The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE IN TELLIGENCE.

NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Aylesbury, March 6.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PARRS.)
MURDER...-.Franeis Fleet was charged with the wilful
murder of Ann Ray, at Dunton,:in this county, by adminis-
tering to her two drachms of corrosive sublimate on the 26th
of June last.

Mr. Sanders was counsel for the prosecution, and Mr.
Power defended the prisoner.
From the testimony of the various witnesses examined in
support of this most serious charge, it appeared that the
prisoner and the deceased were fellow-servants at Denton,
the former being the shepherd and the latter the only
female attendant of a Mr. Duncombe, a farmer in that
village. For some time before the date of this transaction
it had become known to their fellow-servants that an illicit
connexion had sprung up between these parties, and it was
suspected that the deceased was in the family-way by
him. On fhe 26th of June the prisoner was work-
ing with some other men in the rickyard till one o'clock,
when he went into the house, as he said, to get some
bread and cheese from "the gal." In a few minutes,
however, he returned, and calling one of the labourers to
him told him that " the gal" was taken ill, and asked him
to go in while he went for assistance. On going into the
kitchen, the poor creature was discovered in .great agony,
vomiting dreadfully, and complaining of a burning sensa-
tien in her throat and stomach. For some days she con-
tinued to suffer much, ulcers having appeared in her mouth
and on her tongue,—and during all that time the prisoner
evinced great anxiety on her account, making frequent in-
quiries after her condition. On one of these occasions, he
was taxed with having given her " some stuff," when he
replied that "he had not compelled her to take it." On the
9th of July the deceased was removed to the Winslow Union
in a gig, and soon after that exertion she grew rapidly worse,
till one of the ulcers broke, and she died of exhaustion.
During her illness the prisoner was taken into custody, and
she made a deposition before a magistrate in his presence,
from which it appeared that on his coming into the kitchen
on the 26th of June, he had put some white powder into a
glass of water and told her to drink it off, declaring that he
would not leave the house till she did so. This she declined
to do at first, but being at last persuaded by him she swallowed
it, an 6 on the instant was attacked with the sickness and
pains which had been deposed to by the other witnesses, and
were attributed by medical testimony to her having taken a
quantity of white mercury, or corrosive sublimate. The de-
ceased also swore that she was then two months advanced in
the family-way by the prisoner, who knew that fact, and had
on a previous occasion caused herb take something to do
away with the child, but without effect. In addition to this,
she stated that the prisoner had some more of the same stuff
by him, and on being searched, a rag was found in his
pocket, containing a small quantity of corrosive sublimate,
an article which appeared to have been kept on the farm for
the purpose of application to the sheep under prisoner's care.
Mr. PowErt having addressed the jury,
His LORDSHIP summed up the case to them with great
care and perspicuity, telling them that if they should be of
opinion that the prisoner had administered this noxious sub-
stance to the deceased with the wicked design of procuring
abortion, he was, in the eye of the law, guilty of murder,
even though there was, in fact, an absence et any malice
towards the unfortunate object of his practices. lf, there-
fore, they thought that he had administered this poison
with that design, and that her death ensued from her having
so taken it, it was their duty, however painful it might be,
to return a verdict of wilful murder against the prisoner as
the bar.
I that she had died
to the deceased to procure abortion, am
•
in consequence thereof; on which a verdict of Guilty was
o
maTtheleyjfuorYundthtehnat
recorded. rtehtierepdristoonceorn
l'Auxic then put on the black cap, and hsiadderadthmeinir-isyteerrdedict ihaenpdonislotin-
Mr. Baron
pro-
ceeded to pass the awful sentence of the law upon the pri-
er; after which the jury begged to recommend him to
their opinion he had not contemplated any in-
jurydeceased. His Lordship then intimated to him
tmhertcyth4 t in
he should take care that the recommendation of the
jury should be conveyed to the proper quarter, though he
could not take upon himself to hold out any prospect of
mercy in this world.