The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-20 00:00:00

Ti

DER-in WESTMEMTER:
Yesterday Villiam Tomkins, aged 25, who stands
charged with the murder of Maria Eddon, was
examined before Mr.' Broderip, at the Westmi.leter;
Police-court, which was, as on the foritier'•tceak-4on;
thronged with persons anxious to get a glimliatiale4.l"
accused.
The prisoner was brought, at halt past ten in the

morning, from the House of Detention,- Clerkenwell, in.
the police van, and given over into the custody of Cain,
the gaoler of the court. He walked to the cell with e.
tremulous gait, and appeared in a very low and weak
state. - His father, mother, and sister shortly afterwards
visited him. He spoke but little during the interview,
which was one of the most affecting description, the
whole of the party being overwhelmed with grief.
After partaking of _some slight refreshment, at half-
past twelve he was brought into court, and appeared at
first more calm than on the previous examination.
Mr. George Pearse, of 5, Regent-street, Westminster,
surgeon, having been sworn,
Mr. BRODERIP said—Have you made, sir, a p( 1
mortem examination of the body of the deceased ? Mr.
Pt arse—l have.

Mr. BRODERIP—WiII you be good enough, sir, to
describe the appearances ? Mr. Pearse then repeated
his evidence given on Tuesday before the coroner's
jury. The external appearance presented a horizontal
wound three• quarters of an inch in length below the
collar-Ine. It perforated the cavity of the chest ~bont
half an inch from the breast bone, between the first cud
second rib, wounding the edge of the left lung, peen-
rating the pericardium, and wounding the pulmonary
artery. Six ounces of blood were effused in the peri-
cardium, and eight ounces in the cavity of the chest.
Mr. BRODERIP—Have you any doubt that the wound
caused her death ? Mr. Pearse—Not the slightest.
The prisoner became deeply affected, and leant on the
front rail of the dock.

Mr. BIIODERIP (to the accused)— Additional evidence
having been ,taken against you since you were last
before me, do you wish to say anything in reply?—The
prisoner stood motionless for a minute, and then shook
his head.

Mr. BRODERIP—Am I to understand that you have
no-thing to say? Prisoner (in a very low tone)—
Not hing .
Mr. BRODERIP—WiIIiam Tomkins, it is my painful
duty to commit you for trial at the Central Criminal
Court for the wilful murder of Maria Eddon.

The witnesses then signed the depositions, and were
bound over to prosecute.
The wretched man, whose mental sufferings appeared
to be most intense, was then removed from the dock.
His sister, a middle-aged, respectable-looking female,
was shortly afterwards so overcome by her feelings,
that she fainted in the yard attached to the court.
The prisum.r was again visited during the afternoon
by his friends, and became more composed. He is an
extremely quiet, harmless looking man.

ATTEMPTED MURDER of a CHILD
IN LIVERPOOL.
(From the Liverpool Courier.)
This morning a miserably-attired woman, dressed in a
faded pink bonnet and shawl, who gave her name Mary
Ann Scott, was brought before Mr. Rushton, at the
police-court, on a charge of having made three several
and determined attempts, with a razor, to cut the throat
of her daughter, a child of five years of age.
The case excited considerable interest upon the port of
a densely crowded court.
The principal witnesses against the prisoner were
her husband, who is a painter, and her eldest daughter,
Mary.
Mary's testimony was to this effect:—She bad heard
her mother declare frequently, during the last four
months, that she would either take her own life or the
life of one of her children; but as opportunities were not
availed of to put the awful threat into execution, time
passed away and no apprehensions were entertained.
However, yesterday morning the family were thrown
state
hn or e alarmboyi
by the prisoner rushing dosio stairs in a
e
f tneetinmaja,t,isntgattihnagt
sthhaetha"dshmeudhrafered
ldonheer ytheoudneegdesi
child. Mary immediately rushed up stairs, and beheld
her sister bleeding from wounds in the throat, inflicted
evidently with some sharp instrument; and a cry of
"Murder!" having been raised,
the police were attracted
to the spot, and the prisoner was immediately taken into
custody.
Dr. La 3 cock deposed that he had made a careful
examination of the wounds, and found that the
sharp instrument used in causing them had been drawn
three times across the most dangerous part of the throat
of the unfortunate sufferer, but that none of the arteries
had been incised. Under present circumstances, it
was impossible for him to state with absolute certainty
that the child's life was in danger, but, unquestionably,
it would require great care and skill to recover it from
the state in which it was lying, and the hemorrhage
which had taken place.
At this stage of the proceedings the husband of the
prisoner, a poor, ill clad individual, was called upon for
his testimony. He stated that his wife had had the
fever four months ago, and that since then she was never
exactly right in her mind, sometimes threatening de-
struction to herself, and at other times to the family, but
never, until now, giving unmistakeable evidence of a
sanguinary disposition,
Mr. Parkisson, to some extent, corroborated the hus-
band's testimony. He said the prisoner had delivered
incoherent statements in Bridervell, which led him to
suppose that her mind was affected.
The prisoner, in reply to Mr. Rushton, with tears in
her eyes, complained that her husband had for some
time been out of work, that her landlord had given her
notice to quit, and that the extremity of her circum-
stances had led her to fear that herself and her wretched
offspring would all be reduced to want.
One of the Bridewell keepers stated that she had
admitted to him that she had cut the child's throat three
times with a razor, and that she then dropped the razor
through an opening in the floor down into the cellar
underneath. Search was made for the deadly instru-
ment in the cellar; it was found and exhibited in court,
covered with blood upon the blade and handle. The
exhibition of the razor caused a thrill of horror and sen-
sation through the court.
Mr. RUSHTON asked whether the husband was out of
work, or whether there were any other circumstances
besides those already stated which might have induced
the wretched woman to attempt the perpetration of so
diabolical an act? The husband was ignorant of any
other circumstances, and he had been in full work for
the last three wet ks.
Mr. RUSHTON then directed the informations to be
tuken with a view to the committal of the prisoner for
trial. Ile directed that two surgeons should examine
into the state of the prisoner's mind, and that in the
meantime the greatest care should be taken of the
wounded child at the house_in Oriel-street, where it was
now lying.
The prisoner, who betrayed the keenest emotions
throughout the examination, was then removed from the
dock.

ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—The en-
suing season promises to be one of surpassing brilliancy.
Everywhere tho work of renovation is rapidly progress-
ing. A superb and entirely new orchestra has been
constructed with a view to vocal as well as instrumental
performances. Of this building, which may serve as a
model for its kind, we intend to give, in a few days, a
full description, with Shakspere's house, Remington's
aerial-bridge, the Chinese pagoda, and various novelties,
including I)anson's grand panoramic view, which are all
hastening to completion, and will shortly, it appears, be
open to the public for the season.
GLASGOW.—MEETING or MILL-WORKERS.—About
eight o'clock on Friday night information reached the
Calton Police-office that a large number of individuals
had assembled in a field at the back of North Brooke
street, Mile end, and that their numbers were fast in.
creasing. The chief superintendent, Mr. Miller, hap-
pened to be in the office at the time when the report
arrived, and he immediately hastened to the spot, where
upwards of 400 men had by this time assembled. When
he arrived at the place, an individual was haranguing
the meeting, and proposing to them resolutions to the
effect that they, the mill-workers in Messrs. Templeton,
Walker, and Fleming's mills, should meet at the same
place on Monday afternoon, and walk in procession to
the great demonstration of democrats on the public green.
Mr. Miller immediately requested the meeting to open
up, so as to allow the speaker to come forward and talk
with him, as he wished to be informed of the purpose of
that meeting, announcing, at the same time that he was
Miller,
the chief officer of police. He then requested the !meet-
ing to break up within five minutes.
.s
for interference
m
The individuals
swoh
little
tcomposedthat
threethe
cheersmeetingwere w resented
and in less than the specified time they had all sepa-
rated. Mr. Smart, assistant-superintendent, eastern
e proposedthl Mr.
district, when he learned the nature of the meeting.
dispatched a large detachment of constables to the spot,
who were in waiting in an adjacent field, to have dis-
persed the meeting by force, if necessary; but owing to
the circumstances above-mentioned, their services were
not required.
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.-011 Tuesday a
public meeting of the City of London branch of this
society was held at the Hall of Commerce, Thread-
needle-street ; John Labouchere, Esq., presiding. The
meeting was addressed by the Rev. John Harding, M.A.,
rector of St. Anne's, Blackfriars ; the Rev. Jas. Harris,
M.A., incumbent of Mile End New Town ; the Rev.
Alexander Crummell, M.A., a native of Africa, and
several other clergymen and gentlemen. From the
statement of the respective speakers, it appeared that in
India the operations of the society had been eminently
successful, more especially at Tinnevelly, in Southern
India, which some years ago was under the influence of
the grossest idolatry. The society's missionaries were
at present labouring throughout India, as well as in her
Majesty's possessions in the Gambia, Sierra Leone,
China, Angola, Morocco, as in the colonies and depen-
dencies of the British crown. Although the society had
numerous missionaries employed, there were many other
parts of the world whore their exertions would be suc-
cessful, and these places would he supplied as soon as the
funds would admit.

THE FINANCIAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.—The fol-
lowing programme has been published at Liverpool by
an association recently established:—" The objects of
the association to consist in directing public opinion to
the following principles:—l. A general retrenchment in
the national expenditure. 2. The revision of the as-
sessed taxes; of the malt tax; and of the excise and
stamp duties. 3. The transfer to direct taxation of those
imposts which interfere with the industry and limit the
subsistence of the people. 4. The equitable apportion-
ment of all needful taxation. Persons desirous of en-
rolling their names' as members are requested to signify
the same to either of the following gentlemen:—Mr.
Robertson Gladstone, Mr. A. H. Wylie, Mr. J. R. Jef-
frey, Mr. E. Brodribb, Mr. Bean, Mr. John Smith. The
association is influential, even in the earliest moment of
its existence, and promises to add strength to the pass
of just reform."