Child Murder.

"A KIND PERSON" STARVES AN INFANT.

COMMITTED FOR MURDER.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]

MELBOURNE, Saturday.

     A harrowing tale has been pieced together by the police of Brunswick, one of Melbourne's poor northern suburbs. It is of a terrible case of starvation, resulting fatally, the victim being an infant named Florence Zimmerman, and the accused an old woman of most revolting appearance, named Emma Parry. A week ago the infant died, and the death was duly reported—somewhat contrary to the ordinary practice in such cases, it is suspected. The Coroner was not satisfied, and an inquest was ordered, which was concluded to-day.

     From the evidence furnished it appears that three weeks before the infant's death the mother handed it over to Parry, who had advertised herself as "a kind person desirous of adopting a child." The infant was a stout, sturdy child, perfectly healthy. The mother handed over the infant to the woman, giving her the £5 bonus demanded, and being assured the little creature would be well cared for. In three weeks the child had been wasted to a skeleton, and the medical evidence was to the effect that death was entirely due to starvation.

     The Coroner, in committing the woman Parry to take her trial at the Supreme Court for wilful murder, characterised the house occupied by Parry as not fit for pigs or vagrant dogs to herd in.