The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-12-10 00:00:00

Ann blarratt was called and
spoke to seeing the prisoner on the day in question nest
the hop-garden a little before three and between five
and six o'olook.

Frederick French, a clerk in the office of Messrs.
Clensenta, deposed that the priaoner left the office on
that day at ten minutts past one and returned at ten
minutes touiu.

T;;Ior stated the result of his analysis of the
arnoles of apparel worn by the prisozer on the day of
the murder. He found spots of blood on the scat. on
the trousers, and on the vest; also blood on one of the
pocket knives. The thighs of the trousers, too, were
greatly stained by bloody water He detected, however,
an extremely small quantity of blood, and is cross.
examination said it was possible that the stains found
on the coat might have been produced bye bleeding of
the nose.

Mr. Lewis Leslie, • surgeon and M.D., had examined
the fragments of the body of the child. On the he'd,
especially at the top, he had found eoutused wounds
depressing the skull, and another similar injury over
the right ear, the ear itaelf being lowered entirely from
the head. He opened the head, and found internal
injuries; he found the dergionater much congested,
the effect, no doubt, of blows from the flint stone
found on the some of the trmedy. Th-re was •
blood mark on the stone, and several long hairs of the
deceased girl's head. The left leg was nearly cat
off at the hip joint ; the left foot was cut off at the
ankle joint. There was an incision between the fourth
and fifth ribs, of a merlons extent, and another
Incision In the interior of the thigh ; there were
five incisions in the liver, and three in the lungs, and
the spine was dislocated; one of the lep was apparently
torn from the trunk with great violeem. He mw is
•
trousers of the prisoner taken off. They were wet,
and staiced with biood. and quite saturated with water.
The left leg was wet, but 001 50 wet as the right leg
of the trousers. He saw the prisoner's per-on, and did
not notice any seratehea or marks about him. He had
been in the honigarden. The hoots and socks of the
prisoner were mach soaked in water,., if he had stepped
into the river Wye—especially the right. His opinion
was quite formed, that the prisoner had used • larger
knife or weapon than them ermines& The serious
mutilations of the body, he thought, were carried out
shortly after live, and before ,is o'clock. The removal
of the breast-bone is not a very difficult operation. The
deeth of the child he attributed to the severe blows
Inflicted on the head with the flint atone.
This closed the ease for the proseention,
Mr. Carter addreased the jury very energetimlly on
behalf of the prisoner, tie said that in the evidence of
Dr. Taylor tlpre was not a fact to chow that the prisoner
was guilty of the horrible mime. The weapons produced
were not sufficiently powetful to effect the mutilation of
the body ; end none of the evideuee showed that the
prisoner had oominltted the awful whoa. Ti,. diary
Items were dated from the early cominenerment of the
year 1867; and on the Saturday, the 24th dey of
Automat, this entry was read :—"Saturday, Aug.
24.—Killed younggirl; it was fine and hot." The
entries were various, and had been made from day to
day regularly in samossion. There was one, " Drowned
• And in King's pond." There were nearly 200
In the diary altogether, during the three first
quarters of the year, and the very murder of the
infant child, Fanny Adams, was the hut of them,
because the prisoner was very soon after the
crone secured in the custody of the polies
authorities. There was not, he contended, the least
motive in the prisoner's mind for injuring that poor
child. The learned counsel called attention to the
religions praetioes of the prisoner on the Sabbath, to
his being for many years • teacher of the children of
his locality, to his regular attendant* at the celebration
of the Holy Communion, to his seer teryship of a
provident savior, bank club in Alton, nod to his connec-
tion with other societies for the good of the humid°,
chases. He thought the proper conclusion of this
important trial would be the acquittal of the prisoner
on the ground of insanity. The primmer was not the
only member of the family who bed been subjected to
the great mental affliction of madn.ss ; one of his
young sisters died some time ago in a dreadful state of
raving fever. (The speech of the learned gentleman
occupied two houre in delivery.)
. . .

Frederick Baer, see., wee than called and examined
on the part of the prisoner: He we. a tailor, end the
prisoner at the bar was his eldest child. Up to twelve
years of age be was of very bad health, having con-
stantly great pain in the head, accompanied by serious
illness and unarmed bleeding at the noise. He went
to school some years miter, but thee he bad • very
severe attack of typhus fever, which disabled him for •
lengthened period. After that severe illness he was in.
troducent into • business occupation at Guildford, and
daring the lest twelvemonths bad been engaged ist Alton
at the law offices of Maguire. Clemente arid CO., solicitors,
of that town. He bad been for a long time in a sery
desponding state of mind, and subject to ranch mental
and bodily •ffliction. On one 0001.400, in 1865, he (the
father) loot all knowledge of the wheresbouts of his son
for some month., and had never much 101i:ream on the
course if his conduct. At that thee the prisoner had a
habit of crying in the night. He saw him in Ma, last,
and 614 appearsame then struck him with perfect horror.
He war not aware of any particular misoonduat on the
pert of the prisoner until the present charge.
Mary Ann Baker, the elder sister of the prisoner,
gave similar testimony.
A Mr. Johnson gave • very bad opinion of the
eondition of the prisoner in 1864. and after that time
his appearance was such u to make him entertain very
serious apprehensions of his future fate in the world.
John Davis wag the next witness. He rue brick.
layer, and for eleven years he had been a police.
constable at Guildford. and he was an acquaintance of
the pilioner. The prisoner suddenly broke off their
intimacy, end be lied some great diffleolty in refereree
t a young girl with whom he had been on friendly
terms. He had threaten° I to commit saki le several
times, and be had often been seen near • river, and
witness bed more than ones seen him with a pistol in
his hand, and he once nought him by the collar in the
street in a terrible condition, and took him home by
force.

Sarah Kingston wee then examined : She said the
prisoner lief lodged at her hon.. Nines he bad been
living at Alton. He used to feel very low at certain
times, and look fearf idly wild, and he would take a
pipe and go out and lie down in the yard very much
aMieted. She did not And that he was addicted to
excessive drinking. She only 0000 WV him intoxicated.
Mr. Taylor, another surgeon, said the prisoner was
:47ever. ly,
inide suffered
veliTms"heerewlYo:irddterer menblbettnekd
his lips quiver violently, and he felt great pain. Four
years ago the prisoner's father hod an attack of insanity,
endeavoured to strike his daughter with • poker, and
was very violent indeed, and he suspected her of
desiring to poison him. The father had an attendant
to look after him for some time, and he willS +any Sod,
ha•ing • suspicion that be was intended to be poisoned
by some one connected with the family. It was a serious
use of monomania.

Mr Bere then summed up the case on the part of the
prosecution.
The learned judge then summed up the svidenoe,
which he said was so strong against the prisoner that
the jury were bound to end him guilty of the dreadful
murder he had undoubtedly committed on the poor
helpless infant. He oonld not on any account teeom•
mend the jury, as the defendant's counsel 1.1, to And
the prisoner "not guilty," on the ground of his being
Insane, as he could not possibly believe tint the prisoner
was in such a state as was sugie.sted by his °Juana
The jury retired for • quarter of an hour, and then
same into Court amidst the met bretthles• 'ii • nor, and
returned a verdict of "Guilty." The prisoner then stood
at the bar between two warders, but no perceptible
change was seen in him.

_
The learned Judge then addreseed the presence
Frederick Baser, you have been convicted by the jury
of this dreadful crime. For some purpose you killed
this unfortunate child. Whether you effected your
purpose or not iaa known only to yourself and your God,
but at appears that the unfortunate ahild you brutally
murdered, and afterward. her body you dismembered,
with the view of destroying identification, and
eonottaling another crime. I feel deeply that •
man of year age, and under suits circumstances,
should be found Frailty. It is a shock to our
common humanity that each • *rime should have
been perpetrated. I beseech you to prepare yoursed
for your dreadful change. You most appear shortly
before the Searcher of all hearts. By applying
yourself with all diligeoeo I hope you may still find
mercy hereafter, for it is impoerible that mercy ma be
extended to you by any earthly power. Consider the
Interest of your immortal soul. Do not deceive
yourself- -your time is shod—prowls for your mid.

10, 1867.

His lordship then, with neat emotion, peened epee the
priseter the awful seetenee of death, end he wee
removed from the bar. . _

do immense orowd had eseembied to beer
the termination of this exciting trial, and their
minds were somewhat appeased by the verdien
Hundreds *Add not obtain a glimpse of tbe prieoeet,
who dining the miming at the seetenes stood with the
rine stolid indifference be bad exhibited at lb. 00li-
obsocement of lb* trial.