The Express.
London, England, 1860-03-22 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCIT/T. —Livia, MARCH 21.
(Before Lord Odd Justice Brio.)

Caroline Martin, 28, at tunnanisd woman, was charged
with the wilful murder of her female Megitimate child.
The coroner's Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter
.(niziiinst the prisoner, but she was eubsequently com.
by the = roagistrates upon the charge of murder, The grand iury having returned a true bill, she was put
upon her trial for the more serious offence.
Mr. Attree and Mr. Hurst conducted the prceecutice ;
Mr. Roo *1 was counsel for the defence.
• verdict of "Manidsueter" was returned.
Hannafs Moore, 20, a dim4utive girl, was placed at the
bar to plead to an indictment which charged her with the
wilful murder of her illegitimate child, Alfred James
Moore.

Then was a second indictment against the prisoner which
charged her with the capital offence of feloniously adminis-
tewng to the same child • large quantity of deadly poison,
caied white precipitate, with intent to murder it.
When the prisoner was arst called upon to say whether
she was guilty or not guilty, she replied a low voice,
"Guilty.
Lord Chief Justice Erie told the prisoner that if she
ward take his advice, she mold plead not guilty ; and he
rim her the advice because be thought it probable that she
did not understaid the precise nature of the charges that
were made against her.
The prisoner then pleaded not guilty to both the h
The indictment for murder was not proceeded wictliMt
the ppnrrsooaasry was given in charge to the jury for the offence
of feloniously administering poison to the deceased child
with intent to murder.
Herjeant Ballaatine was specially retained, with the Moe.
0. to conduct the prosecution. The prisoner had
on control, Oat, upon an intimation from the court, Mr.
Barrow kindly consented to act me her behalf.
liaaisaat Ballantine mewed the case for the prosecution.
It appeared that the power was • person in humble
circumstances, sad that she was legally chargeable to the
Eworth UOJOIN and on the ITth el November last year
was admitted into the watchers with the child inqtrn
which was then alma two worths old. She was at this
time in a very miserable air dirty 000ditt,s•on, and
very soon after her admission to the workhoar
she was supplied with • variation of mercury, known an
white prempitstp, mixed with lead, for the purpose of
(Manning her hied. This preparation, it appeared, was
red twice by her, and the remainder, whir according to
the evidence coosisted of Most the grater of the sum of
a walnut, was placed on a window-home in am of the
wards of the workhouse. The child to be tolerably
healthy when it came into the workad nothing was
observed to be the matter with it except the ordinary ail-
ments to which children of temler age are subject.
Nothing particular occurred until the 20th of De-
cember, and on the noorning of that day the Mild=
to be in good health. in the course al the
the primmer asked one of the area, whe was
employed as a sort of portrem to buy her • pennyworth of
white precipitate powder. She did so, mil gave it to the
prisoner, the quantity consisting of about twenty peke end
the paper in which it was wrapped Moir era tt in
large letters the word " Poison. Tplre was on dear,
from the use that had formerly been made of the
that the prisoner was perfectly well aware of its
meter ; and it was one of the eireurtaines sired premed
against her that she had no wows*
qlll4llllllll an lupe-
dlent, as she could have obleieed any **ma re-
quired by applying to the medical ram watchmen
In the course of the evening of the seam day that the
prisoner had obtained the whirr as*ibite radar the dr-
, oungtamous 1166,teci, some arrowroot walaiadableral to the
' child by the pawner, and immediately elm Wag it he
was violently sick, and during the night the poor Went
was heard to make several peculiar shrieks, se though it
was in great army. 91k the following morn* the child
was found to be drmffully ill, and, according to the evi-
dence of 906211 of the witnesses, it had become " quit, an
old man^ dazing the night, and its appearance had under-
gone the most extraordinary change. It continued sinking
during the whole of that day, and expired about 2 o'clock
on the following morning. It would seem that the circum-
stances attending the death were such as to immediately
create suspicion in the minds°, the authorities of the union,
and the prisoner was told by Mrs. Hobbs, the matron
of the workhouse, that the child could not be buried with-
out further inquiry, as there was • strong suspicion that she
had given it something wrong. The prisoner replied that
she had heard soniethiag of the sane sort, and she was very
glad the child was ries to le apaaad as she had not given
it anything.
.The =Masa then wised her what she had done
with the precipitate powder that had bees purchased for
bas, and she at Est said the* she bed rubbed it into her
had as it was. Bins was told that if she lad done this she
mast have injured hindf eery much, and the prisoner
then said that she led Wand it with the portion
that was left a that whisk -hal boa migisall
supplied to he, and she as& •an sr two etloor
eahlredictory etatereente sekk regard to the anedisr
in which she had dimmed of the lecrous ingrodient. Upon
• pat-martensanucination of the veered child by Yr.
Shout and Yr. jilartill, the medical alone of the mien. the
cause of death was discovered to be violent irlenumatioe
of the small internam, ad there were unnsiatakeable inch.