Infanticide in Lawrence County in the 1800's

The definition of infanticide is the killing of any infant below the age of one. There is no infanticide statute in Illinois. Thus, defendants are charged with murder, manslaughter, or some other miscellaneous criminal statute such as negligence.

The public records found at the Lawrence County Courthouse tell disturbing stories of the deaths of our most vulnerable citizens.

The Weaver Boy Child

A dead boy child was found in the woods between the two McVevay houses sometime around before December 13, 1833.  The child belonged to Tildy Weaver by her own confession. The jurors searched the child and found that the head was bruised and the skull bone broke with several other marks about it.  It was the opinion of the jury that the child was born alive and was killed. After the verdict of the jury the body was taken to a burying yard and decently buried. The judge was Abraham Morral; John Rogers and G. Mason were among the Jurors.

Ryan Infant

August 27, 1860 Miss Mary Ryan, daughter of E. Z. Ryan, delivered of a bastard child, and it was rumored that the child had been murdered by her mother and brother. The remains of a small child were found buried in the grave-yard near Lawrenceville. On Saturday a Coroner's inquest was held. Ryan got the assistance of two attorneys to appear before the Coroner's jury. It was proved beyond any doubt that the parties charged had committed the murder, but the jury from some reason failed to find any verdict.

When an old woman, who was the principal witness, came out of the Court House she was met by E. Z. Ryan and cowhided, until people pulled him away from her. On Saturday night the guilty parties, together with E Z. Ryan and Mary Ryan, left for parts unknown. Mr. Ryan, Democratic nominee for State Senator. returned to Lawrenceville a few days later, sold his farm and left again.

An Infant Male Child

An investigation on April 22, 1874 was made into the death of an infant child found on the premises of William Fish in Lawrenceville. The Coroner’s jury found that he died violently by a wound inflicted in the neck by some dull cutting instrument severing the windpipe and large blood vessels.  From the evidence and circumstances, the jury was of the opinion that the small body had been buried or secreted on the premises about April 10, 1874.   

The 1870 census showed a William Fish, age 45, with Amy, age 38, and Asa, age 21, with the notation  “cousin” marked by her name, living in Lawrenceville. Minnie Fish, age 10 was also living with the family. (She would have been 14 at the time of the inquest; Annie Selby also shown on the census, would have been 11.)

Evidence presented by the witnesses:

William and Amy Fish said they knew nothing of the case, or of the child or how it came to its death. Josephine Venus had been staying at Fish’s house since New Year's and that she left sometime the night before.

Minnie Fish, also said she knew nothing of the child or how it came to its death and furthermore  that she never saw the child when alive or after it was dead. But Mart Ryan testified that Minnie Fish told him on Friday, the last day of school, that Jo Venus had had a baby.

Elizabeth Sinley said that about two weeks ago Minnie Fish was at Elizabeth’s house and told her also that Jo Venus had a little baby girl. Annie Selby said that about the same time, Minnie Fish told her that “they had a doll baby over at their house, and that Jo Venus had had a baby but Mother did not want anybody to know it, and asked Minnie not to say anything about it.”  Minnie asked Annie the next day not to tell anybody about the doll baby.

The jury believed that Josephine Venus, Anna Fish and Asa Fish were implicated in the murder of said child.

Bass Infant

On a cold winter day in January 1876 a baby’s body was found. A Coroner’s inquest was held on January 14, and the ruling was that the bastard child came to its death by violence at the hands of its mother, Sophronia Bass.  A week later the Western Sun, a newspaper in Vincennes reported that Sophia Bass had been arrested at Sumner for the murder of her child.