The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-03-15 00:00:00

A REMARKABLE CASE.

At Worcester Assizes, Elizabeth Banks. aged 19, and Leah
Ranks. aged 19, glovemakers, were Indicted for a conspiracy
to murder the child of lb. prisoner Elzaheth Banks. They
were charged in other eounts of the indictment with inciting.
soliciting. persuading, and proposing to each other to
murder the same child.

Leah Banks was the aunt of the other prisoner, and
they had both lived together from their infancy with
Lrah's mother at Hartpury, 10 Cr Gloceater, except
for some short intervals when Elizabeth, the niece,
Wit, away in service, While in service she found her-
self likely to become the mother of an illegitimate
child, and in August last she came to Worcester and
took lodgings at the "Wheelwrights' ArmP," kept
by a widow named Mab'ea. She informed Mrs. Mabler
of her conditi en, but led her to expect that she should
not be confined till the beginning of November, and
with the exception of one nightgown no prepara-
tion WM made for the birth of the child, which oc-
curred on the 11th of October. Up to the time of her
confinement, though ill and in great pain, she con-
tinued to work bard at glovemaking ; and it must have
been at this time that all the letters which were put in
evidence in support of the charge, except one which
was subsequent to the birth of the child, were written.
Two of these lettets were intercepted and never reached
their destination. The first was delivered by the post
man to Mrs. Mables' daughter-in-law on the Ilth of
October a few hours after the child was born, and was
proved to have been written and posted on the previ, 119
day by Leah Banks at Martpury. It containtd the fol-
lowing passages :

"I went to Church on Sunday, but I thought I must have
gone out, for if any one noticed me they must have thought
something very strange was preying upon my mind ; but at
last I got out, no no more church for me until I learn that you
are delivered of that hsbe, which I hope will soon OMB now.
Bessie, there is no torgue can tell what I stiffer in my mind."
" I think the hest thing for you ti do is to get about two or
three pennyworth of salts of lemon, as that will be easier
got than anything else ; and as soon as ytat can get to feed
your baby yourself put a very little in its food at • time ;
mitt lao one else does not have eny of It, but give it very
little at a time, as it is strong poison, and the child will
gradually wa.ste, and in a few days it will be dead, and of
course no doctor nor anything of the kind will be wanted.
but it will be took in the night and put in the cemetery, and
no one will have any suspicion. Burn the paper you buy it
In a. soon /12 you get it home, and put it in souse plain white,
as there will boa label upon it. Tell them at the druggista
you want It to take stains off clothes.

The second letter was written by Elizabeth Banks
two days after her confinement, and handed by her to
Mm. Mables daughter-in law to poet; but she by
direction of her mother-in-law, kept it till it was de-
livered up to the police. It was in the following
word!, :

'My dear Leah,—l am thankful to tell you that lam
going on very well indeed considering the blood I lost, but
my treatment is very bad indeed, but tell me if I cannot
c flte home on Saturday It Is costing me unreasonable
When I tell you all, you will say I have had my share of
punishment Tell the grandmother lam ill she will let me
come home lam sure. It is such a flue baby, but any one
asever seen would say there was no trouble In finding
• f ather. I should like It to grow up Just for that one thing.
It seems very wretched for • mother to say, but I have no
love whatever for it. I have been thinking I will not come
until Saturday night, then if I am obliged to bring it to
eilocester alive, you and I can easily destroy It coming along
the causeway. When you are coming in, look and see if we
can manage to drown it anyhow. lie sure you come, not let
grandmother—that would do no altogether."
Three other letters were found in the bedroom of Leah
Banks, and Mr. Chabot, the well known expert, was
in Court to prove that they were in the same hand-
writing as the last letter. The following extracts will
give a fair idea of the intentions of the Writer and of
her state of mind at the time :

" Dearest Leah,—To you I tell all my troubles. My dear
girl, if you were here I asi sure you would be the same way;
my heart fairly sinks when I tell you ; but, my dear girl, I
have never been brought up to It, and the bitter filth of
this town is abominable, My dear girl,! can work, but I
cannot turn on the town. I cann at do it, Lash; I could die
in the workhouse easily before I can. Now, my dear girl I
what you think best for me to do, by the blessing of God
will try and do. . . . My dear girl, between Worcester and
Ilartpury, between us we can easily managed to destroy the
child. I can endure the thought of that before the thought
of going on the town . . . I can toil for my daily
bread, and thank God that I can, and Ile down in peace
when my work is done," "My dear Lesh,—l mffer martyr-
dom with my back now, never since last Friday week
I have not known what it has been to have my back well one
five minutes night or day, ... I told them I was going to
try aunt in Staffordshire, and she we,a going to bring the
child up, and I should have to get my living, an I should not
auckle it; then I will, the morning as I start, give it a drop
of laudanum and .119 it Inside my box when going to the
station No one will have suspicion such a young thing as
me having a child, and you and me can easily bury it,...
Could my youthful errors he printed on every young girl's
mind what a lesson it would be ! Yes, dear Leah, take warn-
ing by me, should it please God to take me and let my crimes
be known, what would it be for hundreds before eighteen a
mother? Not alone that, no tongue but my own can tell
my feelings—night nor day not rest"

" Dear Tech—My misery is drawing closer to the end;
five weeks to-day I hope I shall soon know my doom. Now,
first I will tell you what I have planned in my mind. . .
I mean to keep It all to mi self until the child Unborn ; then,
of course, for the want of care it will soon be dead then
when it is dead summon Mrs. Msb'es and tell her that I
!Muted. I will get me halfa-pound of the best ldicuits and
a drop of brandy, and take care of myself then I shan't
hurt . . . 11l get that it will keep life in me till the child
I. dead, which of cosine that will soon be if not attended
to. Tell me, won't that be the best way, leer? What
can Ido with a young baby! I must and will destroy Is
somehow."

The child, a girl, when born was taken rare of by
Mrs. Millie+, and was alive and in Court at the trial
in the arms of its motinr.

On the 15th of October Mr. Power, the Chief of the
Worcester City Police, apprehended the prisoner Leah
at Hartpury. She admitted having written the in-
tercepted letter, and said that she was afterwards
sorry she had done so, and had written to her nieee
immediately afterwards not to do anything in the
matter. Next morning, while in theleek-op she made
the following statement to Mr. Power, after having
been cautioned :--

"I thought she had another fortnight to go, and wrote
that letter thinking that would make her more easy in her
mind ; and then, that somebody might be present when the
child wee born. I wrote to her before telling her not to
mind for that; we cuilti work both day and night and pay
for the child, which we could put out. I have had no peace
of mind since I heard she was in trouble, and before know.
log from a letter that she was not very .tea iy, I wrtte cau•
tinning her, and she answered in a very haughty way, say.
tog she hid farewell to the wit de of us. What I did was to
keep it from her grandmother, 113 I wax afraid it would
break her heart "

At the close of the case for the prosecution, Mr.
Jell contended that the letters, though showing an in.
tention in the mind of each prisoner that the child
should be murdered, did not prove any agreement be.
tween them in a common scheme; the first two letters
having been intercepted could not be treated as consti-
tuting such • scheme, and therefore the charge of con-
spiracy could not be sustained.
_ _ _

Mr. Justice Quail', in summing up the case to the
jury, rather inclined to this view, hut left it am a ques-
tion for the jury to decide.
The jury found the prisoners Guilty of attempting
to propow to each other to tnurder the child, the letters
containing the proposal never having been delivered.
They strongly recommended both prisoners to mercy.

_
Hie Lordship sentenced Leah Banks to three months,
and Elizabeth Ranks to four months' imprisonment..

The prisoner Elizabeth asked to have the child
given up to her, and the learned Judge granted the
request.

THE RETURN OF SPRING.

(From Punrh )
How late the Snowdrop came thla year!

Till March, in part, I-tad passed,
The Croons welted to appear;

It feared the Polar ble-st.
Chilled were the small birds tuneful throats;

So they delayed to shig.
We, mining their accustomed notes.
Masked not approaching Spring.
Ike morning Sun, at lest one day,

„
Broke out end shone awhUe;
And did, with momentary ray,

Upon a Journal smile. - A
sudden gleam of gladness bright
Lit up • column's head,
It title bathing in the light

On "Spring-Assizes" shed.
The gay announcement through the breast

Diffused a midden cheer,
Because it all at once erpreued
The fact that Spring was here.