The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-09 00:00:00

THE DOUBLE MURDER IN LONDON.

Mrs. Martha Bacon, the unfortunate woman charged
with the wilful murder of her two children, named
Edwin Fuller Bacon, aged 21 years, and Sarah Ann
Bacon, aged 11 months, has again been before the London
magistrates for further examination. The prisoner,
whose general health seemed somewhat improved since
her last e xamination, was accommodated with a seat at the
end of the solicitor's table, and fronting the bench. While
each of the witnesses were giving their evidence, she kept
her eyes steadily fixed on them, but did not utter a word,
and even when the horrible scene which her house
exhibited when the murders were discovered, and the
shocking state in which the poor children were found,
were being described, she did not evince the slightest
emotion. Her husband, who was seated near to her,
on the contrary, seemed deeply affected, particularly
at some portion of the evidence. Mr. Woodward
of the firm of Messrs. Taylor, Collisson, and Wood.
ward, solicitors, of John Street, Bedford Row, said
he was present to watch the case at the request of the
friends of Mis Bacon, who were respectable persons at
Stamford in Lincoldshit e. Since the last examination the
case had assumed a still more serious character; in the first
place, from the fact of Mr. Bacon's, the prisoner's
husband's assertion, that between the time of his leaving
home at a very early hour on the morning of Moaday,
to proceed to Reigate, and returning to his house on the
Wednesday morning, it had been robbed of a suit of
clothes, a watch, and seven pounds is cash ; and
in the next place, from circumstances that had
occurred at Stamford, from which it appears that
the poor children who have unfortunately become
the victims of the insanity of their unhappy
mether, have had a narrow escape from being burnt to
death. The witness, Harriet Payne, examined on the
former day, was recalled, and her former deposition having
been read over to her, she was further examined by the
magistrate as to the execs expressions male use of by
the prisoner when she first saw her on the Tacsday
morning before, and subsequently on her way is the
statio!, house, and to this court, and she could not
recollect anything beyond her saying that it was not
she that did it, bat that a man had entered the house
by a back window, aid had murdered bsth 'her chiliiren
and endeavoured to cut her throat, The witness
further seid that the prisoner had not enjoyed good health
since the birth of her youngest child • and in Jane last she
was sent up from St imford to St. Luke's Hospital, and she
(witness) aceompanied her there. She also frequently visited
her while at St. Luke's, and on each occasion she used to
inquire most affectionately for her children. She (the pri-
soner) was in the hospital from Jane to the 17th Oct. last,
when she lef ; and, after leaving, accompanied her hus-
band into Lincolnshire. and brought her children to town.
Police constable W. H. Cook was again examined, and
still maintained that from his careful examination of the
premises, be was satisfied that no one had surreptitiously
obtained admission to them Mr. John Bushell, the surgeon,
of Kennington laae, was next called, and the evidence he
gave on the Tuesday before, having been read over to him,
in addition to it he said, that since the last exa.adeation, he
examined the two knives produced by the constable, with a
powerful rniscroscope, and on one of them he could clearly
discern small globules of human blood, while the other was
perfectly free from any such sell is. He also expressed the
opinion that the wound in the prisonea's throat was produced
by her own act. Some further, but unimportant evidence
having been received, the case was again adjoarced.

ALLEGED DEATH OF .A PAUPER FROM ILL

TREATMENT.

Mr. %Vak'ey, the coroner, held an inquest on Wednes.
day, on the body of Anne Honors Lane, a young woman,
aged twenty four years, who died in St. Pancras, as a
casual pauper, on the 20th of Dec.last, under circum-
stances which involved a serious charge of gross ill-treat-
ment and neglect on the part of some of the subordinates
of the place. It appears from the evidence of a person
named Halsey, a pauper nurse of the casual ward, that
the-deceased was admitted as " a casual" on the evening
of the 24th instant. She did not complain, except
that she had a cough. She had a bed allotted to
her. There were eight beds in the ward, but as many
as fourteen people slept there sometimes,' straw
beds being placed on the floor. On the next day the
witness went to the dispensary, but there was no person
there- nor had there been all that day—it was Christmas
Day. On the Friday morning witness went again for
a doctor but found none. About twelve o'clock she
met Mr. Coster, and told him that the deceased was very
ill indeed. He sail he could not attend to her, and
referred her to Mr Andrews, the second medical officer.
She went to him and he came to the workhouse ahnet
three o'clock in the afternoon, and ordered th s deceased
a powder, which the witness gave her. This was all
the medicine she had, ant she died on the Friday
evening, the 26 b, about a quarter to ten o'clock. The
body was then washed, and removed to the dead house in
the ordinary way. In answer to the coroner, the witness
stated that there was a tire, but no candle Ira the casual
wards. A female pauixr, named Elie theth Wa,stafir, was
examined, and confirmed the material points of' the above
evidence. The casual wards were under the charge of two
pauper nurses, named Hilary and Thompson. On the Friday
the deceased asked to see a doctor, and Ililary said, " I have
made my report, and the doctor will attend you at
his pleasure," or "leisure," " and if von don't like that,
y nr can complain, to the Board of Health or the Board of
G lariiaus." The witness asked Hit al to send for a doctor,
but she replied, " I have made my report. The deceased
died almost imperceptibly the same evening, the
" casual," being around her bed. Dr. Francis Simpson,
who made a post mortem examination, sated that
death had resulted from acute consumption, and under
all the circumstances, he did not think that any kind
of treatment would have restored her to perfect health ;
but that was d theult to say. Mr. Elwin Andrew, the
assistant surgeon of the workhouse, denied that he was
summoned to attend on Christmas day, as the nurse had
stated. When she did came he attended at once, and
ordered the deceased a powder. After some further evidence
the jury retired, and on their return the foreman announced
that the jury had unanimously agreed tlia: the deceased
died a natural death, from disease of the heart and lungs,
and that it was probably accelerated by the teeny discamforts
of the casual ward, and recemrneuded the direc*ors to have
paid nurses in that ward, as they had already established
the infirmary. The inquest, which lasted nearly five hours,
then terminated.