The Express.
London, England, 1858-03-29 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—KINGSTON. dincri 27.
CROWN SlDE.—(Before Mr. Justice Williams.)

SaraA Brawn, a girl aged 13, was charged upon the eoro-
net'. inquisition with the manslaughter of a male child ,known
by the name of John.
Mr. G. Denman conducted the prosecution. The prisoner
had no counsel, but, at the request of the learned judge, Mr.
Robinson watched the case on her behalf.
The learned counsel for the prosecution, in opening the
case to the jury, said it wee one of a very painful character,
the child at the bar being accused of the manslaughter of
ber own brother an infant, one year and nine months old,
and the cause of death was alleged to be by the child being
wilfully scalded with boiling water by the pri-
soner. The prisoner and the deceased were both
illegitimate children, and their mother being in poor
circumstances was in the habit of going out to daily labour,
and she left the dressed, and a little girl four rue old, who
was also illegitimate, in the charge of the prisoner, and it
was during her absence on the 18th of January last that the
offence winch was the subject of inquiry was committed.
The primmer, as they would see, was very young, and he
thought it right to inform them that the law with reference
to such cases wee, that under the age of seven a child was
not considered criminally responsible, but between atm and
fourteen a child was responsible, even to the extort of being
convicted of murder, if a jury should be of opinion that Ur
child was of oonipstent mind and understanding to know the
difference between right and wrong, end the 9oneequenees

that were likely to (Quo from any net committed by it. The
following evidence waa then adduced:—
Mary Brown deposed that she was the mother al the
prisoner end the deceased, and she had a third child, a little
gal, four yams old. They were all illegitimate children. In
Januar teat eh* occupied a room at No. 57, Bird-street,
and got her living by going out washing, and the
primmer took ears of the other two children during her
atamea. On the lath of January she went out shout half-
past amen in the =min . She returned home at six o'clock,
end dr then found the deceased little boy very ill, and, upon
examining him, she discovered that the bottom part of bis
back was dreadfully rcalded or burned. She took him to two
doctors, named Wood and Wekem, and subsequent) y the
perish doctor, Mr. Arthur, saw him, and he attended him
until his death. She asked the prisoner how it had happened,
and she said that she had washed him and put him before the
are to warm, and she repeated this answer ewers, times. The
child died on the 23rd of February, and in the morning the
coroner's inquest was to be held she again aged the pri-
soner how the child came to be burned, and she then said
that he had " mimed " himself, end abe put him into a pan
of warm water. She then asked the prisoner if the water
wee boiling hot, and ohs said it was not; and upon her In-
quiring whether she did not think it was very wrong to treat
the child in such a manner, she said she did.
Crose.emmined—The prisoner had had the care of the de-
famed child ever since its birth. There was a fire in the
room, and a saucepan that contained boiling water. The
only meal that was in the room was a tin pan for washing
hands. She went home in consequence of being told that
something had happened, end found the prisoner vary much
highued.
examined—The pan she allude) to was large enough
to bare held the child if its body had been doubled and
placed in it.
Amelia Janes, a lodger in the same home, deposed that at
about half-peat eleven o'clock in the morning she heard loud
gis the room where the children and the prisoner
wee, she went in and maw the deceased child with a
large burnt plans on its back, sad it eppeared as though
them hid been a blister, and It bad broken. The prisoner
said that she bed washed the child fa cold water and then
warmed him by the Ire. She told the primmer t she hed
hem seektimg bar brother, sad she said she hag not she had
wetenTzeitamillism_shous et the Ire.
had known the prisoner some time,
end always camildered her an obstinate end sullen kind el
girl. Sametimes she would not give an answer when any
lee Iris le bar. •