The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-03 00:00:00

7 o'clock, and left at 7 in tae evening. That was my
usual custom. I returned on Saturday morning 10
minutes before 7. I went into the nursery. That

was before any alarm was given of the Missing of
the child. I went into the nursery several times that

morning before the alarm was given. I saw the nurse.
She said nothing to me about the child being gone.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ribton—l cannot state
the precise time when I went into the nursery, but
it was before 8 o'clock. The nurse was making her
own bed. I did not speak to her, but she looked
round and saw me. I carried in the bath and came

out directly. I don't know where Mrs. Kent was
at that time. I know now that the nurse had
knocked at Mrs. Kent's bedroom door. She had

done so before I went into the nursery.
Mr.Ribton—Then your evidence comes to nothing.
Mary Ann Harris Kent—l am the eldest daugh-
ter of Mr. Kent. The murdered boy was my hal
brother. I saw him last alive at 7 o'clock on the
evening of Friday, June 29. I retired to my bed-
room about half-past 10. I slept with my sister
Elizabeth in a rcom on the second floor. We 'Went
up together. I went into the bedroom and Eliza•
beth went to see that Miss Constance and Master
William's candles were put out. She returned soon
afterwards. It was half-past 11 when I got into
bed, and soon afterwards I fell asleep. I awoke
about 6 o'clock in the morning. My attention was
not attracted to anything during the night. I got
up about 7 o'clock. To the best of my belief Eliza-
beth was in bed with me all night. I fastened my
bedroom door, and found it so in the morning.
About half-past 7 the nurse came to the door to
inquire whether Saville was with us. She said she
could not find him.
Mr. Ribton-1 shall not trouble Miss Kent with
a question.
Elizabeth Kent, the second daughter of Mr.
Kent, corroborated her sister's evidence. On the
night of the murder, before going to bed, she went
into Miss Constance's room, and saw that the candle
was out, and also looked under the door of her
brother William's room, and saw there was no light.
She then proceeded to her own room, went to bed
with her elder eister, and fell asleep. She heard
nothing during the night.
Constance Kent—l am daughter of Mr. Kent, of
Road-hill-house. I was at home on the 29th of
June, and had been so a fortnight. I had previ-
ously been at school at Beckington as a boarder. I
saw Saville last when he went to bed on the even-
ing of June 29. He was a merry, good-tempered
boy, fond of romping. I played with him often,
and had done so that day. He appeared to be fond
of me, and I was fond of him. I went to bed about
half-past 10. I slept on the second floor in a room
between my two sisters and the maidservants. I
remember my sister Elizabeth coming into my
room that night after I was in bed. I was nearly
asleep then, and remember nothing more. I awoke
about half-past 6in the morning. I heard nothing
during the night. I got up immediately after I
awoke, and soon after heard of my brother being
missing. On the Friday night I slept in a night-
dress. I had slept in the same dress from the Sun-
day or Monday before. I usually wore the same
nightdress a week, changing it on Sunday or Mon-
day. When I got up on Saturday morning I rolled
up my night-dress and put it on the bed. My bed
is made by the cook and housemaid. My night-
dress was before them when they made the bed that
morning. On Saturday right, the 30th, I slept
with my sister Mary Ann. Elizabeth slept with
my mamma. Papa stayed up. I slept with Mary
Ann for company. I don't know whether any-
body slept tin my room that night. I wore the
same night-dress on Saturday that I had worn the
night before. When I got up on Sunday morning
I believe I put my night-dress in my own room.
On the Sunday night I slept in my own room. I
am not certain whether I put on a clean night-
dress that night or on the Monday. One of my
night-dresses goes to the wash every week. I was
in the habit of patting out my clean night-dress to
be aired. I did so on the Saturday. The dirty
linen for the wash was collected on the Monday
morning. It was the duty of the housemaid to col-
/eat it. One of my nightdresses is missing. Ido
not know -what has become of it.
Cross examined by Mr. Ribton —I had been
away half a year at school. I was the only girl of
the family who slept alone. The prisoner was ex-
amined when I was charged with the murder.
Mr. Ribton presumed that the statement made
by the prisoner on the occasion in question would
be put in evidence on the part of the prosecution.
Mr. Slack—Cm. ainlv.
Witness continued—f he nurse told me of a miss-
ing blanket before the child was found.
Are you sure it was not after the child was found P
I am not certain which it was.
Witness continued—l heard the prisoner go to
my sister's door to ask whether she had the child
sslth them. I heard her knock and came to the
door to listen.
James Morgan—l am parish constable of Road.
On Saturday morning, the 30th June last, Master
Wm. Kent called at my house to ask where the
policeman lived. I directed him to the house of Urch,
the Somersetshire policeman, and he went there.
Urch called upon me, end requested me to go to
Road-hill-house with him. I did so; on our way to
Road-hill-house we met Mr. Kent. I said to him,
" What do you want with us ?" He replied, " I have
had my little boy stolen." I said, " You need not go
further than Southwick. There is a policeman there
to whom you can give the information, and he will
forward it to the station and come en up here."
Mr. Kent said he should go to Trowbridge. He
was in his carriage and was going to Trowbridge.
He wished us to go on to his house and we did so.
Mr. Ribton —A conversation between the witness
and Mr. Kent in the absence of the prisoner cannot
be evidence against her.
Witness continued—l went into the kitchen and
inquired of the housemaid how the child had been
taken away. She took me to the drawing room
and showed me the window. The shutters were a
little open, and the window was up 5 or 6 inches.
I then went to the nursery with Urch. As we went
up I saw the nurse at the top of the stairs at the
nursery door. This was about half-past 7. I asked
her to show us the child's crib, and she did so. The
clothes were quite smooth—smoother than I should
have expected. I said, "Ds you mean to say that
this is where the child was taken from ?" She re-
plied " Yes." The clothes were turned down, and
I saw the mark of the little fellow's head on the
pillow. I said to the nurse, " Have you lost any-
thing out of the nursety except the child ?" She re-
plied there was a blanket taken or drawn, I forget
which word she used, from the cot; but there was
nothing else missing. Urch and I then went down
stairs, leaving the prisoner in the nursery. We went
into the drawing room and out at the window to
search for any footmarks. We also examined
the outside of the drawing room window, to see
whether there were any marks of violence. There
were none. Nor did we find any footmarks about
the grounds. Shortly afterwards I met Benger
coming into the house with the body of the child
wrapped up in a blanket.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ribton—Mr. Kent could
have found a policeman at Southwick, nearer than
Trowbridge. I did not see him return. I saw some
members of the family going about the house, but I
did not speak to any of them I was examined at
the 'inquest before the magistrates, and by
Slack. Mr. Slack examined me for about an hour
andA lafrheadlfu, or it mligembt
obneemoof hrte.
e Somerset County
Constabulary, and am stationed at Road, which
village is partly in Wilts and partly in Somerset.
I was applied to by Master William Kent to go to
his father's premises on Saturday morning the 30th
iof June. I had been on duty there the previous
night. I passed Mr. Kent's premises about 10
minutes before one o'clock that night. On being
applied to I went towards Mr. Kent's house; I went
to the house of Morgan, the parish constable, and
we went together. On the road we met Mr. Kent
in his carriage going towards Trowbridge. I was
in uniform. [Witness having confirmed Morgan's
statement as to the examination of the drawing-
room and nursery on the morning of the 30th of
June, continued.] I asked the nurse what time
she missed the child, and she said at five o'clock,
but she did not make any inquiries for it till seven.
I asked her how it was she did not make any in-
quiries before seven, and she said she thought that
Mrs. Kent had heard the child cry, and had come
and taken it away. I asked her whether she had
ever known Mrs. Kent take the child away before,
and she said not since she had been in her service,
but she had heard she had when another nurse was
there. I asked her whether there was anything else
missing besides the child, and she said nothing but
a small blanket that was between the sheet and the
quilt. She said it might have been drawn out with-
out removing the quilt. That is all that passed.
[Witness then went on to describe the subsequent
search of the premises by himself and Morgan, add-
ing that the ground outside the house was dry and
hard.] I could not make any impression on the
green with my foot. I tried to. There was no
dew on the grass. I afterwards saw Benger with
the
b inody of the child coming in a direction from
the privy. I went to the house on Saturday
night
company with Heritage, another officer.
We went there by direction of Mr. Foley at 11
o'clock at night. We were both placed in the
kitchen, and we found ourselves locked in.
Cross-examined byl locked
Ribton—l don't know
long
tried to we were
1,4,1(17
when
orniegde.t in.out
and
dwfaosn tnsdv oh
e o'clockeo nld
tugolvke.n us. We did not go
not. We had some
to sleep. We were for about twenty
minutes before we were let oinuf
leave at two, and I was to remain ertiiltlage was to
sixn
morning. I did not know we werelocked
iin thetill
Heritage said it was time for him to go, and he