The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-17 00:00:00

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yin was an usual dose,
Lad in the prese it case be
The pr's nier, who h-.ld
taken into custody on the
Mr. Blanshird then ad,
prisoner, contending that
her the medie'nes she had
he believed she had, and
noxious when given in pro
His- Lordship then summed up, and told the
jury, there were three things for them to de-
termine :—l. Had the prisoner administered any
noxious drug to the prosecutrix? 2. :Was that which
he administered a noxious drug ? and, 3. Was it
administered with the intent to procure abortion ?
His Lordship then read over the evidence as to
these points, and left for them to say whether that
which he gave to the prosecutrix to take was not
an administering to her, and whether that which
he gave her and which made her so ill, and the
effects of which as a drug had been described by the
medical witness, was not a noxious drug ; and lastly,
whether, considering all the circumstances, the pri-
soner had not knowingly administered this drug to
her with intent to induce abortion.
The jury, after a short consultation; found the
prisoner guilty. Sentence was deferred.
LIVERoOoL, Dec. 16.
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
Ann Coultass was indicted for the murder of
SYillia Coultass, her idiot child, at St. H I 'eens, on
the 21st of August last.
Mr. Leresche prosecuted, and Dr. Wheeler de-
fended the prisoner.
The prisoner resided with her two brothers as
their housekeeper, and in the same house a Mr.
William Ewing, and his wife and mother-in-law,
had lodgings. About a fortnight before the death
of the boy, who was seven years old, the prisoner
began to drink incessantly—a habit into which, it
was stated, she had fallen subsequent to the death
of her own mother some twelve months before. She
also bought a razor, which she carried about upon
her person, and once during this time threatened to
cut off her child's head, and threatened to commit
suicide. At other times she would sit moping and
in a melancholy condition, and weeping copionsly.
It appeared that when sober she was a " kind-
hearted, steady, and creditable creature" (as one of
the witnesses described her), though even then ad-
dicted to crying frequently, and subject to low
spirits. She was much attached to the deceased.
On the day before the murder she returned home
in a state of intoxication, and when reproached by
Mrs. Ewing for her neglect of the child, she took
out the razor and threatened to kill it. Nothing
seemed to have been thought of this at the
time, as she was so tipsy, but she was removed,
and the Ewings kept the child in their apart:"
ment till the next (Sunday) morning. About
five o'clock the prisoner took it from them,
and proceeded to her own bedroom with it.
The boy was never after seen alive. The prisoner
procured a floor-brush and hot water during the
morning, and the noise of cleaning was heard to
proceed from her room. About noon she came down,
and, in answer, to inquiries, said the child had had
two very bad fits, but was then asleep. She then
asked that a friend whom she had known six years
(a Mrs. Hudspeth) might be sent for. Upon her
arrival she made various presents to her, consisting
of a purse, ornaments, &e., but the prisoner's man-
ner alarmed her, and she urgently required to see
the deceased. After some time the prisoner said,
" You make a great bother about Willy ; you might
think I had done something to him. Come and I'll
show him to you." Thereupon she led Mrs. Hud-
speth and Mrs. Ewing upstairs. When they en-
tered the bedchiimber they found her child dead on
the bed, washed and laid out. On closer examina-
tion a linen bandage, stitched together behind,was
round the throat, and on removing this a deep
wound, entirely severing the jugular vein, was dis-
covered. Mrs. Hudspeth exclaimed at the sight,
and the prisoner, flinging herself upon the body,
exclaimed, " Oh, my God, what have I done ?" The
police were sent for, and upon the entrance of the
constable into her room she hurried towards the
dressing-table. The officer, however, stopped her,
and afterwards found upon that table a razor with
fresh blood upon it. Her statement in reply to the
charge of murder was, " I have nothing to say to
it, but my brothers have not behaved to me kiiid'y
for some time."

Dr. Wheeler addressed the jury on behalf of the
prisoner, and contended that the state of melancholy-
mania which the evidence indicated to have been
the condition of the prisoner's mind justified a ver-
dict of not guilty on the ground of insanity.
The learned Judge summed up with great care,
explaining fully the characteristics of that kind
and degree of insanity which would aniount to an
exemption from criminal responsibility.
The jury were on the point of retiring (the fore-
man stating that one gentleman refused to concur in
the general view), when ft further consultation
occurred, and finally a verdict on the ground of
insanity was returned.
The prisoner, who had been absorbed in grief
during the whole trial, was then removed.
(Before Mr. Justice Hill.)

FORGERIES, 13Y A NEWSPAPER PROPRIETOR AT

WIGAN.

John Pollard, late proprietor of the Wigan Ex-
aminer, and London Colliery Guardian, was
brought up for sentence, the prisoner having
pleaded guilty to forging deeds and tranfers cf
shares of the Wigan Union Benefit Building Society.
His lordship sentenced the prisoner to penal
servitude for the term of eight years.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—WARWICK, DEC. 15.
(Before Mr. Justice Wightman.)
Emma Bennett, who pleaded guilty, and John
Harford who pleaded not guilty, were charged with
having robbed. Edwin James Taylor of his watch,
and having at the same time used personal violetce
to him.
Mr. Sargeaunt conducted the prosecution.
The robbery was proved to have been committed
by the hand of the female prisoner in a public
street, her male companion standing at a little dis-
tance and interfering with blows when the prose-
cutor endeavoured to pursue her. A crowd
gathering round the escape of both was prevented.
Verdict, guilty. Both prisoners were sentenced
to four years' penal servitude.
Win. Richard Timms stood charged with having,
at the borough of Birmingham, feloniously cut and.
wounded Mary Arm Owen, with intent to murder
her.

Mr. Spooner prosecuted, and Mr. O'Brien, at the
request of the Court, defended the prisoner.
The prisoner paid his addresses to tl e prosecu-
trix, with whom two young women lodged and
worked. On the 4th Of . October, about half-past
six in the morning, the two female ledgers returned
from a party at which they had spent the previous
night, and found the prisoner at Mrs. Owen's
house, lying upon a sofa in the lower room, where
it appeared he had been sleeping, while Mrs.
Owen occupied the room above. All met to-
gether at breakfast, of which the prisoner, though
invited by Mrs. Owen, refused to partake. He sent
for a quartern of gin, of which he desired Mrs Owen
to drink, but she refused. After breakfast Mrs. Owen
went up stairs, and was followed by the prisoner,
who asked her what she meant to do. She replied,
" I mean to do what I told you. I won't go with
you since you're so tipsy." Prosecutrix then went
down stairs and was followed by him down and up
stairs again, when he closed the door, desired her
to sit down again, asked her whether she meant
what she had said, and, on her answering " Yes,"
put his arm round her neck and drew a razor across
her throat, inflicting a wound some 4 inches in
length and an inch and a half deep in the deepest
part, but in such a direction as closely to approach
the principal blood vessel, but not divide it. The
prosecutrix uttered a cry of " Murder," upon hear-
ing which Jane Hummins, one of the female
lodgers, ran up stairs, and upon watering the room
found the prisoner leaning over Mrs. Owen with a
razor in his hand, in the act of cutting her throat.
Mrs. Owen was lying on her back, while the pri-
soner's knee was on her chest and his left hand on
her forehead. Hummins struggled with him, and
having succeeded in wresting the razor from his
grasp ran down stairs and gave an alarm. She
then returned up stairs and saw the prisoner kneel-
ing and leaning against the wall by the side of Mrs.
Owen, who still lay upon the floor. She again
went down to bring some one in and was followed
by the prisoner, who declared that he would kill
any one who came near him. Ile again returned
to the room and Hummins following him saw him
mwithore aaknndiefaelliend
' aSnhaeon went
returning d o 7 f
oounnc
de
that Mrs. Owen had the knife in her hand. The
prosecutrix then became insensible, and a police-
man arrived, who took the prisoner into custody:
Prisoner declared to him that he intended to mur-
der her, adding, " I will murder her when I am at
liberty, rather than any one else shall have her ! "
The razor had been borrowed of a neighbour by the
prisoner about two days previously.
Mr. O'Brien addressed the jury, contending that
the act was not one of deliberate intent to murder,
but the result of a sudden fit of jealousy.
The learned Judge observed on the ability with
which the prisoner's counsel had addressed the
jury, and having commented on the evidence, left
the case to the jury, who returned a verdict of
guilty of the full offence.
Sentence of death was recorded, subjecting the
prisoner to peedl servitude for life, or such term as
her Majesty may please to determine.
A number of burglaries and other cases of little
public interest were disposed of in the course of
the day.