The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-15 00:00:00

THE WELSH FASTING GIRL CASE.

(CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAM.)
At the Carmarthen Assizes, yesterday, before Mr.
Justice Hannen, Evan Jacob and Hannah, his wife,
were indicted for the manslaughter of their daughter,
Sarah. Mr. Hardinge Giffard, Q.C., and Mr. Coleridge
(instructed by Messrs. Wontner and Sons, the Treasury
solicitors) appeared for the prosecution. The prisoners
were defended by Mr. J. Bowen and Mr. W. H. Micheal
(instructed by Mr. Lewis Bishop). The court was
crowded, and great anxiety was evinced by the people to
get a sight of the prisoners, who were very respectably

dressed.
The Rev. Evan Jones, vicar of Llanfihangel, Arrath,
was examined, and his evidence was very similar to that
given before the magistrates. He said that the prisoners
resided in his parish, and he had known them for nine or
ten years. They had now six children, the eldest being
about eighteen years of age. About October, 1867, he
was sent for by the female prisoner, and on arriving at
the farm she said, " Sarah wanted to see him, as she was
anxious about the salvation of her soul." She also said
that the girl had fasted for about a month, having
only taken a little water a few times. She then
appeared very ill, and he saw her from time
to time. Her health gradually improved, though
the parents said she still fasted ; and last year, as
she was quite plump and healthy-looking, he began
to believe that the story about the girl fasting was un-
true ; he said so to the parents, but they assured him the
girl did fast. And in November last it was decided the
girl should be watched by nurses from Guy's Hospital.
The watching commenced on the 9th of December, and
on the following Tuesday, noticing that the girl was
worse, he asked the parents to send the nurses away, be-
lieving that the child would then be fed. They, however,
refused, saying that they had nothing to do for the girl
but to make the girl more comfortable than the nurses
could ; they added that they could not give her food, as
as she could not take it. Two days after the child died.
In cross-examination, the witness said the prisoners wer e
always kind to their cildren.
The Rev. William Thomas was next called, and he de-
posed to visiting the fasting girl in 1869, in company with
Mr. T. Jones, of Llandyssil. He thought the child
healthy. She was very intelligent. She was attired in al
fantastic manner, And when he offered money to the I
mother he was told to place it on Sarah's breast.
Mr. T. Jones corroborated the last witness.
Dr. Pearson Hughes, Llandovery, was then called and
examined with refezence to an examination he made of the
girl early in 1869. He was told by the mother that the
girl had fasted for about 18 months, that she was para-
lysed in the left thigh, and that she had not opened her
mouth for ten months. During his visit, however, lie
ascertained that she was not paralysed, that she could
open her mouth, and he felt certain that she did not fast.
In fact, he heard a gurgling sound in the stomach, which
was caused by the mixture of air and fluid. In cross-
examination, he said the child might have been suffering
from hysteria, and that hysterical patients were very sub-
ject to dissimulation.
Dr. Robert Fowler, of Bishopsgate-street, London, was
examined, and he detailed the circumstances under which
he visited the deceased, Sarah Jacobs, known as the
Welsh Fasting Girl. In August last he was allowed to
make a partial examination of the girl, and he detected a
gurgling sound in the stomach, which was caused by the
mixture of air and fluid. The child was in bed when ike
went, and was plump and in good condition ; but he con-
sidered that she suffered from hysteria, and persons suf-
fering from that complaint often simulated various com-
plaints.

The evidence of the four nurses sent down from Guy's
Hospital to watch the girl was then taken. Their exami-
nation occupied a considerable time. They gave a minute
account of the progress of the watching from day to day,
and Sarah Palmer said that Mr. Davies, of Llandyssil,
told her that on the day before the fatal termination of
the watching he asked the prisoner to give food to the
girl, and he replied, " Not for the world."
Mr. John Hughes, surgeon, of Carmarthen, who was
on the medical committee, said he heard all the evidence
given at the magisterial investigation, and his opinion
was that the girl died of mental shock or nervous ex-

haustion.
Mr. Phillips and Mr. Thomas, both of Newcastle
Emlyn, who made the post-mortem examination of the
body of the deceased, agreed that all the organs were per-
fectly healthy, but the gall bladder was distended with
bile, and this was said by Dr. Taylor, in his " Medical
Jurisprudence," to be one of the appearances found to ac-
company death by starvation. They both attributed
death to exhaustion caused by want of food. It was
true, they said, that there was a layer of fat on the body,
but the muscles were flabby, and the omentum appeared
to have decreased. They thought the fat on the body
was not inconsistent with death from starvation. A
small portion of fceces was found in the bowels, and when
it was examined by the microscope was found to con-
sist of starch globules and pieces of bone, probably those
of a fish.
Mr. George Thomas, the county coroner, produced the
prisoners' statement made on oath at the inquest, and it
was read by the clerk of arraigns.
This concluded the case for the prosecution, and
Mr. Michael submitted that the indictment against the
female prisoner could not be sustained. He based his
argument on the fact that a married woman could not be
held liable for acts of omission. If there had been any
overt act it would have been different ; but, as the case
stood, he did not think it could be said she was guilty of
manslaughter.
Mr. Giffard, in reply, held that if persons engaged in a
dangerous trick of experiment and one of them lost his
or her life, the others were guilty of manslaughter.
Mr. Justice Hannen decided against Mr. Michael, and
the court then rose.
The jury were given in charge of the under sheriff for
the night.

WORILMEN'S INTERNATIONAL EXHIBI-
TION.

The Workmen's International Exhibitionwill be opened
to-morrow, at three o'clock, by his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, for and on behalf of her Majesty ; and
his Royal Highness will be accompanied by such of the
other members of the Royal Family as'may be in town.
The musical arrangements will be under the direction of
Mr. R. G. Wesley, and be on a scale of considerable mag-
nificence, nearly 1,000 performers being engaged. The
band has been selected from the Itoyal Italian Opera and
Philharmonic Society.