Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-17 00:00:00

CONFESSION OF MURDER.

At the Worship-street Police-court, London, on Tues-
day, Maria, Clarke, a care-worn, miserable-looking
woman, was charged before Mr. D'Eyncourt with a
de:ermined attempt to destroy herself. On being placed
at the bar, the prisoner was at once recognised as a
recent Inmate of the Hackney workhouse, who had under-
gone an examination last week at this court for the
alleged murder of her female child, eight years old, by
throwing it into the itsgent's Canal, on which occasion
she was remanded in the first instance, but ultimately
discharged, in the absence of any direct evidence against
her. Wiliam Henry Thomas, a French polisher, living in
John'S-row, St. Luke's, was now examined, and said : I
am brother-in law to the prisoner, and on her release from
custody last weak I offered her an asylum in my house, and
engaged to provide for her until she procured a situation.
The prisoner thankfully a'-cepted the offer; and, although
she was evidently very unhappy in her min i, she remained
with us until about ten o'clock last night, when she suddenly
got up, while we were sitting comturt ably together, and
after kissing my child, shook hands with me and my wife,
and told U 3 that she could nit stay any longer. I remon-
strated with her upon leaving us at such an hour, and en-
paired where she was going;. but she made- no answer,
and hurried: out of the honse. Suspecting that she in-
tended to commit suicide, I hastened after her and fol-
lowed her closely for nearly two miles in the direction of
the particular spot near the bridge of Daleton, from
which her dead'chial had been taken out of the canal, on
reaching which the prisoner stopped short, and after
looking duwn upon the water she started back- with an
anguished cry, and rapidly made her way towards the
next bridge. I followed her as fast as I could, but heard
a loud scream and " splash." Before I was able to over-
take her, I saw her struggling in the water. On. raising
an alarm, the keeper of the adj Acing lock arrived with
the drags,and after hsving twice sunk,the prisoner was at
length brought out in a state of insensibily. Police con-
stable Lewis,N. sS6istated that at the time in question the
prisoner was given into custody as soon as she was re.
stored to consciousness ; and on being taken to- the
station house, the documents which he produced were
found attached to the inside of her bonnet. The papers
in question, which were enclosed in an envelope ad-
dressed to the prisoners uncle, " Mr. Clarke, wheelwright,
Hackney Real," were then read by Mr. Safford, tha
second clerk, and coneisted of two letters to the following.
effect :—"Dear Friend—l and my child have suffered
much in Hackney Union, and to save the child from being
so wrong as I have been, it would be better for her to go
to Jesus while young. I myself have thrown her into the
Regent s Canal. I committed perjury about six years
ago. I thought walking in the water would be easier than
hangiug far myself. Christ save me." The second letter,
which was nearly a repetition of the other, contained the
words :—"Dear Friends—All is well ;. Christ calls me
home. I have broken all the commandments, and- am
without cue plea; but His blood was shed for me. I
myself threw my child into the water, and watched it
there. I same, Jesus." Oa being asked if she wished to
say anything in answer to the charge, the prisoner, who
had listened attentively to the perusal of the letters,
eagerly exclaimed—" It is my writing—all of it." Mr.
Wl:plc:et said that it was a most lamentable case, and
he felt it his duty to commit the prisoner for the wilful
murder of her child ; but she would be brought up again
for the formal completion of the depositions.