Out of Print
The murder of a little girl in a close in Aberdeen resulted in one of the most outstanding trials of recent years at the Scottish Bar. Mrs. Donald, who lived on the ground floor, was very jealous of the little girl Helen Priestly who lived upstairs and was a bright and popular child of eight.
Helen was sent to the baker for some bread, but on the way back she was called in by Mrs. Donald who shook her and unfortunately choked her to death. To make it appear that the murder had been committed by a man, interference was effected to denote an attempted rape, and the body was left in a cupboard under the stairs during the early hours of the morning.
In this case a very high degree of medical skill was brought to bear by the prosecution, including an expert bacteriologist, and the trial is exceptional in this respect. Mrs. Donald was convicted and sentenced to death, but later she was reprieved and served her prison sentence.