The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-30 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MURDER.

Mary Ann Hataton, 23 years of age, was charged with
the wilful murder of her male infant at St. Blaize.

Mr. Bevan and Mr. H. T. Cole prosecuted, and Mr.
Carter defended the prisoner.
The prisoner, whose appearance was of the most
wretched description, appeared to be labouring under
great mental anxiety during the trial, and seemed to
take little notice of the evidende given by the various
witnesses. On the 234 May last the prisoner was met,
a short distance from St. Austell, having a child in her
arms, by a labourer named Cole, who took compassion
1 on her by allowing her to remain at his home for the
night. The prisoner was accompanied by another wo-
man, who had also a child, which was several months
older than the prisoner's. At Cole's house the prisoner
seemed to treat her child very cruelly, and two or three
times was told 'by Mary Cole that she ought to be
ashamed of herself for striking an infant, who was so
young that it knew not what it was beaten for. On the
2Gth of May the prisoner went to St. Austell, and there
asked a little girl named Elizabeth Peters if she had
found a purse, at the same time representing that she
had lost one containing 20s. The little girl, of course,
replied that she had not, and the prisoner then said that
she should look for it, and she asked th'elittle girl to hold
her child a few minutes, to enable her to do so, Peters
consented to do so, and the prisoner left. The little girl
waited in the street about half-an-hour, and finding that
the prisoner did not return she became alarmed, and
carried the infant to her mother's, who resides a little
way out of the town. Peters gave a description of the
woman to her mother, who immediately remembered that
she had seen such a woman pass her door but a few
minutes previously, and proceed in the direction of Lost-
withiel. The mother went with all haste after her, and
after walking about two miles, succeeded in coming up
to her. She said, in reply to questions, that she did in-
tend to come back after her child. The prisonerthen took
her bady, and after walking some distance with the wit-
ness back to Austell, she left. Later in the day she was
seen at the St. Blaize highway bridge, which is about
five miles from St. Austell. She was then resting the
child on the bridge. The attention of a witness was called
to the child crying very much, but no further notice was
taken of the matter. In the afternoon a little boy named
James Coombes, saw the body of a child in the river, a
short distance from the bridge, where the prisoner had
been seen standing a few hours previously. The child
was quite dead, and on an examination being made
by IMr. William Pearse, surgeon, he gave it as his
opinion that the child had either met with its death
by drowning or from a blow which it had received,
on the side of the head, where some extravasated
blood was found. The prisoner was apprehended on
the following Monday, at her brother's house, a
short distance from Liskeard, and acknowledged to the
police that she had buried her child. Several witnesses
were called, and proved the identity of the child.
Mr. Carter for the defence, contended that the
point of identity was insufficient to convict the prisoner,
but, supposing that that was proved to the satisfaction
of the jury, he submitted that there was nothing more
likely than that the child became troublesome in its
mother's arms, and accidentally fell over the bridge into
the water.

The jury found her guilty of manslaughter, and the
learned judge transported her for life.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—DERBY, JULY 27.
(Before Mr. Justice Coleridge.)
Francis Howls. 41, constable, was charged with kill-
ing and slaying Wm. Mallendon, on the 4th of July, at
Whittington.

Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Cockle appeared for the prose-
cution ; Mr. Adams defended the pri-oner.

On the day mentioned the deceased took away a child
(his niece) from the authorities of the union workhouse
at Chesterfield. The prisoner was sent to fetch the child
back ; a ruffle ensued between prisoner and deceased,
in which the latter was struck so brutally on the head
with a staff as to fracture his skull. Prisoner dragged
him, bleeding and weak from loss of blood, a short dis-
tance, again struck him, because he could not or would
not walk, and then conveyed him in a cart to Chester-
field. On Friday, the 6th, deceased was taken before
two magistrates, and committed to Derby gaol for a
month for assaulting the constable in the execution of
his duty; here he complained of headache, and was or-
dered into the infirmary, where he died on the Tuesday
following. It was thought that he was suffering from
appoplexy, and the surgaon ordered his head to be
shaved. This operation and a post modern examination
revealed an extensive fracture of the skull, and number-
less bruises on the head and arm.

The defence rai3ed was justification, deceased having
either resisted his apprehension, or first assaulted the
constable.

The jury found the prisc.ner guilty, and he was sen-
tenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labour.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.
Shrewsbury, July 28.
CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Mr. Justice Erle.)
COLLEY V. DIXON AND OTHERS.

Mr. Efuddleston and Mr. Scotland appeared for the
plaintiff ; Mr. Whately, Q.C., ani Mr. Phipson, for the
defendant.

This was an action brought to recover damages for
maliciously, and without probable cause, procuring the
plaintiff to be arrested on a charge of felony, and caus-
ing him to be imprisoned on that charge. At the close
of the plaintiff's case an arrangement was made by
which a verdict for 201. was entered for the plaintiff, it
being admitted that as far as Mr. Dixon was concerned
he had merely acted on the statement of- the other par-
ties at the moment, and had no ill-feeling whatr'ver
atzainst; the plaintiff, rho he now believed to be an ho-
nest man.

CROWN COURT.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron.)
ABDUCTION.
RlC44rCll"ent aged 40, labourer, was indicted for

having at Wroxeter, on the 22d of June last, abducted
Sarah Buttery out of the possession and against the will
of Richard Buttery, her father, the said Sarah Battery
being unmarried and under the age of 16 years.
Mr. Scotland prosecuted. The prisoner was defended
by Mr. Kenealey.
The prisoner was convicted, and after a severe admo-
nition from the learned judge, was sentenced to nine
months' imprisonment with hard labour.
Jane Jones, alias Shore, aged 20, described in the ca-
lendar as a dressmaker, was charged with the wilful
murder of her illegitimate child.
Mr. Scotland, for the prosecution, in stating the case
to the jury, admitted that the facts would not warrant
them in finding the prisoner guilty of the capital charge,
but only of the minor,offence of concealing the birth of
the child. Having called evidence to prove that part
of the case,

Mr. Taltourd, who appeared for the prisoner, addressed
the jury, admitting that, in the exercise of his duty, he
could not resist the minor charge.
The jury accordingly found the prisoner guilty of con-
cealing the birth, and she was sentenced to six months'
imprisonment with hard labour.