The Express.
London, England, 1862-07-09 00:00:00

before the usual hour for the

A of the basket;

a number of pencils had taken their eat&
The prisoner, Antic Cornial Vise, 33, was placed at the
bar before Mr. Justice Wightmaa and Mr. Justice Cromptes
at 10 o'clock to plead. She was charged on two indict-
ments with the wilful murder of Alios Kate Nryee and
Annie Howard Vyse. She was dressed in deep mourning,
and pleaded Not Guilty in an absent Mandible voice to bath
charism . .

Tim prisoner wag seated during the trial.
Mr. M. Chambers, Q.O. (specially retained), Mr. SINE,
and Mr. Edward Bosley conducted the prosecution ;
Ballantine (specially retained) and Mr. Metcalfe
counsel for the defence.

The prisoner was tried upon the charge of morderiag
Alice Eats Vyse.
Mr. Chambers, in opening the cam, maid he was instructe!
by the corporation of the city of London to conduct tie
prosecution against the prisoner, who was charged with de
murder of swo of her children. It was a most melanchei;
case, and the circumstances were very simple ; and be
then proceeded shortly to state the facts ; from with:
it appeared that the prisoner, who bad carried et
the business of milliner and bonnet maker in Ludgate.
hill, was the mother of five children, sad co
Wednesday, the 21st May, she brought two of her
children to town for the purpose of taking them the nett
day to the Exhibition. On the next day, the 22nd, she
went in the morning to a chemist's in St. Paul's-churchyard,
and after purchasing some perfume, she asked for something
to kill rats, as the house was very much invested. She
was recommended to take some poisoned wheat, but she

said she had tried that, and it would nut do, and she ye
shown some of Battle's Vermin Powder. She took t
packets ; at the same time she was cautioned to be careful,
it was of a very dangerous character. After that she sg
peered to hare gone back, and after dinner she went or
stairs to the room where the children were, and told the
servant to go and fetch another packet of the lame powder
that she bad in the morning. The servant was detainel
eon)e time in the shop, and on her return went to ber mir
tress's room, and finding the door locked she knocked at
door, and Mrs. Vies said she mold not COMO in. Her 111 r
pkions, however, being aroused, she went to Mi

. .
Saunders, the prisoner's slater, who went upstairs, and thel
door was forced in. She was found standing at the washstand,
bleeding at the throat, with a razor in her hard.
The two children were afterwards found in their oE
room, lying on the bed with their clothes on, and dui
The prisoner was asked what they bad taken, and she
said some of the powder. The contents of the stomach
of the children had been analysed, and found to contu
strychnine in very large quantities.
The following evidence wu then adduced for the pros
cation :

John Taylor, assistant to Mr. Ke►ting, chemist, N.
Paul's-churchyard, said Mrs. Vyme wee a customer, and co
Thursday, 22nd May, she called at the shop between 11 and
12 o'clock, and asked to be shows some perfumes, and she
selected some. ISbe said her house was much nitrated with
rats and mice, and they had damaged the ceiling of her shop.
which had cost E 5 to repair, and they also came in the
bedroom, and she could not sleep at night for them. Sr
said she was afraid they would get to her baby, and *shod
if she could have some prussic acid to destroy Skein. de
told her be did not supply prussic acid, and recommended
Barber's Poisoned Wheat. She said they had tried that Psi
it was of no use. He told her they had some of Battle.'
Vermin Powder, and she said she would have a
shilling packet. There was not one in stock, and ills
took two threepenny missend a sixpenny am, and he toldbc
to be very careful as it was a very dangerous poison. Si
asked her if the children were in the country, and she sad
ne, they ware in town. The threepenny packets were a:
yellow paper, and the sixpenny one in blue. The pima
paper produced are part of the wrappers.
Cros•examined—l have not seen the children about 01:1.

Mrs. Vyse.
Mary Anne McSweeney said she was in the service d
Mr. and Mrs. Vyse, as housemaid. On the '22nd May do
saw the children at nine o'clock, when they were in goal
health. In the afternoon, at about two o'clock, she teat
the children their dinner. It consisted of cold roam beef asi
rice pudding. There were three children, Charles Yrs
who was about ten, and the two little girls. After they b►
had their dinner the boy went to school, and she left tk .
girls in the room. Mrs. Vyse remained downstairs while*
children had their dinner. About half an hour after she sir
them playing about in their own bedroom. Shortly befit
4 o'clock she saw Mrs. Vyse in her bedroom, which is a
the same floor as the children's bedroom, and divided frog
it by a wall. She went upstairs for about ten minutus
and when she came down she met Mn.s Vyse Jontiog or
stairs, with her bonnet and shawl on. She west into be
bedromr., and said, " F.lia, go to Mr. Keatiog's for I
picket of the same powders which I bad in th
morning, and make haste and look sharp." She weal
to Keating's, and bad to wait some time before *
got the powders, and on getting them she went tad
to Mrs. Vyse, sad found her bedroom door abut. Sb
knocked at the door and received no answer. She koala
spin and received an answer, " You cm% come is." Sb
then went upstairs and spoke to the nook, and came doer
stairs and knocked again, and Mrs. Vyse asked who
there. She said, " Elias," and Mrs. Vyse again said. "V
can't come in," and spoke in a low tone. She went do
stain to the shop to Mir Saunders, who is Mrs. Vow
Meter, and they both went upstairs together. awl Ii
Saunders knocked at the door and called Mrs. Wyse by

Christian name twice, but received no answer. They th
forced the door open, and mew the prisoner stacdicg over el
washstand with a razor in her right band. Miss Ssundi
said, " Pray God, what are you doing Let me die wi
you, dear, but the razor I can't take in my hand." dfi
Vyse pot her hand in her pocket, and took a letter cc
She (withal') said she would go for the doctor, and 31.1
Yrs said, "I am mad, I wished to die. My clam see
Heaves." When Mrs Vyse took theletter out of ber p 0
she said to Mina Saunders, "Take this," and the did
Mn, Vyme asked he• for the powder, and she refused
giro it her. She afterwards west into the chikhre's rood
and found the two little girls in bed with the clothes el
them. They bad their shoes off. They appeared to k
as if they were asleep at first, and the put her hill

co the face of Alice, and it was then warm.
thought they were asleep. She then went
to Mr. Beating's, and there eaw,Dr. Payne. She pre

packet of powder to a gentleman there. When she wait
back she found two tumblers on the washstand. There was
usually only one there. The children had been at the
country house of Mr. and Mrs. Vyse, and the boy had
come to town that morning, and the other two on the day
previous. The baby, which was a year and adult old, was
still in the country.
On being crave-examined the witness s►id the two chil-
dren were not at school. She had been to Surbiton, and
Mrs. Vyse attended to the children, and always appeared
very atlectionate and attentive to them. She dreaed and
undressed them at Ludgate-hill, and took a deal of pains
with their hair, of which she wu very proud. They were
very food of her. She did not see Mrs. Wyse kiss the chil-
dren after dinner.

m
Mr. F. Marshall said—l am an assistant at Mr.
Keating's. 1 remember the last witness coming to par-
chase the packetuf powders in the afternoon, I bad tossed
out for a shilling packet, and she waited while it was being
fetched.
Mir Sarah Saunders said—The prisoner is my sister. I
remember going with the housemaid to her room
on that afternoon, and the door being forced
open. When I spoke to my sister she made
a motion to the wall towards the children's room.
I remember my sister handing me • letter. The letter was
not open, and I did not open it uutilthe evening. I did not
read it, bat merely .icaoned it over. I have destroyed
that latter. I did so of my own accord, and not at
the suggestion of any one else. I destroyed it
two or three days afterwards, and I cannot recollect
anything of its contents. I do not remember one
word of what was in this letter. It was a very short one.
I declare I have not the least recollection of the contents of
that letter. I destroyed it before I had been to the coroner's
inquest. I took some papers out of my sister's pocket in
the afternoon. The, were the papers that had contained
the Battles Vermin Powder, and they were all empty. My
sister did not tell me why she had brought the children to
town on the Wednesday.
Crose.examined—My sister was usually at the shop at
Ludgate-hill, and superintended the bushier. She was
forewoman when Mr. Vyse married her. I was also em-
ployed in the establishment, and I and my sister were
always on the most affectionate terms. (Here the witness
was a good deal affected.) Mrs. Vyse was a very food
mother to all her children. I remember a child dying
in November, IMO. This child was about nine or
ten months old, and it died of diphtheria at &white&
The illness was not considered serious by the
servants there, and they omitted to inform the prisoner
of it, and she always fancied she could have saved its life if
she had been informed earlier of the Maws. This child
remained unburied foraconaiderable time, owing to the vault
being flooded. I have noticed • marked difference in
my sister's conduct since that time. She frequently had
fits of despondency ►and was sometime. violent without any
apparent cause. fltave heard my sister speak of these chil-
dren in terms of very great affection, and she took very great
pride in them. Mr. yea was engaged in the out-door por-
tion of the business.
By Mr. Chambers—The prisoner was always considered a
good woman of business, and this opinion was entertained
of her up to the time of this dreadful occurrence. About
twenty young ladies were employed in the establishment.
Yrs Vyse used to serve in the shop, and I assisted her.
Sarah Thompson said—l was cook in the establishment of
Mr. and Mrs. Vyse, and I prepared thedintieron the 22nd of
May. It was cold roast beef and rice pudding. I made
the pudding myself. There was no Battle's Vermin Powder
in the kitchen, and I put nothing in the pudding bat the
usual ingredients. The deceased children appeared to be in
their usual state of health when they were having their
dinner. In the nursery I heard Alice ask the prisoner
where she had been, and she replied to St. Paul's-church-
yard, and she then kissed her. This was about half-peat
one o'clock. The whole of the family and the servants par-
took of the same dinner. I saw the children at dinner
about two o'clock, and I did not see them again until they
were in the bedroom. There were rats and mice in the
house, and they destroyed the ceiling in one of the rooms.
Elizabeth Harrison said—l am female searcher at the
Fleetatrost polbe-station, and I went to attend urea the
deceased at her residence about 10 o'clock at night on the
Wed of May. She was in bed. I remained with her until
10 o'clock on the following day. During the night she made
• incasing noise, and was very restless, but I did not speak
to her at all. In the morning Mrs. Vyse told the housemaid
that she wished to speak to Smith the porter, and Miss Saun-
ders inquired whether she could not deliver the message to
him. Mrs. Vyse said " No," and at that moment Smith
cults in. When the prisoner saw him, she pat out bar
heed to him to shake hands with him, and they
shook hands, and both appeared very grieved arid
excited. Vyse then said, 'Alt, Smith, Mary
has been the whole and sole cause of this."
Smith replied, "Keep yourself quiet, ma'am, and if I
could lay my life down, or five thousand live., to ratan
what you did yesterday, I would do so." The pri-
soner then maid. "It is done,sod it cannot be undone." About
half.paat 4 o'clock oe the Friday morning, the prisoner
asked if her dear children had been attended to. No an-
swer was made to her at first, and she repeated the ques-
tion, and I then said they had not, as it was not usual to
do so until after the coroner's inquest.
Cross-examined—Mrs. Vyse said what I have elated
quite distinctly. The other nurse was not present when
she said the words. Smith was present, but Miss Saunders
hal left the room.

Miss Saunders was here recalled, and in answer to a
question put by Serjeant Ballantine, she said there waa no
person named Mary in the establishment, except the cook,
and she had never heard any other " Mary " mentioned.
Serjeant &Wanting—Rad the prisoner ever complained
of the cook, or any other Mary!
Witness—Never.
William Smith said—l was messenger and porter in Mr.
Vyse's service,l and had been employed by him and his
father for eight and twenty years. I remamber being sent
for on the Friday morning. I will say all that I remem-
ber to have taken place. I took hold of Mrs. Aryee's
hend,and she widsomething like, " What will they do. or
" What will be do!" She spoke in a sort of
guttural tone, and I could hardly distinguish
what she said. I mode her no answer to my recol-
lection. I had been drinking that night, and was very much
distressed also. I cannot recollect who came to tell me that
I was wanted or what caused me to go into the room.
By Serjeant Bellantine—l only saw the prisoner on this
one occasion after the occurrence. I was nearer to the pri-
soner than anyone else. I bad been up all night and had
been drinking more than usual, and was very much dis-
tressed.

Inspector Howard produced the papers containing the
powders that were found in the prisoner's possession.
Dr. Edward Payne said—l am a physician, and I happened
accidentally to be at Mr. Eeatiees in the afternoon of the
?Ind of May, and in cousemeece of what I heard there
I went to the prisoner's house. She was dressed and lean-
Mg over the wash-hand stand, and I examined her throat
before Mr. Savory came. I discovered some blood that in-
terfered with her breathing and I removed 11, and with the
assistance of Mr. Savory dressed the wound in the neck.
It was a wound such as could have been inflicted by the
razor produced, but it was nut deep enough, or in the right
place, to he a fatal woond. In consequence of something that
was said about the children, I asked the prisoner what it was
they had had, and, with • good deal of difficulty, she replied,
Battle's Vermin Powder, 'or " Battle's Vermin Killer." I
think that Mr. Savory was present when she said this, and he
and I attended upon her, and inconsequence of her state we
considered it advisable that Oho should gpmain in her own
house. She seemed excited at the idea that a pergola from
the police-station was is the room, and to ease her mind
and wilt her recovery we directed that Mrs. Harrison
should be sent away, and an ordinary nurse from the hos-
pital attended in her plaice.
Crosier/mined—At the present time the prisoner speaks
very inarticulately, and can only be understood with very
greet difficulty. The prisoner and her husband were entire
strangers to me until this transaction. I saw the children
in the bed, and my impression is that they were carefully
placed there after they were dead. I should infer if this
rend been .lone be the person who had destroyed them that
she was not in her right senses. The brain of women at a
certain period is liable to be very much excited.
BY Mr. C'hambers—l should think that if a sane person
osmnitted such a deed as thia, the sight would have been
reeoliies that bu would be tempted to run away rather
"me to atop and dwell upon it and place the bodies in the
bed is the position these bodies were found.
l.valence was then adduced to show that the deaths of the
children were occasioned by strychnine, and that the Battle's
vermin powder contained a considerable quantity of that
Pare. And this closed the mae for the prosecution.
Sergeant hollantine then addressed the jury in a
dte" eloquent speech for the prisoner, and said that the
efence he should endeavour to establish was that she was
10000 at the time she committed the dreadful acts
that were the subject of inquiry. He said that he
should call witoesses who would prove that both
ro?lernal and paternal relatives of the prisoner were afflicted
with insanity, and medial evidence to show that in their
opinion the prisoner at the time she committed the alleged
offrece wan not is such a state of mind as to render bar
responsible fur the consequences.
[The trial was proceeding when our report left.]

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
THE HENDON MURDER.
This morning, upon his lordship taking his seat in this
court. Jo mei La ,rren re. 29, labourer. was indicted for the
wilful murder of Anne Harsh Con, at Hendon, on the 29th
of Much. He was likewise charged upon the careeer's

Gilfard prosecuted, and Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Williams
defended.

The prisoner, who pleaded not guilty, remained seated
iloring the whole of the trial, awl seemed in great pale, his
face Presenting • most fearfully disfigured appearame.
The case, as stated by the learned counsel, and oor-
Mborated by the witnesses, was that the prisoner, who
hi a labouring man, lived at Mtll.hill, Hendon, and the de-
emed also lived there with her mother. The prisoner was
hying his addressee to her, and bad done so for some time ;
and about the period of this occurrence be entertained some
feelings of jealouny towards the deceased. For about a
weal preceding the 29th, the prisoner had lodged in the been