Minnie Dean

Minnie Dean, who was born Williamina Irene McCulloch in Greenock, Renfrewshire in 1844, went to the gallows in 1895 for murder after the bodies of three infants were found buried in her garden, in the town of Winton, near Invercargill.

Williamina (Minnie) McCulloch was born in Greenock in 1844, but by 1862 had emigrated to New Zealand to live with an aunt, one of the original settlers in the Otago area. She arrived with one young daughter and pregnant with her second. Minnie became a teacher in the Southland region and married publican-turned-farmer Charles Dean in 1873. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/minnie_dean.shtml

"Esther Wallis was ten years old when she was adopted by the infamous baby farmer Minnie Dean to help look after the babies and children at ‘The Larches’ in Winton. Just five years later Esther was helping Police identify the bodies they exhumed from Minnie’s garden. She had witnessed Minnie’s ill-treatment of some of the children in her care and along with older adoptive sister Margaret Cameron, was called upon to give evidence during the trial that would see Minnie found guilty of infanticide and hanged in 1895. Esther was my second cousin thrice removed." Read the full biography by Debbie McCauley here https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/biographies/esther-walli...

On 2 May 1895 Minnie Dean was seen boarding a train carrying a young baby and a hat-box, and disembarking later carrying only the hat-box. Jane Hornsby, who was found to have handed over her one-month-old grand-daughter, Eva, to Minnie Dean at Clarendon station, was taken by the police to The Larches. There she found clothing belonging to the missing child. Minnie Dean was arrested and charged with infanticide. On 12 August 1895, three months after her arrest, Minnie Dean was hanged at Invercargill gaol. She is buried in Winton cemetery, alongside her husband, who died in a house fire at Winton in 1908, aged 73. Full biography: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2d7/dean-williamina

Another infant buried in Winton Cemetery - yet to connect. Mary A Dean died 12/5/1891 http://www.southlanddc.govt.nz/my-southland/cemeteries/cemeterysear...

• See also: http://www.crime.co.nz/c-files.asp?ID=14

A Mary Cameron gave a child named Cyril Scoular to Mrs Dean a few years ago. The child remained at the Larches for about three years. Mrs Dean then reported that the boy had gone away. In the morning Mrs Dean gave him some laudanum, and said that she wished to keep him dozey so that he would not be cross with, the lady he was going with. Another boy named Henry was brought to the Larches. He, too, disappeared after being there a few months. Source: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP189508...

• See also: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=DTN189506...
• See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pobXNCcQNU