The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-05 00:00:00

CONFESSION OF MURDER.

An extraordinary confession was made on Thursday
morning by a young woman, an inmate of the Kingston
pour house (Portsea Island Union), of two most cold-
blooded and predetermined acts of infanticide committed
about ten years ago. For some time past the woman,
whose name is Mary Anne Skinner, has been leading a
most wretched life from poverty and other causes; she
had latterly become an inmate of the above-mentioned
union, where, on Thursday, finding death approaching,
she raved and called for one of the guardians to come to
her. She called for her sister also, apparently a well-
educated and respectable young woman, and then made
a statement, which one of the guardians (Mr. Marks)
took down in writing from her lips, that she was
seduced by a gentleman, a member of the legal
profession, then and now residing at Gosport.; thato
the first fruit of their intercourse she, with his
months
afterwards and persuasion, murdered; that about 12
seducer,
who
afterwards she again became enceinte by her
hpains
of
took her to Portsmouth to a ball, where ttoe
fosport,
labour were brought on; he took h
ed
swi
otherst which
of
andhi n
was born alive; the child was
where she was confined the same neigrfhobtr,aeabknydthaefisneedcuhceilrd,
taken away in a pocket kerchief by bY
skeleton was found
dis-
posed of as the first had been (ao.
vherayt thesP man gave hbfeaermamrsontehye
his clerk, and c
mentioned by the
some years after in the
woman in her confession);
her wants, and to keep secret
(51.) to assist her to o
six 37
otherana
atrocitythe tran saarcetidoent
of making her
signature of the
respectable witnesses—around
. the
transactions.
detailed
gentlemanO intb httttalorie cnwicurohrcnsoufeempss sesatni
naonndn circumstances
d recapitulation of crime. Major
death-be Travers, one
peace of
bed of the wretched woman at the time
of
the
justices of the _ Portsmouth, was sent for
immediately by Mr. Marks to take down officially the
statement of the woman, but when ho arrived the woman
was either so terrified or so exhausted, or perhaps both,
that she could not again recount the story. Death ter-
minated her sufferings on Friday afternoon. The con-
fession made remains in the hands of the gentleman who
tookhe
it down, but is at the disposal of the magistracy.
board of guardians had a special meeting upon the
subject at their
offices on Friday afternoon, the result
of which has not transpired. The person implicated in
these atrocities has hitherto been considered one of the
most repectable and honourable inhabitants of Gosport.
The confession of the woman is very clear in names,
dates, and circumstances,. but from prudential motives,
and ;at the request of the authorities, we, for the pre-
sent, suppress them, in order not to defeat the ends of
justice. It is important to the credence of the state-
ment made by Skinner to add that medical testimony
pronounced her perfectly sane at the time of making the
disclosures.

PoaTsuouriiELEcTioN.--The writ for the election
of a Member to serve in the place of Sir Francis Baring,
Bart. (appointed First Lord of the Admiralty), was re-
ceived at Portsmouth on Friday afternoon. The day of
nomination is fixed for tomorrow, and the polling (if
any is demanded) for the following day. No opposition
being'contemplated, the usual ceremonies will be per-
formed, minus the agitation and interest which gene-
rally attend such proceedings. Sir Francis is expected
to be at the meeting of his friends and supporters at
Portsmouth this evening.
In the military circles it is stated that Prince
George of Cambridge will succeed the late Sir T. Ar-
buthnot in the command of the Manchester district ;
and Killkenny temporary district being abolished, that
Major-General Macdonald will be removed to Athlone,
as successor to the late Sir Guy Campbell.