bad women. Nearly two years ago she rode to the hotel at Hubbardsville, Madison county, with one W.J. Matteson, a young farmer of some means, the father of an unborn, illegitimate child. The child was born during the night, and the landlady kindly loaned Esther some infant garments for her babe. Early the following morning the Mudge woman, with the babe wrapped in the landlady's shawl, rode off with Matteson, and that was the last ever seen of the child. Some of the infant's garments were afterwards found under a log near the road taken by Matteson and his victim Matteson was arrested and tried for the abduction of the infant. He was ably defended, and after his conviction, Hon. S.S.Morgan, his counsel carried his case to the general term. The judgment of the trial court was confirmed and Matteson is now serving out a five years' sentence in the Auburn prison. There is no doubt that the child was murdered, but the corpus delecti has never been discovered.
The details of this brutal woman's last crime are too horrible for publication. The outlines of the case are given by the Herald's correspondent as follows;
Esther Mudge, a notorious character residing beneath a tenement on what is called "Tanbark Island," at New Berlin, gave birth to a full-grown child, weighing from 10 to 12 pounds. Before her confinement the Mudge woman requested one Emeline Hayes, being in the house with the Mudge family, to be present at the critical hour. The Hayes woman and no one else was present when the child was born. About that time there were some callers at the house and Miss Hayes was sent into another room to entertain some young men. When she returned the child had been drowned in a tub of water under Miss Mudge's bed. By the aid of Esther's brother, a half witted fellow, and the Hayes girl, the child was buried in the cellar where it was found last Friday morning by Deputy Sheriff Hazard of New Berlin. The particulars which led to the finding of the child are substantially as follows: Thursday night a party of five or six young men gathered around the house in question and overheard a quarrel in which Emeline Hayes accused Esther Mudge of killing a child and burying it in the cellar. The young men could not keep what they heard, and the information thus gained reached the ears of Dr. Hazard who interviewed the Hayes woman, who had become unfriendly to Miss Mudge. She confirmed the terrible story. An examination was made and the child was found as stated and the parties. were arrested and Coroner Avery of Norwich, and district Attorney Church were summoned to the scene. At 5 P.M., Friday, a coroner's jury was sworn in the case.
On the verdict of the coroner's jury Esther Mudge was held for causing the death and for the confinement of the child, and Emeline Hayes was held as an accessory of the crime after the fact.
The testimony of the physicians is that the child was born alive, and the Hayes woman says that the accused admitted that the child had made one noise after its birth and that she had put it into the tub containing hot water so tat the young man in the other room would not suspect that anything had happened.
Esther Mudge Acquitted
Bainbridge Republican, June 4, 1880
The Mudge murder case closed about noon Tuesday. The forenoon was mainly occupied by the defense and the summing up of counsel. Several of the prisoner's sisters were sworn for the defendant, and a number of the leading men of New Berlin also to impeach the people's main witness, Emeline Hayes. Esther was in a nervous condition but her counsel decided to put her upon the stand. She is not blessed with an extra amount of intelligence and was somewhat confused on the stand. She said the child was hers; but premature in consequence of a fall. This will be seen is in direct conflict with the testimony of the physicians who swore that the child had arrived at the full period of gestation, the nails were fully formed and the skin natural. After an hour's summing up on each side the case was submitted to the jury, under instructions from the Court. They retired, and in a short time returned with a verdict of not guilty. It is surmised that the jury took into consideration the fact that the defendant has lain in jail about a year, awaiting trial under the indictment -- Telegraph
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