Bury and Norwich Post and Suffolk Herald, Tuesday January 8th 1867 Charge of Child Poisoning: On Thurs last before the Docking Magistrates, four persons named John GRIEF, Susan GRIEF, Mary GRIEF and Sarah GRIEF were brought up on a charge of poisoning two, if not three, illegitimate children at Shernbourne, an adjacent village. The prisoners John GRIEF and Susan GREIF are husband and wife and Mary GRIEF and Sarah GRIEF are their daughters, latterly aged 27 and 23 respectively. The legitimate family of the GRIEFs consists altogether of 12 children of whom 8 are living at home. The names of the children supposed to have been poisoned are Alfred GRIEF, who died Nov. 6 1866, aged 5 years and a half; Ann Maria GRIEF the child of Sarah GRIEF who died April 13 1866 aged 15 weeks; and Jemima GRIEF the child of Mary GRIEF who died in 1860. The bodies of the children have been exhumed and an abundance of arsenic has been found in them; as regards the third child Jemima GRIEF the result of the chemical analysis which is being made by Mr SUTTON of Norwich is not yet known. The children, although illegitimate, appear to have never been affiliated; and it may be added as an illustration of the immorality prevailing in the family, that Sarah GRIEF has had another illegitimate child which is still living, while she is understood to be now again enceinte (pregnant). John GRIEF the male prisoner carries on the occupation of a sheep-dresser, a business requiring occasionally the use of arsenic, but when he was interrogated on the subject he denied at first that he had any arsenic in his possession; he made this statement on November 9 but arsenic was afterwards found in his house notwithstanding. The wife Sarah GRIEF had also denied having any arsenic in the house. The male prisoner is understood to have endeavoured to make it appear that he had left some bottles about containing a mixture which he had used in his business but these bottles when found were under the stairs and quite out of the reach of anyone. There were a few drops in the bottles containing a mixture of tar, soft soap and arsenic; but the poison was not in the state in which it was detected in the bodies of the children, in which it was found pure and simple. The prisoners all deny that they know anything about the matter. The only witness examined on Thursday was Superintendent ROSE of the Norfolk Police on whose application the prisoners were remanded till Thursday next. Ipswich Journal Sat. 26th January 1867 The adjourned inquest on the body of Jemima GRIEF, one of the children supposed to have been poisoned at Shernbourne, and sister to one of the deceased children, for whose murder the grandmother, Susan GRIEF, was last week committed to take her trial, was held at The Bull, at Shernbourne, last Thursday week. It will be remembered that the body of this child, who died about 7 years ago, was exhumed by order of the coroner, Mr C. WRIGHT,, and having been analysed by Mr SUTTON of Norwich, no poison has been discovered and the proceedings terminated with a verdict of died from natural causes. The Bury and Norwich Post & Suffolk Herald, Tues. April 2nd 1867 The case against Susan GRIEF (grandmother) was held at Norfolk & Norwich Assizes on Wed. 27th March 1867. The prosecution “failed to show a single motive which could have induced the prisoner to take the life of the child Alfred GRIEF”, nor to have “treated the child unkindly in any respect, or to have complained to anybody of its being a burden to her.” “The child’s mother was in a situation and could contribute towards its support and for aught that had been shown to the contrary, the child’s father had also contributed to its maintenance. There was therefore an absence of motive for causing its death.” The prisoner was acquitted on the first charge and the second charge was abandoned. Diane J. (No connection to the GRIEF family) Diane J. (No connection to GRIEF family)