The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-10 00:00:00

EPSOM RACES—(ThIs Day. )

82. ELECTRIC TELEGRAPB.)

RAILWAY PLATE.

Jane Shore..;..

Nine ran.
LATEST BETTING.
CITY AND SUBURBAN.
sto 1 apt Fisherman (taken)
sto I agst Boer (taken)
6to 1 agst St. Hubert (taken)

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justiceq Creswell and Crompton )
THE ISLINGTON MURDER.

This morning, at the sitting of the ceurt Celestine Som-
mer, 24, married, was placed upon her trial upon an in
dictment charging her with the wilful murder of Celes-
tine Christmas, upon the 15th of February, at Islington,
she was likewise charged upon the Coroner's warrant.
The prisoner, who appeared very much dejected and
looked very pale, remained seated during the whole
time of the trial. She scarcely ever raised her eyes
whilst the evidence was being given, but kept looking
down, and, beyond occasionally weeping, did not seem to
pay much attention to what was going on.
She was dressed in a black gown, over which she wore
a faehionable hooded black cloth cloak, and her hair was
tastefully banded over her ears.
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Clerk prosecuted, and Mr. Bel-
lantine defended.
Mr, Bodkin, in opening the case to the jury, said ail
that be should feel it his duty to do upon this occasion
would be to lay before them a brief eatline of the cite
cumetances by which the prosecution sought to bring
home the crime to the prisoner, and those circumstances
would require their most anxious consideration. The
prisoner, who is a married woman, at the time of this
occurrence lived with her husband at Linton-street,
Islington ; and upon the 16th of February, from some
information that was given to the police at Islington, they
went to the prisoner's house and asked the prisoner,
whom they saw there, to allow them to search
the cellar of her house. She said what for? and they
told her. They then did so, and found the body of a
female child apparently about 14 years of age, with a
number of wonnie about the throat. The prisoner was
then taken in cu-tody, and also her husband, but the
magistrates, thinking there was not the least evi-
dence against him, ordered his discharge. The learned
counsel then went into a brief detail of the evidence,
and having done so, called
R whet Muntz, a girl about 14 years of age, who
said that up to the time of the occurrence, and for
some time previously, she had lived with the pri-
soner, and her husband at No. 16, Linton-street,
Islington. They occupied the whole house. Witness was
servant and used to sleep in the kitchen. One Saturday
night about the middle of Feb., the prisoner went out
at about 10 in the evening. Witness was at that
time in the back kitchen. Prisoner More she
went out said, " I a-n going into Murray-street,
and shall be gone about half an hour, and I
shall expect you to be in bed and asleep before
I come back." Witness did not go to bed, but sat up
to make herself an apron. In about half an hour
she heard the prisoner at the door with the latch key.
Witness directly git into her bed, which was in the
front kitchen. Prisoner then came to the top of the
stairs and said, "Are you in bed, Rachel." Witness
made no answer, and she then heard prisoner go up
stairs into her bed-room. Before she went up witness
heard her say to some one whom she brought in with
her, " Wipe your feet and go into the parlour," and she
then heard some one overhead in the parlour. After
prisoner came down stairs from the bed-room she came
into the kitchen, and then witness saw that she had on
another gown. It was an old black one. She had gone
out in a black dress with flounces and bugles upon the
sleeves. Prisoner came down into the kitchen and pulled
the blind down. She had no light, but the pas being on
the opposite side of the way there was light enough to
see. She then went up and came down again with a
candle, and the child following her. Witness knew
the child ; she bad seen it before. Prisoner went across
the kitchen and the child st tpped at the door. Pri-
soner said " What are you stopping for, come in—what
are you afraid of ?" The child said, " I ant not.
afraid ma'am, but fit is a strange place to me—
I have not been here before." Prisoner then went
into the cellar, the one opposite the kitchen door ; that
is not the one in which the coals are kept. She then
took the child into the cellar, and witness heard the child
say "Some one was going to cut her throat.," and pri-
soner said "elle wee." The child then cried out "Y. u
are going to cut my throat." Prisoner said " I am going
to kill you." The child said " You a ill go to the devil,
the devil will have you." Witness then heard the
child say, " I am (lying, lam dying." Prisoner then
put out the candle and Caine back into the kitchen.
She walked about in a very quick way and
several times sail, " You --, I will kill you, I will
kill you; I wdi teach you to :e'l any more lies about me.
You are a liar, you are a thief." Whilst this was going
on the child was groaning in the cellar. Prisoner then
mine up to the match box, and, taking out us match, lit
the candle and went, again into the cellar. Deceased
did not make any mere noise. Alter a short time pri-
soner came out again, and said, "There, you ,
you must be deal by this time ;" and she then but-
toned up the cellar door. She then caine and tapped
witness upon the ehoulder and said, " Rachel "
Witness then turned round as if she was
ust awoke, and prisoner asked her if she had been ou t
;e get some soap. Witness said she had. Prisoner
,hen said she had been down several times to get some
soap from the cupboard to take into her bedroom ; and
also said that she had been to the greengrocers to get
change for half-a-crown to pay her her wages, and asked
if there was any hot water in the boiler, as she wanted
to wash her hands, and was going t bed. She then went
into the back kitchen, and was engaged about half an hour
washing, and then went up to bed. At about two in the
morning the prisoner's husband came home ; he had
gone out early in the evening. Witnesss got up the
next morning and looked into the cellar, where she saw
the child lying upon the fl or near the cellar door ; the
face and hands were covered with blood. Witness shut
the door again. At about 11 o'clock witness's sister
called upon her. Prisoner told her not to ask her sister
down into the kitchen, as she was busy. Witness,
however, managed to tell her sister something of what
had taken place, and about four o'clock she cause again,
bringing with her some policemen.
Cross-examined—l was afraid to get up during the
night, and laid awake during the whole time. Master
was not very kind to mistress. He used to beat her,
and she cried and seemed very unhappy, and said
master was kind to her, but mistress was not. It did
not occur to me to tell my master of what had taken
place. I had been about four months in their service.
Re-examined—Master used to beat the prisoner for
not getting his dinner ready. I do not know of any
other cause for their quarrelling.

,wice.

Edwin To wnse,.d, a sergeant of police, proved going
to the house of prisoner upon Sunday afternoon, the
17th Feb. He saw prisoner coining up stairs from the
kitchen. She met the police at the top and said, " What
d) you want 7" Witness said, "To search your cellar. '
She said, " Look into my cellar—good God, what for 1"
The husband came out of the parlour, and we all went
down together. I got a light, and upon going
into the cellar, the door of which was partially
open, found the dead body of a girl lying
upon her back with the face partially to the right.
There was a large wound up in the neck and a quantity
of congealed blood underneath the neck and upon the
ground. I said to the inspector "It is all right, the body
is here and cold. The prisoner must consider herself in
custody for causing the death of the girl." She said,
Me 1 I did not do it, adding to her husband, I did not
tell you as I aid not wish to make you timid, but I
heard a noise outside of the area railings last night." The
husband was. taken, but- discharged by the magistrate.
Upon searching the prisoner's bedroom, a black gown
stained with blood was found under the bed. There
were also marks of blood upon the lucifer-match box.
Rebecca Donavan, the searcher at the station, said
that she found marks of blood upon prisoner's petticoat.
Sho said it c,aine from bleeding at the nose, and her hus-
band knew that. She added that a girl had been found
stabbed in her cellar, but that she knew nothing about
it. She said it was the cellar that had no coals in it.
Another police-constable produced a pair of stockings
belonging to the prisoner stained with blood, and also
a knife, which was in a cupboard by itself. This was
stained with blood. The knife produced it a large
sharp carving one. It further appeared that when
at the police-court she said the child was her bro-
ther's child ;he had left it her to take care of. This
was after she was remanded. She 'also spoke about
Richard the Third and Hamlet, and she had done it.
She did not know what to do for the best, and spoke of
the children murdered in Richard the Third.

Further evidence was then given to prove that de-
ceased was 10 }ears old and prisoner's child. Prisoner
fetched her away from Mrs. Harrington. with whom it
had been from its birth upon the 6th if February,. and
then took it to the house oca Mr. Groves in Mur•