The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
OX 1,01 W CI if C UlT.—Shrewsbury,Aug. 2.
The Court sat at eight this morning.
MURDER.

Mary Rogers, 28, a servant, was charged with the wil-
ful murder of her illegitimate child, about two months
old, on the eth of July.
Mr. Scotland and Mr. Corbet conducted the prosecu-
tion, and Mr. Hudcileston the defence.
The prisoner was a servant in the house of a farmer
named Lucas, about seven miles from Church Stretton.
In December last her mistress noticed to her that she
was with child, and she confessed it. Up to that time
she had borne an excellent character, her mistress say-
ing to-day that she was as good a servant as ever was in
a farmhouse. In consequence of her good conduct in
other respects she was retained in her master's service
till the time of ber accouchemeat, when she went to the
house of a Mrs. Evens, who lived about three miles off,
at Roundhouse. There, on the night of the 19th of
May, she was delivered of a male child. She stopped
at Mrs. Evans's for a month, and on the 22d of May got
it registered under the name of Edwin Rogers, anti
put it to nurse with a woman named Martha
Holme, and then returned to her service. Between
that day and the 24th of June she went twice to see it
at Mrs. Evans's, whither klsrtha Holme brought it
for the purpose. On the 221 of June sho asked leave of
her mistress to go and see it on the 231, and was re-
fused; but the next day her mistress relented and agreed
to let her go on the 24 h. On that day Martha Holmes
took it to Mrs. Evans's, and the prisoner came there
about three o'clock and took it from Mrs. Holmes, say-
ing, "I am going a little way, and I will take it with
me." Witness uid not want her to take it, and said she
had better leave it with her, but the prisoner answered,
"I must take it, I had a letter yesterday and I must take
it." She then took it, and paid witness 4s. 81 for the
nursing. She did not take any of its clothes but those
that were on it. It was a very fine, fat, strong, healthy,
promising child.
Martha Evans, the daughter of Mrs. Evans, proved
that she and her sister went about three o'clock from
their mother's with the prisoner on that day towards
Church Stretton, where they parted with her, she going
down a lane called the Lake-lane. This lane led to a
pool, where the child was found a few hours afterwards.
As they parted at the corner of the Lake-lane witness
observed nothing particular in her manner. The child
slept all the way, and was asleep when she turned down
the lane. They assisted her from time to time along
the road in carrying the child.
Mary Evans, the sister of the last witness, proved
that on that day she went to Mrs. Holmes's, to tell her to
king the child to her mother's. This was about three
o'clock. Her mother's house is at Roundhouse, about
four miles, or an hour and a half's walk, from Church
Stretton. Witness and her sister wen; from her mo-
ther's to Church Stretton with the prisoner. Witness
parted from her at the top of Church Stretton. The
prisoner said she was going to Mr. Rogers's, at Chelmake.
As witne,s was returning in the eveuing the prisoner
overtook them about half a mile from their mother's,
and returned thither with them about eight o'clock. She
then had no child with her. When asked by Mrs. Evans
where it was she said she had left it behind. Her manner
was the same as usual.
Isaiah Lindoff, a farmer at Winston, in the parish of
Cardigan, proved that as he was, according to his cus-
tom, going the round of his farm, about half-past seven
o'clock on the evening of the 24th of June, he came
near the dam of a pool called the " Jane Yells Pool," in
a remote hollow, surrounded by a few trees, and there
had his attention attracted by a stick in the water, the
small end of which was in the water against the plug
of a boat or sluice, and the urge end against the
dam. Tho boat is a structure of two upright posts,
with a cap made fur the puep.,se of letting the water
out, and pounding it up again. The boat was two yards
from the dam. Oue end of the stick was under water,
about a yard and a half from the dam. Thinking there
was a line or net attached to it for the purpose of taking
fish, he pulled up the stick, and a child immediately
floated to the surface on its back with its legs down. The
end of the stick which had been under water formed a
natural fork, and the other end was so placed and bent
against the pool dam, that it could not fly back, The
stick was about seven feet long. There was no road or
pathway near that pool, which was called the upper pool;
but there was a road over the lower pool dam, about 100
yards off. These pools were about two and a half miles
from Church Stretton. When he moved the stick the
child came at once to the top of the water. The child
was dressed. He put the stick down on the dam of the
pool. Did not touch the child, but hastened home and
gave information. Returned with Thomas Smout and
others of his family to where he had left the child, and
sent for the superintendent of police. When Lowis, the
superintendent, got to the pool the body was taken out,
'and the stick was given to him, and the child was car-
ried to witness's house. He had known the prisoner be-
fore. She had been at his house five or six years ago.
A sister of hers, who was in his service, met with an
accident, and the prisoner remained three weeks in his
house in attendance on her.
Other persons who went to the pool with this witness
proved that they saw the child floating on the surface,
with its face upwards and its legs down. The water
was seven teet deep. The dress of the child was the
Stiale as usual.

The surgeon who made a post mortem examination
proved that the child was a perfectly healtby one, end
that drowning was the cause of death. There was no
mark whatever at external injury or internal disease.
He was of opinion that the child never rose to the sur-
f:a:a after it was first put in till it died; for if it had
risen it would have swallowed some water, and none was
found in the stomach.

Another witness proved to having met the prisoner
going beyond Church Stretton, in the direction of the
pool above-mentioned, with the child in her arms; and
another to having met her returning without the child,
about half-a-mile from Church Stretton, in the direction
of tier house.
Mr. Rogers, of Chelmeate, swore he did not know her,
and she was not at his house on the 24th of June.
When arrested the next morning and told the charge,
she made no a❑swer, but cried. When she left Mrs.
Evans's in the afternoon of the 24th of Ju❑e she had a
black shawl on, which she did not bring back with her,
and which hied not been found since.
Mr. HUDDLESTON addressed the jury for the prisoner.
His LORDSHIP having summed up the evidence with
great care,
The jury deliberated for about ten minutes, and then
returned a verdict of Guilty.
The usual impressive solemnities prior to the passing
of the sentence ot death having been gone through,
His LORDSHIP, who seemed deeply moved, then said—
Prisoner at the bar, you have bean convicted of the crime
of wilful murder, after a most careful and patient in-
vestiga,tion, and upon evidence which left no doubt on
the minds of the jury and leaves none on mine. For
that crime there is but one sentence, and that it is my
duty to pronounce, and I cannot hold out to you any
hope ot its cominulatton. I will not add to your pain
further than by praying of you to devote to prayer the
days that remain to you in this world, and pronouncing
the sentence which the law awards. That sentence is
that you be taken hence to the place of execution and
there hanged by the neck till you are dead; that your
body be then removed back and butted within the pre-
cincts of the gaol; and may God have mercy on your
soul.

There were few in court who were not deeply affacted
at tho sad scene.

Thomas Baugh, 64, boershop-keeper, was charged
with the wilful murder of William Bentley, at Beckbury,
on the 25th of June.
Mr. Corbet conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Scot-
land and Mr. Kettle the defence.
It appeared that the deceased, who was a hanker, to-
gether with his wife and a mart named William Alcock,
and one Charlotte Lockett, went on the above day,
about nine o'clUck, to the house of the prosecutor, and
remained there till three o'clock. They had in the
meantime about five quarts of ale. A quarrel arose
about one o'clock between Alcock and Lockett, and he
knocked her down in the ashpit. Bentley attempted
to get her out of the ashpit, when the prisoner's
son threatened to strike him. Lockett then said
he would throw the ale jug in the fire. Alcock said
he hici often slept there (pointing to the room upstairs).
Ba ntley thereupon said, " Then, let us come upstairs;”
and went up two or three steps, when Mrs. Baugh came
out of the parlour with the tongs, and called to him not
to go up, and asked him what business he had there? He
thereupon turned back, and Baugh came in from the
garden with a spade. A general quarrel seems to have
followed and to have continued for some time; when, as
the parties were going away, Baugh came out with a
gun and renewed the struggle, and fired off one barrel.
This did not injure Bentley, and he struck at Baugh six
or seven times with a large stick, and then tho gun went
off a second time. The gun was not quite levelled when
fired the second time, but was slightly slanting. The
shot immediately took effect, lacerating the femoral ar-
tery. Baugh was within a yard of Bentley when he fired,
and the wadding set his (Bentley's) clothes on fire, and
he called on Alcock to put out the fire, and stag-
gered and fell, bleeding prefueely. This circum-
stance seems to have alarmed and quieted all
the parties. Bentley's wife ran to the priso-
ner's house, and asked him for a drop of
water for her husband, who, she said, was dying, but
he said if she did not go out of the door he would shoot
her. Her husband was removed to the union workhouse,
where he died on the 11th of July. Such was the nar-
rative of the transaction given by the wife of the de-
ceased. Charlotte Lockett gave nearly a similar account
of it. She said the quarrel arose chiefly from Alcock
refusing to pay for a pennyworth of tobacco, on the
ground that they had been overcharged for some of
the ale they had. She said she would pay for it herself,
and then Baugh desired her to leave the house, -and
knocked her down across the threshold of the back door.
Mary Street, a neat door neighbour, hearing a dreadful
noise in Baugh's back yard, heard some one say "I will
fetch my gun." She looked out again, and saw Bentley
coming down the yard with two sticks in his hands,
and heard the same voice again say, " I will shoot
you," and Bentley cry out, "Shoot away." In a few
minutes she heard the gun go off, and ran down stairs
and saw the gun on the ground go off a second time.
Bentley was on the ground. She did not see
Baugh there then. A police officer who arrested him
was told that he had beard that his son had
been pursued through a window by Bentley, and that
he thereupon took the gun and fired at him, and
shot him. He said they all had a hold of the gun, and
that it fell down in the struggle and went off, and that he
know the gun was loaded with shot. He said the " row"
occurred because Bentley wanted to go up stairs, and
that he prevented him, and that Bentley struck him with
the tongs on the head; that some words arose outside,
and that he threatened if they did not go away to bring
out his gun and shoot them; that he did not mean to ,
shoot, but only to frighten them.
The surgeon proved that the wound went downwards.
Mr. SETTLE was cross-examining this witness with a