The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2, 1853.

The offence imputed to the prisoners was that they had,
by gross neglect, and not providing proper food, caund the
death of their child, an infant a year and ten months old.
The cue was of a most melancholy character. It appeared
that the prisoners, with four children, the eldest of whom
was a girl fifteen years old, and the youngest the child in
question, and two sons, occupied a garret at No. 16, China-
walk, mbeth. They both worked at the trade of shoe-
=slung, bet it appeared that they were given to the most
drunken habits, and were continually in the habit of
leaving their poor children at home without any food or
nourishment the whole day, while they were going about to
different public haws getting drunk. Oa the afternoon of
the 28th of October a woman, named Elisabeth Beecham,
who lodged in the same house, heard a noise as of some-
thing felling down stairs, and on going to see what it was,
she found the poor infant lying at the foot of the stairs on
the second floor. It had nothing on its body but a small vim
of flannel, and was in a most wretchedly filthy sad emaciated
condition. The child was immediately removed to the
Lambeth Workhouse, when every necessary attention was
paid to it, but it died on the Bth of November following.
Before the infant was taken away from the house some food
was offered to it, which At seised and attempted to eat
ravenous) y, but the stomach was unable to perform its
office, and rejected it immediately.
Mr. Craner, a master shoemaker, In Lambeth-walk, said
that both the prisoners had worked for him, and they were
very good hands at their trade, and could earn on an
average from thirty-five to forty shillings per week. On
the 9th of September the journeymen struck," and the
male prisoner joined in the strike. At that time he had
fourteen pairs of shoe* to make for him, but he had only
made eight pairs of them. The female prisoner herself had
earned so much as eighteen shillings in a week.
Mr. Paul Spellen, another master shoemaker, said that
he had also employed the prisoners, and he confirmed the
evidence given by the last witness with regard to the
amount they could earn per week, if they pleased. He
said, however, that they were constantly getting drunk,
and when they were out "on the drink,' they were in the
habit of sending their children for money in advance. He
bad latterly refused to let them have any, because he was
aware that the money was spent in drink.
Mr. Obadiah Bellamy, one of the relieving officers of
Lambeth, spoke to the miserable and emaciated condition
of the child when it was brought to the workhouse, and
said that upon receiving information of the circumstances

he went to the lodging Occupied by the prisoners: It was
in a most filthy and wretched state. There was no table,
and the bed emulated of some shavings, and there was no
food of any hied in the room. He found the eldest girl in
the street, shoeless, and miserably dirty, and upon Inquir-
ing for the prisoners, he discovered them both drunk in a
neighbouring public-house. Neither of the prisoners, he
said, had ever made any application to him for assistance in
the shape of food or otherwise.
In answer to a question put by the learned Judge, the
witness said that even if he had been aware that the male
prisoner had been out of work, in consequence of a strike,
he should of course in case of emergency still have given
him relief, and he should have required him at the same
time to work, and if he refused he should have given him
an order of admission with his family to the workhouse.
Margaret Connor, the daughter referred to in the evi-
dence, said that on the 28th of October her father and mo•
they went out about ten o'clock in the morning, and her
mother told her she would try and get some victuals for
them. All the children were then at home and the baby
was in bed. They had had nothing to eat from the previ-
ous day, except one pound of bread. This bread was pur-
chased with some money which one of her brothers had
earned by doing a job. Her father and mother did not
provide the children with any food on the 27th or 28th.
They were in the habit of getting drunk, and they had
both been drunk in this week from the Monday to the Fri-
day, which was the 28th.
In answer to questions put by the prisoners, the girl
said that on the Sunday and Mondsy before they had
purchased meat and bread, of which all the family partook,
but she persisted in declaring that the prisoners provided no
food for her or the other children after Wednesday, and that
they had nothing but a pound of bread to eat during these
two days.
By the learned Judge—About two o'clock on the Tues-
day she got very hungry, and went out to look fur her
father and mother to see if they would give her any food.
When she left the room the baby was on the bed. She left
the door ajar, and she supposed the child crawled to the
door and opened it and got upon the landing, and fell down
the stairs. She found her father and mother at the Foun-
tain public house, Lambeth-walk, and at that time they
were not very drunk. Her mother gave her a "Plum
Pudding Card "to sell, in order that she might buy some
food, but she was unable to lapse of it.
Mr. T. C. Beale, the assistant to the medical officer for
this district of the Lathbeth Union, deposed that he first
saw the child on the 28th October, and found it in a most
emaciated state, and likewise wretchedly dirty. It was
cleansed and plated in the ward, and he observed that when
food was offered to it the child ate most ravenously. It
rallied for two or three days, and then relapsed, and died on
the Bth of November. The child was evidently suffering
from a mesenteric disease similar to consumption, to which
children were subject, and he had no doubt that this was
the immediate cause of death. Upon making a post mor-
tem examination, he discovered tubercles on the longs,
which was a sign of the existents of the disease to which be
alluded. A child being left for a long time without food,
and not having proper attention, would be a certain means
of producing each a disease, and he had no doubt from the
evidence he had heard in this case that such treatment had
accelerated the child's death.

By the Court—The disease had probably existed for acme
time, and it would in all probability, under any circum-
stances, have peeved fatal.
The prisoners when called upon for their defence, told
a rambling and almost unintelligible tale, the burden of
which was that they had always done all in their power to
support and provide for their children.
Kr. Justice Talfourd then summed up, and the jury,
after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty
against both prisoners.
The learned Judge in passing sentence, said that this
was a melancholy instance of the dreadful consequences
resulting from habitsof intemperance, and it was dreadful to
think that two persons who were in a position to earn such
an amount of wages as it had been proved they could if
they chose have earned, should be in such a miserable and
wretched conditon, and by their gross neglect sad want of
proper feeling have occasioned the death of their own child.
He then ordered them to be imprisoned and kept to hard
labour for nine months.

W hen the sentence wu pronounced the female prisoner
entreated his lordship to have mercy upon her, declaring
that she could n undergo such a sentence. Upon an
order being given for her removal, she became very violent,
and as she was taken away she exclaimed, "Bad luck to
you all."

NEW COURT.-YFSnRDAT.

Joseph Lgg, 38, shipwright, pleaded guilty to marrying
Ann Maria Darcy, his first wife being shy..
He bad married his first wife at Liverpool, in 1849, and
his second in November last, and the most remarkable part
of the affair was, that the marriage took place during the
courtship of his second wife, whose accepted suitor he had
been for eight years.
He was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment.
Mary Ann Seely, 19, spinster, was indicted for burglary
in the dwelling-house of John ells, and stealing therein a
cash-box containing six 101. Bank of England notes, 33
sovereigns, and other monies, besides securities of the
value of 2001, the property of William Charles Lancaster.
Mr. Lilley prosecuted, and Mr. Ribtou defended.
It appeared that Mr. Wells lives at 23, Perey-street, Tot-
tenham-court-road, and that Mr. Lancaster resided in the
same house with that gentleman. At about half-past three
on the morning of the 25th of last month, Mr. Wells was
aroused by the police, who found his street-door open, and
he then found that his place had been entered, and a quan.
tity of plate, jewellery, and clothing of his carried off, and
also the box and monies in question, belonging to Mr. Lan-
caster. Net any clue was obtained to the thieves, neither
had any of Mr. Wells's property been found, but the pri-
soner sad the box fell into the hands of the police this
way. On the same morning, and about halt an hour after
the robbery had been committed, a police-constable on duty
in Russell-equate saw the prisoner coming from the direc-
tion of Southampton-row, and observing something bulky
beneath her shawl, he stopped her, and after some hesi-
tation she pulled out the box in question, which she said
she had picked up in the enclosure, near Southampton-
row. She at first said she hod brought it from home, and
then gave some other account of it. At the station-house
she said she lived in Ogle-street, Maryleboce, but this
proved to be untrue. Upon arriving at the station, the
robbery bad become known, and Mr. Lancaster coming
there unlocked his box and found the contents safe, but
not any of the other missing property had been traced.
The defence urged was that she had found the box, as
originally stated.
The jury found her Guilty upon the count for receiving.
The Recorder asked whether she was known.
Sergeant Smith said she lived with a man, a convicted
thief, who had recently taken to housebreaking, and who
had been sitting in court the whole of the trial, but who
bad just slipped out. He was knows by the name of
" Sbankey Davis."
It appeared that the individual alluded to, as soon as the
jury returned their verdict, made a hasty retreat from the
seat he had occupied, one behind the defending counsel,
but, being known to Sergeant Carpenter, of the R division,
that officer, noticing the hasty retreat he had made, fol-
lowed and brought him back, and he was placed under the
dock, upon the floor of the court. He was a respectable-
looking young man apparently. Several people hissed him
when he was placed there.
The Recorder said they had nothing to do with him ;
and, upon his being released, he made a most hasty re-
treat.

The Recorder said he sherold postpone passing sentence,
that prisoner might, if she pleased, give some account of
who her confederates were. _

The prisoner, an artlese•looking German nit% cried
bitterly, sad protested that she bad found the box, as she
first stated.

THIRD COURT.-YESTERDAY.

Elizabeth ✓aeus, 35, married, and Jeatiata, 19, spinster,
were indicted for uttering counterfeit coin.
The circumstances of this case were remarkable. The

twOPristii;rsiagotieiitoiiPulillC:hOU;e7nolci
Berl-
street, kept by a Mr. Cuthbert, and there offered a bad
shilling to him, which was returned. Upon leaving they
went to the house of Mr. George Walters, of Shoe-lase,
whither they were followed by Mr. Cuthbert, who seeing
them offer another bad shilling at once stopped them, and
a policeman wu sent for. Before the 'Meer oould arrive
the elder wawa called oat for her dog, upoa which a small