The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-07-22 00:00:00

THE BAYSWATER TRAGEDY.

At the 'entral Criminal ti nit, io London, on Satur-
day, the trial of Mro. Flora I ties', ithelletse Hannah
Newingti in, for the manslaughter of Ai r. Jr crick
intl (whirl. eolllll.lilleed liii Thlll,itly) eV:L.4 reignited,
add ut the conclusion of exhaustive aoldre,,ses flout
Serjeaut l'arry (for the prisoner), and Mr. Ciffitril (for
the proo,cention), the jury retired, and after an alwence
lif about half an hour returned into court with the ver-
dict of Ouilly.
The prisoner having then been called upon In the usual
way too shilW calla° why sentence should not be pronounced
according to law, trill, Indy lam innocent. If I were guilty
and guilty in my omit mind, no punishment would be to,
great fir Ilie iii emild have done that to Mal chola I have
know Ii firm, many yearit. Be has been all in all to me. I
left lily ittlahallti hte after remaining with him for
all tlicse years I emild trot have been guilty of doing that to
him. When Mr. Moon Ind knew me I was mixing in the
society of his own family. Nly Inis'oand wished to get a
divorce, Ipit to save the faintly of Mr. Moon I ponied niy
lousienni again at Boulogne, aml the matter was condoned.
Nly liplal,atuit afterwards Caine ti tiliglallit, Idol, everything in
the house, mid left me, saying tint all I wattled sea a
divorce, but that I should not have it. fAfter some romarks
explanatory of the means taken by ND. Ninon's leicllll3 to
induce him to leave the prisoner, and in which they sitecesaled,
she contimieoll Ile left me only fr'd a time, for
he value hack. I went to his brother John, arid asked
hint if be would give Mr. Freolerkk Mom], a letter from
tie, to the eth et that I would never sue hilil again, and that
would live with my litislmnol. Ile said .•
Ni,; Sir Francis
and they had arranged that no letter shoold be sent.- In the
tneantime, NB'. Frederick NIOOII returns, and we agree that I
am to be count ly with it to live with Min alto , , her,
not that I should belorng too hint. This last year, for eighteen
months after his mother's death, he was always litiltappy, and
he did not see enough of me. 'filen lie proposed that 101101114
be entirely tinder his protection, for lie was so unhappy. as
his letter statea, that he could led have Ill' all to himself.
Sly daughter being married and settled, I determined tint I
would I,e with loim entirely. That is the whole We have been
moat happy. Ile was mist kill& The whoole of his consitleta-
that haol I Wen to promote my happiness, and I have studied
ilia. I eOlO4l lliit not have done hint any injury. It was
11l the struggle. lie was going tel throw a bottle, and I
jumped up quiekly. Ile tried to take the knife from Ille,
lull not sure whether he got it or not We struggled and
fell. I thootglit at first I must be the tone injured. I found
11100 d Oh lire warm blood. I said, " Oli, Fred ! What have
yarn done 1" Then I found, of course, it was him, nod myself.
I tried all I could to 010 something to stop It. First id all I
applied cold water : then I remembered that cold water proo-
ducal' blood instead of stopping it. Then I sent for ice and
tried that. Then the doctors came. Then, my looro4 s, lien
you spoke to the jury and said that the servants heard
screams, you said that only a few steps divided the kitchen
from the dining-room. There are two flights one if about
twelve steps and the other of shout six. Mr. Eccles could
prove it.
Superintendent Eccles said lie believed that was about
the number of the steps.
The prisoner continued : Then you spoke of a /Wreath, and
tint a hell rang very loud. The hervant, Mary Hole, rang
the call bell. That laan been in dispute. From Mr. Pickfoots
evidence you must know that I cult not have sail that Mr.
NM.,ii loot broken a blood y,ol, I have nothing 1110 el; to
say, my lord.
liar. in Channel' then slimmed up, ana saili—llannah
Newington, otherwise Flora Davy, you have been convicted
of this tottenee of manslaughter joy the jury who have been
intrusted with the duty of Dying you. I moist my that I
never knew a case in which a jury paid more patient atten-
tion too all the details of the evidence ilium palm. N.twith-
stanoling every tlesire to take in your favour every IA dot that
could arise, they have been constmined, compelled to tind you
guilty. Ido not think I should quite discluirge my duty as a
fudge, mingled up an it is with that of the jury, were I
nut to say that I entirely approve their verdict. If in
ctuses involved in some degree of mystery, after that
mystery should in a great measure be cleared up, the Puy
weic to IS tire 11.0111 their promise tont their duties, and say
that they could not make up their minds, the result would be,
as it has already 11,11 tolitireecil, to, prevent our living with
safety in a country like this. Voit have addressed Inc many
observations with the view of showing that the sentenee
shoulol not he passed upon ; but they do not ahhetle to
Ille to interfere at all with the conclusions to which-the jury
have arriveol. 'Fite facts you have stated are wholly un-
supported by evidence. I think you must consider it fortu-
nate, finked, that you have had to take your trial upon
the charge of manslaughter as contradistinguisheil froon
that ooi murder. I eallllot, dollid myself that 3ou were the
cause ot the death of the deceased without any lawful ex-
cuse. Is the fact that you did take his tile unlawfully are
all the elements necessary to make you guilty of this charge.
The question of punishment mita for tile Court, and that is
a great mil serious responsibility. It Is manslaughter of a
very serious kind. I cannot doulot. and I an, sure the jury
have toot do added, that you re-sorted to that basket, took the
knife into your hands, alai armed yourself with it to,
eneounter the dc-e-rased, although I
feel pots may not
have anticipated the app ful etileieittlelielig that Cleated.
I stall tetiqlltle ill 3 our favour that there may have
been sone- irritating observation but the public safety
will ii-ice s, , eureil if ill a quarrel of this killut tole of the
parties is to loe alloweol to resort too so deadly a Weapon with
impunity. although it may not fir the moment be intended
to be u.cil in the way this afterwanls used. It is to me a
matter id painful anxiety to know what course I ought to
take in tee sentence I ant about to ISIS'. There in 110 dialld
thud there iviti soinctioing like provocation on the part of the
deceased, and that it Si an alder the influence of excited feel-
ings thus bought into ao thin that thiS unhappy event tie-
elltTi ii. The ,dutelice of the cooort upon you is that you be
kept to renal scrvit le for eight years.
The c...A. red her fuse with her hands while
Bar. oi I 'haloiell sCIon o.l.lre,aitig her and when he had
fini,die.l she fainted, rro-1 had to be carried away.

Tn the course of the trial, Serjeant Parry read the
following letters, which had been laddresaed by Mr.
Noon to the pri,oner : -
The ti letter was dated "Saturday," and Kidd--

My • ler In ov you are. I wish now you were
In town, but I do not wish to be two selfish, for I fancy
that you do not want to be in town to-day. I hope you
live coin fortahly, and ill peace.. If it were possible, I
really think 111,re inol more of you. Sometimes I fear
you will Inc dull, and miss the companionship of many,
of one especially, (nun %vie in you have nil lately parted.
I Welelee ,toreiVe me if you con slit k ti all you have
professed. I AM teiteillg Shwtedfich between for anti live
to-day. PO you see I Pheebi have had plenty of time tothaee
caressed you, dearest, and spin to have looked deeply into
your heart, fir I 511011 id like you nain to confirm all your
sayings with your sweet voice UHL' I UM nullity by your side.
I eitlillet tell yin how lunch I likel,i.eicitltpat :d.;lle. I WWI
I could spend Sunday with you, for Sundays al,lays that these
who love each other wish to pass t.;gether. -With much love,
yours, at c., "
The nest letter was dated, "Wednesday morning ":

"My I eared —1 feel that I must send you a line to tell
you host toadzuedly I love you, and it you are really in
earnest in what pal haw decided auxin. I will try anti do sill
can to make you happy. I feel that I leave to make great
sacrinoett, no to sneak, hut what a lovely thing it is to love
There is something s Sacred, s“ at nit it. You
must forgive no if 1 speak plt.ioly to you, bid I multi not go
on is,.! late. I with notch ;muter tile. Indeed, I hardly
think at times whether lila love. I felt I hail no hope in you
scarcely. Von will never again act towards me 80 ineont
shlerately. I have just been retoling your note to me. .."

-
The third letter was dated " Grafton Club, nuns-
day, 4.45 "
" My Love.—l found I had ample time to scud you a few
lines. I most first toll you how perfeetly happy you have
made me. I will try in return to make you so. . . .Vii
have an espeeially happy soul. God grant that mine may
unite itself to yours so long unhappy). The transition in so
rapid that I can scar,ly realise it. Cod grant that you may
not he ilinappen tied with me in the long nut. Life was never
intended Pi he so happy that we should forget Ilim who
made us. All that I ran repeat is that Litre pin most un-
feignedly, most devotedly. Always be of good sheer. In you
I trust as Ido my tied. May God preserve you always is the
desire of yours affectionately '' FRED."

The Daily News thus describes the scene during her
trial :

Although the life of the prisoner was in no peril, the
trial of Mrs. N ewingti in, or Davy, for the Manslaughter
of Mr. F. Moon excited more interest than many in-
vestigStions of charges of murder; and the close of the
pimeeedings on Saturday last was witnessed by an
absorbed and excited audience. The prisoner appeared
to follow the case closely, but her attention was
doubled when Mr. I Wan I rose to reply on the part
of the Crown ; and while he was describin,g and
illustrating the instiller in which he sugoested that
she struck the fatal blow, she termed" anxiously
forward upon the front of the dock, and eagerly to
with ears and eyes everyword and everygeature.
As the learned counsel *went on to other point* of
the case she resumed her former attitude, frequently
covering her face with her hand. When the judge, in
,"rave and mcasureil accents, too low sometimes to be
heard by any but those most interested, summed up
the cage to the jury, her emotion was most vehemently
displayed. When he declared that it was impossible
not to sympathize to a certain extent with her posi-
tion, the silence which followed the close of this sen-
tence was broken by low smothered sobs, and when he
referred to the terms of affection on which she hail
lived with the ilicertaed she fairly broke down and cried
outright. The female warder was at once at her side
to render sine kind, womanly attention, and after a
brief burst of weeping the prisoner recovered her com-
posure, and maintained it to the end, even when
the Judge directed the jury that, even if Mr. Moon
had been stabbed in a scuttle while attempting to wrest
the knife from the prisoner, she would if she
had taken up the weal sin without sufficient provoca-
tion be guilty of his death. At the conclusion if his
lordship's charge the jury retired from the court, and
the prisoner left the ibsk, as she hail done during the
laief adjounnuent fir luneh. As she tottered, rather
than walked, towards the stairs which led to the
cells below, every Me Alld mulenitand why she
liad been allowed to be seated throughout the
miming. When the jury returned, and she bad
entered the dock, she came quite forward :masts slereet
with her arms resting upon the rail in front, There
was a look of deep anxiety in lire eyes, but her face did
not blauchould her lips scareelyqui venal when the fore-
man of the jury announced that they found her guilty.
When she hail finiehed the statement reported above
there was silence for a moment, and then the voice of
the judge was again beard. The sentence of eight
years' penal servitude was more Revere than hail been
anticipated, there was is sound like a isib in court, as
when many people acting under a common emotion of
eurprise and pity drew in their breath at once. The
primmer turned pale for the first time, her clam aimed,
she sank into the anus if the attendants, who had
taken care ti be close to her, and was carried helpless
and unconscious down the steps which lead to the