The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-19 00:00:00

THE

Mary Butcher, ;ii' described as a Man:iOd woman, was
brought up to plead to two indictments, one of which
charged her with the wilful murder of Emma Butcher,
and the other with committing the same offence upon
Agnes Butcher.
The circumstances of this case wiU be fresh in the re.
collection of our readers. The prisoner was a married
roman, and during the absence of her husband she ap-
peared to have deliberately destroyed the lives of her two
children by drowning them in a tub of water in her
tearoom. She then threw herself head foremost into '
a tub of water in the yard, and was only rescued
last in time to save her life. There did not
appear to be the slightest doubt, from the circum-
anon under which the dreadful acts were committed,
rod her subsequent conduct, that the prisoner was not in
each a condition of mind as to render her criminally re-
moosible, and when she was now placed at the bar she ap-
peared to be utterly unconscious of all that was taking
place.

Mr. Montagu Williams slid he was instructed to prose-
cute the prisoner, but ho believed she was in such a state
as to be quite unable to plead, and in point of fact in a
condition of complete insanity. The surgeon of the pri•
am was in attendance, and he said that he would give
his lordship the mice-entry legal evidence upon the subject.
The jury were then sworn upon the voire dire, to say
whether the prisoner was of sound mind and understanding,
sad in a fit state to plead to the charges that were made
Against her.

Gibson, the surgeon of the gaol of Newgato,
wu then examined, and he stated that the prisoner had
been under his care since the 24th of August last, and he
had seen her frequently since that period. His opinion
was that she was decidedly of nnsound mind, and that she
was Utterly unconscious of the nature of the charges that
were made against her, and not in a fit state to plead.
The jury upon this evidence returned a verdict that the
Prisoner was now of unsound mind and unfit to plead, and
the learned judge ordered that she should be kept in safe
custody until she should be in a condition of mind to take
her trial,

NEW COURT.
(Before the Common Serjeant.)
• kORIIERT IVErn VIOLENCE. 1
Edioard Price, 17, labourer, was indicted for a robbery
(shit others) with violence on Edmund Phillips Wood, and
stealing from him an emerald gold pin and part of an
umbrePt,
Mr. Cover conducted the prosecution, and stated that
the prosecutor was a barrister well-known in this court,
and besides wa.s Professor of Hebrew at King's College.
On the night of the 2t tit August he was returning home to
chamte, in the Te.,.ple from the residence of a friend
PS Primrose-hi.l, whelk en arriving in Oxford-street
Isis attention was drawn to an extensive fire that
was raging at a large distillery in Museum-street, but
which was believed at first to he at the British Museum.
The prosecutor feeling a deep interest in that institution
went forward into the crowd when he was immediately
aurroundtal by three or four fellows of whom be believed
Us prisoner to be one. The umbrella was seized by one
of Mums at the silk end with such violence that the
handle was broken off and left in the prosecutor's hand.
A long sword remained in the handle, and this formed a
useful weapon to him in partially keeping the assailants
la bay. They however raised a cry of Give it him !"
and thereupon the prosecutor was set upon and hustled
and bonneted with great violence until a constable came
op and deairedthe prosecutor to keep close to him. The men
made their way out of the crowd, but the prisoner was
found crouching down as though to conceal himself, and
*e taaen into custody. On emerging from the mob the
Prosecutor found that he had not only lost his umbrella
but his gold breast pin. This fact was proved by Mr.
Wood, who was corroborated by the constable 114 F.
Mr. Wood mentioned to esti court that the prisoner
when before the magistrate admitted the assault, but
denied the robbery, and he (Mr. Wood) could not swear
to him as concerned in the theft.
The /1117 Acquitted the prisoner of the robbery, but
found him thrifty of a common assault, and the paean_ or,
ltho Tram not known, was sentenced to two mouth'. hard
hbour.

,I?elPatches were sent yesterday from the Co-
~osto the l;overaor of' Malta.