The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-10 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

In accordance with orders received from the War-
office, the whole of the wives and children belonging
to the men of the 4th company of Royal Engineers,
despatched from Chatham to British North America
at the close of last year, have left head-quarters
and embarked on board the Adventure, to join their
husbands.

Fifteen non-commissioned officers of the Indian
Engineers who have completed their course of engi-
neering instruction at head quarters, Chatham, have
been placed under orders to embark on board the
Sydenham, for Madras. The remainder of the In-
dian Engineers will shortly embark for Bombay.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.-July 9.

TRIAL OF MRS. VYSE.

The evidence for the prosecution appeared in
The Sun of yesterday.
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine having addressed the
jury for the .defence, called the following wit-
nesses :
Mr. Richard Vine—l am a retired chemist and
druggist, and live at Bayswater. lam the uncle
of the prisoner, the brother of her mother. I had a
brother named Peter. Vine, who committed suicide
while in a state of unsound mind. My mother was
of a very melancholy disposition, and used to wan-
der about the roads and lanes crying. A first
cousin of mine and other relatives, both on my
mother's and father's side, have been placed under
restraint.

Cross-examined by Mr. Chambers—My brother
was not married, He had been a chemist and
druggist, but had retired. He lived in my house,
and committed suicide there. He had met with no
disappointment in life. He died from taking
prussic acid, and had been before committing the
act in a depressed and melancholy state. He had
always been rather weak in intellect.
Dr. Hood, physician at Bethlehem Hospital,
proved that James Aynsherd, a first cousin of the
prisoner, on the father's side, was admitted in 1846
to the hospital and discharged uncured. All forms
of insanity were hereditary. The kind of insanity
of James Aynsherd was what was termed paroxys-
mal, which was a species of madness that often
resulted in suicide or homicide.
Mrs. Elizabeth Frampton deposed to various acts
of eccentricity on the part of the grandfather of
Mrs. Vyse on the mother's side. He was called
" Mad Saunders."
Mrs. Frick said that the maternal grandmother
of Mrs. Vyse once attempted suicide, and another
relative was subjected to confinement in her own
house on the ground of insanity.
Mr. William Dennis said that he had an aunt
who was also a relative of the prisoner, who was
subject to fits of insanity.
Mr. Frick said that Mrs. Jane Taylor of Havi-
land, a first cousin of the prisoner, was a lunatic.
Mr. W. Edney, of Ludgate-street, boot and shoe-
maker, said he had known the prisoner for some
time. He made two pairs of boots for the two chil-
dren. The prisoner was very much interested in
their dress and appearance. I always thought that
her demeanour towards her children was that of a
very affectionate parent. I remember the Monday
before the murder. She came to my shop and brought
back the two pairs of boots, and appeared very ex-
cited. She said they were not elegant boots, as she
had ordered. She was in a dreadful passion, and
when I told her I saw nothing the matter with the
boots she stamped her foot on the floor and said I
was not to answer. She complained about her own
boots, and lifted up her dress in a very extraordinary
manner, and told me a gentleman had found fault
with the toes of her boots. She stood in a very wild
state and dashed about the shop. She also said that
if she were me she would horsewhip my men. I
expressed my opinion to my foreman and shopmen
that she was out of her mind. She was gene-
rally very excitable.
Mr. James Spence—l am a draper in St. Paul's
Churchyard. On the 22d May I accompanied my
wife to Mrs. Vyse's, between one and two o'clock,
to purchase a bonnet. Mrs. Vyse was upstairs, and
we sent for her. She seemed peculiar, in her
manner, and did not seem willing to attend to
busines. She also tore a flower out of a bonnet very
violently, and dashed it to the ground. There
seemed to lie a kind of smouldering fire of temper
ready to burst out, and my opinion was that she
was not in a proper state of mind. •
Cross.e.carained by Mr. Chambers—Mrs. Spence
found fault with the bonnet before the prisoner tore
the flower from it.
Elizabeth Burkitt—l was a servant with Mrs.
Vyse for some years. I remember the death of her
child, at Surbiton, in 1860. Mrs. Vyse came down
when I informed her that the child was ill, and
stayed with it day and night. After the death of
her child her conduct was very singular, and on
one occasion she threw the tea-things into the fire.
She afterwards forgot the occurrence.
Cross-examined—Mrs. Vyse was not intoxicated
at the time. In fact she took nothing stronger than
milk and water while she was nursing the baby.
Dr. George Merritt; examining surgeon to the
Indian troops—l am the medical attendant of the
prisoner. After the death of the child Mrs. Vyse
became subject to morbid melancholy with occa-
sional fits of paroxysm. Mrs. Vyse always dressed
with taste, and was very ladylike in her demeanour,
and appeared almost unduly anxious respecting the
health of her husband and children. I recommended
her not to leave town, lest the cessation of her usual
occupation should increase the melancholy. She is
now two or three months advanced in pregnancy.
I believe she was in a state of mania at the time the
murder was committed.

Cross-examined—l ground my opinion as to her
mental condition upon several circumstances—
namely, her hereditary taint, her irrational im-
pulses, the deterioration of her health from time
to time, and her conduct throughout the affair. I
have noticed her rush away in the midst of conver-
sation with me, without accounting for her conduct.
Her manner of conversation was also exciteable,and
at times strange. This was before I ceased to at-
tend her in February last.
Dr. Forbes Winslow—l am a physician, and have
made lunacy my study for 20 years. I have been
in court during the whole of this day.
Sergeant 13allan tine—Having heard the evidence,
what
con-
dition is your opinion respecting her mental con-
Mr. Chambers objected to this question, and the
Court ruled that it could not be put.
Examination continued—Under certain circum- j