The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-28 00:00:00

'AYS.
Cash.

G, AUGUST 28, 1865.

Confession of Constance Kent,

We have been requested to publish the following
statement :

" Sir,—l am requested by Miss Constance Kent to com-
municate to you the following details of her crime, which
she has confessed to Mr. Rodway, her solicitor, and to my-
self, and which she now desires to be made public.
_ _

" Constance Kent first gave an account of the circum-
stances of her crime to Mr. Rodway, and she afterwards
acknowledged to me the correctness of that account when
I recapitulated it to her. The explanation of her motive
she gave to me when, with the permission of the Lord
Chancellor, I examined her for the purpose of ascertaining
whether there were any grounds for supposing that she was
labouring under mental disease. Both Mr. Rodway and I
are convinced of the truthfulness and good faith of what
she said to us.

" Constance Kent says that the manner in which she
committed her crime was as follows :—A few days before
the murder she obtained possession of a razor from a green
case in her father's wardrobe, and secreted it. This was the
sole instrument she used. She also secreted a candle with
matches, by placing them in the corner of the closet in the
garden, where the murder was committed. On the night
of the murder she undressed herself and wont to bed, be,-
cause she expected that her sisters would visit her room.
She lay awake watching until she thought that the house-
hold were all asleep, and soon after midnight she left her
bedroom and went down stairs and opened the drawing-
room door and window shutters. She then went up into
the nursery, withdrew the blanket from between the sheet
and the counterpane, and placed it on the side of the cot.
She then took the child from his bed and carried him down
stairs through the drawing-room. She had on her night-
dress, and in the drawing-room she put on her goloshes.
Having the child in ono arm, she raised the drawing-room
window with the other hand, went round the house and
into the closet, lighted the candle and placed it on the seat
of the closet, the child being wrapped in the blanket and
still sleeping, and while the child was in this position she
inflicted the wound in the throat. She says that she
thought the blood would never come, and that the child
was not killed, so she thrust the razor into its left side, and
put the body, with the blanket round it, into the vault.
The light burnt out. The piece of flannel which she had
with her was torn from an old flannel garment placed in
the waste bag, and which she had taken some time before
and sewn it to use in washing herself. She went back into
her bedroom, examined her dress, and found only two spots
of blood on it. These she washed out in the basin, and
threw the water, which was but little discoloured, into the
footpan in which she had washed her feet overnight. She
took another of her nightdresses and got into bed. In the
morning her nightdress had become dry where it had been
washed. She folded it up and put it into the drawer. Her
three nightdresses were examined by Mr. Foley, and she
believes also by Mr. Parsons, the medical attendant of the
family. She thought the blood stains had been effectually
washed out, but on holding the dress up to the light a day
or two afterwards she found the stains were still visible.
Sho secreted the dress, moving it from place to place, and
she eventually burnt it in her own bedroom, and put the
ashes or tinder into the kitchen grate. It was about five or
six days after the child's death that she burnt the night-
dress. On the Saturday morning, having cleaned the razor,
she took an opportunity of replacing it unobserved in the
case in the wardrobe. She abstracted her nightdress from
the clothes basket when the housemaid went to fetch a
glass of water. The stained garment found in the boiler-
hole had no connexion whatever with the deed. As
regards the motive of her crime it seems that, although
she entertained at one time a great regard for the present
Mrs. Kent, yet if any remark was at any time made which
in her opinion was disparaging to any member of the first
family she treasured it up, determined to revenge it. She
had no against the little boy, except as one of the
children of her stepmother. She declared that both her
father and her stepmother had always begn kind to her per-
sonally, and the following is the copy of a letter which she
addressed to Mr. Rodway on this point while in prison be-
fore her trial:—

"'Devizes, May 15.

"' Sir,—lt has been stated that my feelings of revenge
were excited in consequence of cruel treatment. This is
entirely false. I have received the greatest kindness from
both the persons accused of subjecting me to it. I have
never had any towards either of them on account of
their behaviour to me, which has been very kind.
" shall feel obliged if you will make use of this state-
ment in order that the public may be undeceived on this
point.—" I remain, sir, yours truly,

" ' CONSTANCE E. KENT.

" < To Mr. R. Rodway.'"
" She told me that when the nursemaid was accused She
had fully made up her mind to confess if the nurse had
been convicted, and that she had also made up her mind to
commit suicide if the was herself convicted. She said-that
she had felt herself under the influence of the devil before
she committed the murder, but that sho did not believe,
and had not believed, that the devil had more to do with
her crime than ho had with any other wicked action. She
had not said her prayers for a year before the murder, and
not afterwards, until she came to reside at Brighton. She
said that the circumstance which revived religious feelings
in her mind was thinking about receiving sacrament when
confirmed. _ _ .

" An opinion has been expressed that the peculiarities
evinced by Constance Kent between the ages of 12 and 17
may be attributed to the then transition period of her life.
Moreover, the fact of her cutting off her hair, dressing her-
self in her brother's clothes, and leaving her home with the
intention of going abroad, which occurred when she was
only 13 years of age, indicated a peculiarity of disposition,
and great determination of character, which foreboded that,
for good or evil, her future life would be remarkable.
"This peculiar disposition, which led her to such singular
and violent resolves of action, seemed also to colour and in-
tensify her thoughts and feelings, and magnify into wrongs
that were to be revenged any little family incidents or oc-
currences which provoked her displeasure.
" Although it became my duty to advise her counsel that
she evinced no symptoms of insanity at the time of my
examination, and that so far as it was possible to ascertain
the state of her mind at so remote a period, there was no
evidence of it at the time of the murder, I am yet of opinion
that owing to the peculiarities of her constitution it is pro-
bable that under prolonged solitary confinement she would
become insane.

" The validity of this opinion is of importance now that
the sentence of death has been commuted to penal servitude
for life ; for no one could desire that the punishment of
the criminal should bo so carried out as to cause danger of
a further and greater punishment not contemplated by the
law.

" I have the honour to remain your very obedient servant,
"JOHN CHARLES RUCKNILL, M.D.
"Hillmorton-hall, near Rugby, Aug. 24"

Da. P USEY (according to the Reader) is said to
have in the press a formal reply to the letter which
Archbishop Manning recently addressed to him on behalf
of Anglo-Romanism. From what we learn of its contents,
says the Church Times, it will be almost as remarkable a
work as the "Apologia" of Dr. Newman. It will contain,
we are informed, not only a personal defence of Dr. Pusey's
position and policy, but a full and complete vindication of
the catholicity of the Church of England. Dr. Pusey will
address the letter formally to Mr. Koble, preferring this to
entering into personal controversy with Dr. Manning.
MRS. F ITZEIER BERT BATHING. —The Prince of
Wales's " wife," Mrs. Fitzherbert, took the water
like a duck at Brighton. She might be seen walking in
her stately beauty, like a queen, down to the beach ; a
trifle pale, perhaps, or a little flushed, from last night's
country-dances and late hours, but the salubrious waves
rushed up to kiss her feet. Martha Gunn, hailing her as
"Mrs. Prince," took her by both hands and buried her, a:,
it were, in Neptune's bosom ; as she turned in the water
the flash of her " beauteous ancles" might have been taken
for that which shot all silvery from those of Hesiod's
Amphitrite ; and as she rose from the waves and wended
towards the shore, Martha Gunn protested. that 'she went
iu, a perfect lily, and came out "fresh as a peach, Ma'am,
if you plew."--Athenxura.