The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-19 00:00:00

TEE ATROCIOUS OUTRAGE AT BARNET.

' Yesterday morning, at 11 o'clock, Mr. W. PhiMinor'
chairman, and Messrs. J. Baxendale, W. J. Myers, v.
H. Cotterell, F. A. M'Geachy, and S. 0. Percivall
magistrates for the liberty of St. Alban's and countyfe
Herts, assembled at the Police-court, Barnet, for the
purpose of investigating the atrocious outrage, and--1
the unfortunate victim is now in a dying condition---eo
doubt wilful murder, of' Rebecca Brogsden, aged 63,L,
the night of Sunday, the 10th inst., in a barn in
_,l';
vicinity of Chipping Barnet. The court was deny
crowded. Shortly after the magistrates took their Ors two Irish haymakers, named Patrick Farley and P'?"",,
Cunningham, were brought up from St. Alban's Jr,
custody of Inspector Billers, of the S division, charged
on suspicion of being concerned in the horrible trans'
action, and placed at the bar. The deposition of
the dying woman (which is subjoined) had been Pre'
viously taken by the chairman of the bench, at tber
Barnet Union to the infirmary of which the a%
creature had been conveyed on her discovery.
following is the deposition of the dying woman, take
by Mr. Phillimore :—" My name is Rebecca Brogedeef
and I believe lamon my deathbed. lam 63 Yeer:
of age, and am a native of Macclesfield. On Sunday
night
habßop gs
I was journeying to see Plv.
son, S
is a fishmonger, at Deptibl.
Joseph
01 asseruotl
d 1
en o'clock,hwo
Kent. I entered Barnet late on Sunday afternoon, el 3
at last went to a beershop at Underhill, kept by
Hutson. Mrs. Hutson told me to go to Mr. Bryan" t
barn, close by. That was about 10 o'clock. I wen
there and lay about an hour, without going to sleep'
Four mon then came along the lane and came into the
shed. I could tell from their voices they were font
Irishmen. Three went out again and one remained is
going out, when the Paella
vatheshsehdemd.o
toI gstoaty,upanadnd vvalloaws
him to remain with me all
night. I refused, and be then laid hold of me, and be'
me down and knelt upon me." [The unfortunate womb
here related the brutality she suffered from the four men
in succession, the details of which are unfit for publiciv
tion.] Inspector Billers asked for a remand, in eonee*
quence of the absence of "Barny Burns," and evidence
which he had reason to believe would enable the police
to effect the capture of the other miscreants concerned'
The prisoners were remanded for a week. Government
have offered a reward of 100/., and there is no doubt
but the capture of all the parties will be effected. The
poor woman's death was hourly expected.

DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A SPITALPIELDS WEAVEI
—On Saturday morning a determined act of self-destrco'
tion was committed by a man named John Cordon,
aged 50 years, a weaver, lately residing at 5,
Chapel'
street, Spitalfields. It appears that the deceased had
been in a low state of mind for several weeks, through
want of employment, which had reduced him to poverty'
lie was last seen alive on Friday evening, when he pro-
ceeded to his home. On Saturday morning he was not
to be found, when search was made for him, and on
searching his room, he was discovered suspended by a
cord to his loom, apparently lifeless. A police constable
ran for Mr. Meeres, the divisional surgeon, of Brick-
lane, who promptly attended, and used means to re'
store life, but the vital spark had fled. The deceased
was a steady man, but was unable to bear up against
his difficulties.
SHOCKING MURDER OP TWO CHILDREN IN BIRMINGP
HAM, AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF THE MIIEDERESS.--'
On Fridry morning the neighbourhood of the Sand-pits
and Spring-hill was thrown into consternation 11
the rumour that two children had been poisoned hi
their mother, and on visiting the locality in which the
woman resided, the story was found to be too well
authenticated. From what we have gleaned, the fol-
lowing facts will present a pretty correct version of the
affair :—The perpetrator of the wicked deed is au
unmarried female, apparently about thirty-five years
of age, and the children, who are twins a little
more than two years old, are the reputed offspring
of a man named Brookes, whose name the unhappy
woman appears to have adopted. Her Christian name is
refuses
eosc et; agnitvse of the house in which the
up her maiden appella-
mtli°unnrdieTrbhwuetapss rhien cr
committed, situated in Eyre-street, are an
old couple named Roberts, from whom Brookes
rented lodging-room. The woman, who is in custody,
teas informed the police officers that she came from
Leicestershire about 10 weeks ago, at which period she
took
con up her abode at the above-named house ; and
her dition has Since been that of a vagrant,
as far as we can learn, dependent upon charity
for a subsistence. The man with whom she co-
habited has been seen to visit her, but little is km. W
of him beyond that. On Thursday afternoon she and
her children were observed by the old couple to
partake of their usual meals. About five o'clock the
mother undressed the twins, after which she took one
upon her knee and held a jar to its mouth containing
milk. The child drank with avidity. The woman
then carried the child to bed, and on descending
the staircase, she lifted up the other twin, to whom
she administered a similar dose. The children, uncon-
,cious of their unhappy doom, were placed side by
side, and soon fell into a sleep from which they
were never again to wake. About six o'clock in the
nor ning, she was heard to leave her room, open the
house-door, and walk into the streets. Roberts
and his wife rose soon after, and having breakfasted they
became somewhat curious that the children were so silent.
Mrs. Roberts went up stairs to their bedroom, when the
real fact was revealed. Before the news had spread
round the neighbourhood, the wretched woman re-
turned to her home, and almost instantly fell to the
ground in a state of stupefaction. The inmates, supect" lug that she also had paz-taken of something poisonous,
immediately sent for Dr. Hine and Mr. Humphrey, who
were promptly in attendance. The stomach pump was
applied, and a quantity of ale and laudar u n vomited,
NO that in a short time she began to di: pia; smyptoms
of reaction. After recovering her sensibility, she was
accused of poisoning children, and she at once ran off
towards the canal, and there is no doubt but size
would have plunged in had not Mr. Phillips, of the
Reservoir Tavern, followed after and brought her back.
Up to last evening she continued in a fair way for re-
coVery.--Birminglom Mercury of Saturday,

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