The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-09 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.--(This Day.)

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Ju-tice9 Cresswell and Crompton.)

THE MURDER OF TWO CHILDREN BY THEIR MOTHER AT

UXBRIDGE.
Mary Ann Harris, 2), spinster, was indicted for the
wilful murder of Ellen Harris, her illegitimate child.
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Clerk prosecuted ; and the pri-
Boner was defended by Mr. Sleigh, at the instance of the
sheriffs.

The prisoner, who is a pretty-looking young woman,
having au infant in her arms, remained seated during the
whole of the trial, and seemed to feel meet poignantly the
situation in which she was placed.

Mr. Bodkin, in stating the case to the jury, said, that
from the facts which had been disclosed in connection with
this painful tragedy they would have no doubt but that
the deceased child came to its death by the hand of the
unhappy woman at the bar, who was their mother,
and in laying before the jury the facts connected - with
the one crime charged in this indictment he could
not disguise from them that she had also been the
cause of the death of her other child, which formed the
subject of another inquiry. The prisoner had, before the
time of the murder, been in the union at Uxbridge, and
left there, accompanied by the,two children in question,
and the one she then hold in her arms. She was about to
go to Portsmouth, to join some one with whom she had
been previously connected, and who was the father of the
infant now alive. She called at a public-house after lour-
ing the union, and at that time had with her the three
children. In the evening she left the public-house with
two of the children, stating that she was going to take
them to sleep at another house. She left the baby, and
e as soon afterwards seen near the Grand Junction Canal
with the children. Shortly after this she came back and
fetched the infant, and then left. At a later period of the
evening the two children were seen floating upon
the surface of the canal, and upon being taken
out were found to be quite dead. It being
known the road she had taken, she was followed and ap-
prehended. The learned counsel then called the witnesses,
whose evidence, which was not disputed, proved the fol-
lowing facts. The prisoner was the mother of three chil-
dren, Agnes and Ellen, and a baby, all of whom were
illegitimate, and it appeared that the father of the last
child was living at Portsmouth, and at the time of the
fatal *cccurrence he was anxious that the prisoner should
join him with the baby. The prisoner and her three chil-
dren had been in the Uxbridge workhouse, but on the 15th ,
February she left, taking with her all the children, at the
same time expressing her intention of proceeding to Ports-
mouth with them. She was seen by some of her relations,
who reside in the neighbourhood of Uxbridge, at different
periods of the day, and towards the evening the prisoner
commenced her out return to proceed by the train from
the West Drayton station, on her way to Portsmouth.
About half-past seven o'clock in the evening she was seen
with the two elder children near a bridge over the Grand
Junction Canal, called Yewsley-bridge, and a very few
minutes afterwards she was seen coming away from the
canal without the children. In about half an hour from
this time the bodies of the two unhappy children were
seen in the canal by a labouring man, and on their being
taken out they were found to be quite dead. Suspicion,
of course, immediately fell upon the prisoner, and she
was taken into custody the same evening, at a public-
house in the neighbourhood, and on her being told
that the bodies of two children had been taken
out of the canal, and that she answered the descripe
tion of the person who was last seen with them she made
no reply. The constable then took the prisoner to the
public house where the bodies of the children were lying,
and when the prisoner saw them she went up to them and
kissed them, and said they were her children, and that she
had brought them out of the workhouse that morning.
The prisoner was then taken to the police-station, and
while the woman etnpleyea for that purpose was searching
her, she said to her, " Oh clear, oh dear, do you know what
yon have been doing?" to which the prisoner replied, " I
know very well what I hozve been doing ;" and upon an- '
other person whe was present observing that it was a won-
der she had not drowned the baby as well as the other
children, the prisoner exclaimed, " The baby has got a
father, brthe other children have not."

She subsequently, after having been cautioned that all
she said would be given in evidence against her, made a
statement, which amounted to an entire confession, that she
h•id thrown the children into the water, and that she had
done so because she would not take them with her to Ports•
mouth ; and she also stated that she was sorry her baby
was not thrown in as well as the other children, and Abe.
added that she had gone through so much trouble that ilia
had no desire to live.

Mr. Sleigh, in a very able and impressive speech, said
that he never rose to address a jury with feelings of deeper
responsibility than upon the present. There was some-
thing so painful, so revolting in the case that a mother
should with premeditation take away the lives of the two
children.
Mr. Justice Cresswell then summed up, commenting
upon the probabilities of the defence set up.
The jury, after consulting a few moments, returned a
verdict of Guilty.
Mr. Justice Cresswell then passed the extreme sentence
of the law, telling the miserable woman not to indalf,e
in any hope that mercy would be extended to her.
Upon hearing her sentence she shrieked out, " I am ia•
nocent ;" and was removed fram the dock streaming, and
in an almost fainting state.