The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-04-04 00:00:00

THE LANOPORT MURDERESS.

At the Somerset Assizes on Thurs.la Y. !Vlore M.
Justice Denman, Rosa Ann Rue. 17, iwry st, 14
dictesi for the wilful murder of a child nem 1-hu If 'err
Barnard, on the 3rd September, and setting fl• • • s..
.d barley anti of hay, the property of John a a- I ,•
Hoists Episcopi, on the 4th Doc. The prinone • •.• .
pleaded 'not guilty," was accouusuniated 5aL..... • 1 1
the dock.

In September last year, and for two or three months Pre-
viously, the prisoner was in the service of Mr. and Urn.
Barnard, at Hindi Episcepi, and aiming her other duties
she hail to take charge Is, • certain extent of the several
rh il.lren of Mrs. Barnard among those chit leen being
Jelin Henry Barnard, who was at that time aged a year
and nine menths. About two o'cloek on Friday afternoon,
Sept. 3rd, Mrs. Barnard was in the house, and saw the de-
ceased—who was able to toddle about by himself —tapping
at the window outside. Being afraid that the child might
break the window, she sent the prisoner to take him away,
and the last time the child was seen alive by any one wee
when be was in the hands of the prisoner. About half an
hour elapsed before Mrs. Birnard missed the child.
searched about the house for him, and sent the prisoner
to inquire. At the side of the orchard there were a snieple
of small rhinos or ditches, and when a neighbour who we it
in search came to a certain part she saw the c'..l ' Ivieg in
the larger and deeper rhino, about one and a lislf Cod deep.
The child was then dead and cold. Inquiries were intim...lle
made as to how it was the chill couil have got iuto that
position, hut nothing satisfactory could he ascertained
about it. It seemed in the opinion of the friends perfertly
impossible for a child of that axe to liars walked through
the barton and the orchard to that spot. Ti,, in vlkry re-
mained quite unexplained ; noleely could find out the
CAW.) or imagine how the child reached the spot. About
three months afterwards—sin December ith —a fire took
place on the premises of Mr. Barnard. D inlits arose is
to the origin id the lire, which was at first supposed to have
lesen accidental. A great deal of talk took place in the
neighbourlveel and house, and on the night of Monday,
December oth, the prisoner made certain stateuients to
Mrs. Barnard, • r irter mimeo Sweet, an.ll ii pole...lan.
Mrs. Harriet Barnard, wife of Mr. Jain' Barnard, a
fanner, said that in Septemlier last she had seven eliddren
the eldest 13 years id age, and the youngest One year nine
ths, and had one servanrythe prisoner). She repeated
the story of the disappearance and discevery. of the hild
told by the learned counsel in his whim's, and the went
en to speak of the prisoner's cxnfession.
The learns! Judge, however, ruled that, Mrs. Bloomed
having promised that no har should come to the prisoner
if she told the truth, the confession was insibitissilik. sae
hail, however, luailo a statement to P.C. Striekiand after
he hail cautioned her, and this the Judge held might he
. .

r-P::-Strickland said that after they got into the turn-
pike.road the prisoner began to cry, and said, " Some-
thing came over mc that I wan forced to go and take the
child and carry it down. I could not help it, but sou,.
thing Caine over in.,. and I was forced to
.carry it down."
When about lOU yank fiirtlnnr 011 she again said the OWIO
thin', and ...hie "I was w.rry for it after." She asked
when the petiy sessions wens, and what she should be
II lone to. On the moroisig of the 7th Deceinber she Mail
In +tithe's's imunn. and lon little child wan preen:mt., and he
ask et her i Mr. 11 nrr.ii ciii %Ai bigger Ulan [ll4l. 0:01.
She said "Ye. ."a " I I'd not drool the child : it
WAR Mrs. 1/411111.1..i 0.00 01i 100 nay. 'Yin," lin replied,
Oben Bwe were at Mrs. arnsrd's I inked if you wished
to deny killinit the child, and said. ' No.— Prisoner
answered, "Yea, I did. It is true enough about the tire,
but I never drowned the cisild."

--iu-o-alaitOtia-Onivo-iilO7p-ri;;;er, made hefore the oiadia-
tratea, .1111 read. It oils to tem offect that she juil uot
killed the child, and that it wan Mr. Biru ad'a little lon.
Frederick, wno ha I •••t ..e
Orla

-11 r. SITA lau. I e 'f.' r.

that .111; •
exam 1. t
the t .• •• t'
ttula) t :

At the ••
to deliherate. Al•er •..11i II .11tu
int..) the court and 4111111411, d their verdict to be one oi
guilty of mill:daughter.
The learned Judge aufern,l sentence.

On the following tlay he told her he hal no alternative
but to wind her to penal iiervitude for life which he
according 4

A LADY SENTENCED TO HARD LABOUR.
At the Bristol Quarter See•iOne On Thursday the trial
of Mrs. S-phia Batten, a widow, tiring at Clifton, on the
charge Of cruelly ill-treatiug her Servant, Caroline
Iluddleston, which had lasted two days, was briught to •
close. The evidence for the proseetion showed that in
May, Iwo, the defendant, in company with Major.
General Macpherson, who was Raid to he her uncli,. took
up her abode at Kanistate, and was there delivered of a
female infant. It was registered as Caroline So mitt ~hit I
of Philip Huddleston, a liesienaut in the Nairn Native
Army, and Sophie Huddleston. About four years after.
wards the child was sent to a boarding school at East-
down Park, Kent, where she remained until she was 12
years 1.1. During that period the defendant was married
to • Kr. Batten, by whom she had a son. Mr. Bitten died
in a lunatic asylum, and after his death the girl left the
wording school and took up her abode with Mrs. Batten
at Derby. For the first six weeks she was under the
prisoner's care she was treated with great kindness and
told toes!! the accused aunt, but after that period she was
subjected to much ill-usage, was treated as • servant,
beaten, kept without food, and told she was no relation,
and was only kept out of charity. Mrs. Batten selbee-
quently removed to Clifton, where the continued her
treatment of the girl, who twice ran away from her to
escape her cruelty. The child declared that she would
have been starred had it not been for the kindness of the
sorrents, who gave her part of their food. She stated
that she had been forced to sleep in a passage all night, to
dig in the garden at an early hour in the morning, to
sweep chimneys, and to do household work beyond 'her
strength. She also alleged that she was never allowed to
sit down, ani had to take ber meals and du large quanti-
ties of plain sewing while standing upright The girl's
testimony was corroborated by servant& who hail been
ia the prisoner's service, and the medical evidence went
to show that the child's health had been permanently
Injured. There was • curvature of the spine, and the
chest protruded, these deformities being attributed to the
girl's continually being kept in a forced erect posture.
Though 15 years and 10 months, she weighed only 681 b.
The defence was that the girl's story was grossly exagger-
ated. and witnesses were brought forward who stated that
in their presence Mrs. Batten treated the girl kindly. The
jury found the prkoner guilty up n three counts in the
indictment lite Recenler, in passing sentence, ssid the
child had been reduced from • state of perfect health and
rigour to • premature old age, to a state of health which
wculd be almost worse thee death to her, by the prisoner's
cruel and inhamen treatraent. He sentenced the
defendant to 15 months hard labour. The sentence elicited
loud cheers from • large crowd.
. .

--"l'lie--iii.ai.ei-u-se7l-iiiiiin-se--ex—citemnent in the city. The
wort on both dayi was tilled to iwerti•iwing. Cnmwills
thronged the entrances to the court. Whilst the jimry
were deliberating on Thursday, the defendant was han•lehl
some refreshment by her solicitor. She wowed surpris-
ingly col, and entered into a couveraation both with her
solicitor and • gentleman who was seated lust in (rout
of the dock. Only for a moment or two did she seem to
be at all overcome by her position, but she quickly rallied,
anal to all appearances she was quite collected. A little
before 20 minutes to nine the jury returned into court,
and then the defendant cost an antiouit look towards
them. In a few moments they had taken their coats in
the box, and amidst the most profound silence their
names were called over The inquiry was made by the
Clerk of the Peace in the ims.ial form what their verdict
was, and then came the reply from the foreman that they
found the proremer guilts. on time third sixth, and eighth
count.. rhu vcialic• was nal:Orel ss Ith applause in the
court, and it WVI e.e.13.1 time betty.' it could be subdued.
Tlw result will emrrted m,utemd Un. moult
and No, the prisoner 3164 callod ty the Clerk of the
Peace to receive bulgt.ont, the in, wrim from the crowd
outside the ••nimrt am tans ••••••I downcast, hut
had nut I m-t hor oulh-scartw...um. amm. aped rather
pallid .ms the K. 'on ier a.. 1 tressed hem, :.n.I hesrml his
remark, with mums turn.. i t.m xie door. ft c a guiledul
scene, and the world of the 11••cimr•lor .vet's delivcral with
(meat itopreirtivenwha The prisoner tunny I and left tit:
dock with /IIL 1.1•444,6. Broad-street wet .wmedmid with
pe 'pie, and the cur Hut watu-m•I to give t le truveat satin-
fartion. The general rem irk one hear•l Sag Lust the
. seutenee was nut cover, enough, and time I,op mhir idea
seemed to be that five Years at least ought to have harm
given. A large ••r ixml aascualmlwl eatable the Guildhall,
sipas-steeet, waiting for the van in which the prison.
era are conveyed to the gaol on the Cuts It woe pounug
with rain, but this son-tied to hang no eifuc,. in mlisperaing
the molt Asaint woe •dclo-k the large 4 sta, l's lin.: ti
tho Oimililh all yard MI •e• Ow. me. mete,„et in, cm e.cm,
drawn imc two horso., CS 041 ~at [...0r, were nine or tea
policemen I nounteri ni tipm yip aud mn th •i • 'chow I. rig
moment the van appeared, the c• ue.i liegan to yell,
hoot, and hiss. The van waa rapidly driven away, a
id
the mob tore after it, keeping up Cul hooting all the way
to the gaol, hundreds of people Joining la the exhibliu it
of feeling.

I ey a Iteennental Order. lust boned, we regret to find
that the Kam* of Aile.hury ha. resi4ned the Oolonelcy
of the Royal Wiltshire Yeo•nsnry Cavalry.
Eirtoesnoe TO Sorra AUSTRALIA. —The .hip Northern
Monarch, 1,100 tons. Captain G ehartered hy
J. Patton. jun., and Co. to the kont-Glooral for thuth
Australia. sailed from Plymouth on Siturdav for Port
Adelaide. with 404 emigrant& c neprisin.; las Wrie.l an I
single agricultural and othor labourers, mechanics of
raAous trades, and single female doniestic *errant& rb,
Litter under ALe spestat &ergs of the matron. ma
Doors. Ds. Wit. Daly ig sursowsupsintaxictent.