The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-11 00:00:00

MURDER BY A LUNATIC.

- - • -- -
WOODRRIDGE, SATURDAY MORNING.—AR occurrence
of a very painful and unparalleled character has taketi
place in the lunatic asylum belonging to Mr. Shaw, situ
ate in the Woodbridge-road, and known as Belle Vue
House, by which one of the inmates came to a sudden
and violent death. The circumstances attending this
lamentable case may be thus briefly narrated :—A fet
male, named Mary Bullman, of unsound mind, but gene*
rally of a quiet and peaceable demeanour, who had been
a patient of _.Mr. Shaw's for some years, was on Monday
last placed in the yard used for exercising the patients
with a girl about 12 years of age, named Susan Bennet,
a confirmed idiot, and, from her distressing affliction;
perfeetly helpless—in fact, she was unable to talk, walks
or feed herself. During the temporary absence of one
of the attendants, Mary Bennett, a nurse, went into the
exercising yard, when she saw the deceased lying ori
her back on the grass; the chair on which she usually
sat was standing up, and Bullman was leaning over
her. On getting nearer, she found that an apron,
worn by the woman, was twisted round the child's
neck. She was quite still, and appeared dead
Tho moment Bullman saw the nurse, she tooli
the apron off the deceased, and wrapped it round het
arm. The nurse commanded Bullman to go to her room;
when she replied, " No, I will stay and see if the
dies. I will stay and see the last of her." When re.
quested the second time to go, she replied, " Oh, non:
sense, do not talk so silly; if you do, I will serve yoti
the same," at the same time showing the apron-strings`
and added, "these are what I did it with." Medica
aid was called in, but life was found to be quite extinct.
Dr. Durrant, the visiting physician to the asylum, said
that the woman was in such a state as to be unable to
distinguish between right and wrong.
An inquest was held on the body by Mr. Jackman, the
coroner, and the above facts having been sworn to, the
woman Stillman was placed before the jury, and she at
once admitted to them that she had strangled the child,!
but assigned no reason for so doing.
The jury having consulted, they returned a verdict
"That the deceased was strangled by Mary Bullman, and
that the said Mary Bullman, at the time she committed
the act, was of unsound mind."

The deees-sed and-her murderess were both received
from the Newarket union-house.

SUICIDE.

An inquest was held a few days ago, at Herstmonceux,
on the body of Caroline Crowhurst Peckham, aged
seventeen years, who, it appeared, had been for some
months in the service of Mr. Davis, brewer, Herstmon-
ceux, but who WAS, missed, and on search being made,
was found down a well quite dead. The following evi-
dence was given as to her state of mind at the time she
committed the act:—

Francis Davis, who lived with the deceased's master,
deposed—The deceased told me, a few days before,
when I said she was thoughtless, and did not fix her
mind on her work, " I know I don't, I shall be better
after a week or so; for Jim (meaning James Winbourn,
at Mr. Gorham's, at the shop) is going to leave, and I
shall be better after that." About Thursday last, she
said that she passed the brewery office, and one of the
men read some poetry which she had sent to Winbourn.
I asked her if she wrote anything more; she said, " Yes,
a few lines," and she had written her name to it. She
said she felt as if sho could not pass the brewhouse again.
In her general conduct she was very cheerful, and easily
excited, and was all mirth.

Ames Everest deposed—On Friday night James
Winbourn showed me a letter he had received from the
deceased. He showed it me in the shop. William
Tupper was there, and we all read it. It was afterwards,
on Tuesday, put on the wall and exposed. It contained
a lock of hair, and some verses.

" For ever faithful, fond, and true,
My love I am to you."
There was a good deal of laughing and chaffing among
us and the other youths who saw it. I afterwards burned
the letter the same day.
James Winbourn deposed—l am assistant in the
grocery shop of Mr. Gorham, and the deceased was in
the habit of coming to the shop, as other servants do.
I used to have joking conversation with her and others
there, but I never walked or kept company with her.
On Friday night, the 4th of August, she came to the
shop, and put a letter into the scale, directed to me, and
asked me if I would have it. I told her I did not want
the letter nor her either. She left the letter. I read it
with two other youths whom I called in. There was a
lock of hair and a ribbon, which I burned, and I and
llonisett together put the letter on the wall at Davis's
brewery, where she lived, and there was a good
deal of chaffing about the letter. I saw her at
the shop several times- after, and she 'asked me
if I would forgive her. I asked her what for? On
Thursday night last I was at Mr. Davis's gate with
Ilonisett, and she came out and said "James, can you
say—yes or no?" and "I should never have another
opportunity." I said I did not mind, and came away.
Next morning, being Friday, about nine o'clock, she
passed me, returning from taking the children to school,
and she said good morning to me, and I said good
morning to her, in passing; this was all the conversation
we had. She appeared cheerful then. I never saw her
after. I thought and always heard of her being simple
and weak-minded, differing from other young women.
The truth is, I put the letter on the wall of the brewery.
Verdict—" Drowned herself in an unsound state of
mind."—Sussex Advey tiser.