The National Register.
London, England, 1820-03-19 00:00:00

Zszig Sntelitscna.

HOME CIRCUIT.—ESSEX LENT ASSIZES.
CliEugsFoitu,MAncu 10.
[Before the Lord Chief Baron.)
CHILD NIURDLIL
Rosalie Clerchod, au interesting young female, of great
personal beauty, a native of Switzerland, was indicted for
the will ul murder of her new-burls male illegitimate child,
at Barking, on the 20th of December last.
Ti a cis cumstances of this unhappy case were pecnliarly
affecting, iudeed pathetically romantic, and excited
universal sympathy. The pi ismer, a lovely and interest.
ing creature, was the daughter of a highly respectable
family at Lausanne, in Switzerland. A young gentleman
of that town had paid his addresses to her, contrary to the
wishes of her family, who had forbidden him the house.
His atte.aitions, how ever, were clandestinely coutio tied for
a considel able length of time, until Mademoiselle Clut-
ched's health becoming seriously alerted, her friends
guessing the sect et, determined to remove her far from
the cause of her indisposition. hoping that, by change of
scene and absence, her health would be restored, and that
she would for4et the object of her attachment. England
was resolved upon as the place of her sojournment, and
she took leave of leer friends to collie to this country. The
prospect of so painful a separation naturally produced the
strongest sensation in the minds of the lovers. An op-
poi tentity for a stolen interview was found, and in the
tumult of ardent passion, excited by feelings of strong
attachment, the bellSe of real honour and virtue was foe-
gotten, and, unhappily, that event occurred which even-
tually pillaged the object of ill-fated love into the deepest
affliction, and even subjected her life to the peril of au
ignominious foe 1 eiteire.
This being the day appointed for the trial, it is impossi-
ble to conceive the interest which the case excited. At a
very early hour the Court was croweted to excess by male
spectatoes, the vulture of the enquiry being such as to
exclude the other sex. The unhappy prisoner, during her
seclusion in the gaol, had been treated with the utmost
delicacy and teinieruess that the nature of her situatiou
would admir. At the hour appointed for her trial she
was conducted into Court with the assistance of some
female attendants. Agitated in every finite, and over-
whelmed with grief, site was almost carried into the dock,
and seated on a chair. She was attired in deep mourning,
and lies face was completely concealed with a veil, which,
if even removed, would nut have been enough to satisfy
the brutal curiosity of some individuals in Court, whose
unfeeling anxiety to behold the beauty of her connte-
silence, called forth the indignant animadversion of the
Judge, who checked the apparently inhuman indifference
~ ~,, to her awful situation. Her head, during the whole time,
was bowed on her bosom, and like a withered lily of her
native relies, seemed blighted by the chilling influence
of conscious disgrace and ignominy.
Mr. Knapp, the Clerk of Maize addressed her in very
good French, and stated to her die substauce of the in-
dictment,denianding whether she was guilty or not guilty.
With great difficulty she sobbed aloud, in French, that
she was Not Guilty. Being asked whether she would be
tried by a Jury of half Foreigners and half English, or all
English,
Mr. Watford, who was retained as Counsel Outer be-
half, interposed, and said, that there was no occasion to
put that question; she would waive the privileges of her
birth, and be tried by an English Jury.
Mr. Knapp thee explained to her the nature of the
array, and that she was to say that she would be tried by
God and the country, to which she bowed assent. The
Jury being sworn without any challenge,
Mr. Brod rick opened the case fur the prosecution with
great pathos anti feeling. The manner, as well as the
matter, of the Learned Counsel, produced a visible effect
upon ie whole auditory, and a general sympathy in fa..
Tour of the peisoner seemed to prevail. He observed,
that there was no heart, however obdurate. which could
nut but feel affected at the distressing situation of a young
and interesting lady like the prisoner, placed at the bar of
justice Vo answer with her tile to a charge of the deepest
complexion. Melancholy as her situation was, and much
as it was calculated to excite the compassion of every
man endued with the amiable affections of our nature, the
interests of public justice required that the Jury should
exercise their fortitude and firmness in the consideration
of an enquiry, fraught with circumstances which could
not fail of exciting their sympathy. If in the result they
should be satisfied that the case he had to lay before them
did not bring the serious charge contained in the indict-
ment home to the prisoner, he felt persuaded that every
man who heard him would rejoice at a result which
would rescue the unhappy girl at the bar front an igno-
minious and detestable punishment. The prisoner was a
*wive of Switzerland, and was the daughter of respecta-
ble parents hi that country. She had hewn a French
teacher at the school of a Miss Siff kin, at Barking.
Deiring the late severe winter she had been dreadfully
afflicted with chilblaies, so mucks° as to require surgical
aid. This iodesposition a good deal confined her to her
chamber. Confinement to her chamber was requisite;
but at this tiane.no suspicion whatever was eotertaiucii of
her being in a state of pregnancy. On the evening of the
NOth of December she desired a female servant iu the
house to air her bed linen, expressing a wish to retire
early to rest. Her wishes mete complied with, and she
went to bed at rather an unusual hour. Next intoning,
when the servant went tutu the room, she was still to bed,
* . * • • * • •• • •
On the following day the unhappy creature summoned
strength enough to gu down to Muller with the fatuity, uud
she endeavoured to appear cheeriest. The next day she '
appeared again ulowell, and desired to speak in private with
the servant. ,She spoke with the latter, and pointing to the
giglit chair in the room, said t•. her iu Woken English
e•
don't tell Miss Selfkiu." lee servant went to the
.
o.
up the
tic:vicar;
retiring
hfe,
ohiel
iadt
hole
ar
roam,
in- it
.faut.—Alar.. ed at the sight, the servant uttered a
.9.
toafr"lhoornrolirt,tililegudu
ler ell the ill ibUller in the most piteous accent besought her
not to tell Mies Sifikin. The alarm was giveu, and the
dreadful secret was spread through the house. A surgeon
a.. rent for, and the prisoner's own situation being alarmiug
. I was put to bed, amid every care taken of her health.—
/atm wits no violence visible on the body, and although
the long exploded, and even absurd test, of suffusing toe
lungs of the infant in water, had bee') tried, told were
touted to gnat, yet the result was extremely fallacious, for
at the tune of experiment the lungs were in a stale of pm
Wefaction, which, even admitting the child to have bass

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER.

born tread, would have necessarily been the case. Under
these circumstances the Jury was fist to pronouuce whether
the child was born alive, before they crone to a question,
which most materially MlN:tett the case of the prisoner.
Mr. Daniel Minor, a Surgeon of Diord, wirF• the 144
n inters examined, and he dt•pmeit as toliows ;—ln the
mouth of December I %%as calla .'in to attend the prisoner.
Ou the 25c1 of that month I was shown u male ichild. I
opened it tno nay. after, and I found the lungs healthy ;
they domed in water. From that alone 1 judAed that the
child was loon alive) but this is a very fallacious test-
-1111.1 e so.
The t hief Baron here interposed, and said, that the pri-
soner must be acquitted. There was no proof that the child
was horn alive. _ _

The Jury immediately found the prisan-r No' Guilty,.
amt also acquitted her of concealing the hi. th. A'
Tine verdict seemed to produce very goner:''
catboat
and immediately aftern aids the prisoner w• ! ' to the
care of her friends. tit - • I
--
The author of her sufferings, a y'!mi.
scious, us it should seem, of the tr hick
she aas placed, had teen inf.'. ....?es of
their illicit intercourse (1.. • exposed),
and haul set out a ith 4 • . ~ at iill hazards
to unite Lis band to In sue had arrived at
I'm is in pursuit of his jr, • , his pecuniary funds beisie
exhausted, he was detain,
volllfiig, that he did not reach
Eugliiiiil tell three thiyi a, - • the wretohed victim of his
attachment had been committed fur the of charg. d in
the indictment.

The A►aizes finiAied on Friday evening. Twenty-one
prisoner. received sentence of death. Two .heep•atealers
were left for execution.