The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-25 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCEIT.—Yonx, Ikc. 23.
iSFSOLR Ma..lnrrtcx
CUAILUE OW

Fmtices Cooke, 211, woo charged with the wilful murder
of her Shout child, John Herbert Cooke, ou the ISth of
September hot.
from the opening statement of tho learned counsel
for the prosecution it appeared that the child
which the prisoner was charged with having murdered
was four weeks old at the tone of its death, and
was sucking at the breast. On the 30th of May toe pri-
soner Leeson,: an inmate of the Kirkhcaton workhouse,
three mites trout Huddersfield, and was there &liters:a of
a male child ou the 24th of August. The prisoner, with
her child two years old and the new-born infant, remained
iu the workhouse until the IS& of Sslitember On that
day she lett tine house with botii her children, the infant
being dressed in workhouse clothes. On the 2ith zsepteno
bet the body of a child was found in a stream of water
near to a dam, in the vicinity of Huddersfield. A person
named 'Mows found the body in the water, and when
he took it out it was considerably swollen sod in a
state of decomposition. The clothes upon the body be-
longed to the workhouse at Kirkheatou. On the 2atli
of September Holmes went to the house of the prisoner's
mother, and asked her if she had any of the workhouse
clothes. Slio replied in the alarm:dive, and pro-
duced a bundle which contained some clothes, observing
that she hail promised to return then, to the matron. In
addition to this statement she told Holmes that a sailor
bad died at the workhouse, and that when he was buried,
her infant was interns. at the same time, the burial being
duly registered by Mr. Dyson. After this she made another
statement, to the effect that the clothes had been given to
her by a woman living at Mold Ureen, whom she slid not
know. The prisuuer at other times made several difKreut
statements. She confessed herself to be a " guilty wicked
woman," and this expression she made use of frequently,
and added, " Oh, be us merciful to use as you can." Ou
one occasion she said that she was a guilty person, that
she thought of leaping iutu the water alter her child, but
that she was slwil'buuud and could nut do so. The
question to be decided was whether the body found was
the child of the prisoner. If the jury should think not,
there was an end of the case ; but if they should be con•
winced that the prisoner had wilfully thrown her offspring
into the water they must convict her of the crime with
which she stood charged.
A number of witnesses were called to prove the opening
of the learned counsel. The clothes the child had on when

taken out of the water were identified us belun_ing to the
workhouse. Mr. Clark, the surgeon, who had 1114t1, a post
munch% examination of the body, discovered Li bruise on the
head, but it was nut sufficient to cause death. From
its general appearance the child Seemed to be six or stven
weeks old.
The learned judge, in summing up, remarked that the
evidence of the surgeon tended to show that the child
found did lot belong to the prisoner, as he said that it was
six or seven weeks old, whereas, the prisoner's child only
lived a month. This was au important discrepancy nu doubt,
but there was the fact that the body wag dressed in the
workhouse clothes, a circumstance which established to

some extent the identity of the hotly.
The jury returned u verities of Au/ Guittp.
The remaining business of the assize. consisted of cases of
cutting and wounding, robbery, aid rape, none of which
powessed nay special interest.

THE POLICE COURTS.