The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-24 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT. -BURY ST. EDMUNDS,
MARCH 22.
CROWN COURT.
CHILD MURDER AND SENTENCE OF DEATH.

Emma Groom, domestic servant, was indicted for
the wilful murder of her illegitimate child, John
Groom, 13 months, at Oakley, in July last.
She was the mother of two illegitimate children,
the first a girl, now five years old, living at the
house of the mother of the prisoner, who contri-
buted towards its maintenance ; the other child
was the deceased. In Nov , 1856, prisoner went
into service at Bramford, and on being engaged, ad-
mitted having this child, which she was allowed to
visit and-have brought to her occasiondly. She
obtained leave in the month of July, 1857, to go
on a holiday visit to her parents and took the child
with her to ass station, from whence she pro-
ceeded to Oakley. On arrival at her mother's, she
had no child with her (and the mother stated she
was not aware of her having a second illegitimate
child), but only a reticule and a brown paper parcel.
The body of a child was found iu a pond about
half a mile from the mother's house the next morn-
ing, with a napkin on its body and a handkerchief
tied loosely tied round its neck. Suspicion being
directed against the prisoner, on being informed
that such was the case she admitted to a Mr. Ling
contents of pare I .,
by the person to whom the child was put out at two
shillings a week, to have been those it was in the
habit of wearing. A medical gen lf-naan named
Miller deposed that death proceeded from drowning
but he stated on his cross examination the appear-
ances were equally consistent with those of death
from graddal suffocation or strangulation. One or
two witnesses proved that the prisoner was always
ford of the child and of children generally.
Mr. Mills, for the defence, contended that the
reasonable presumption was, not that the woman
destroyed her child whom she so loved, but that
she, on her way to her mother's, discovered it to
have died from suffocation, that she had a natural
aversion to take home to her mother a child sud-
denly dead, and that this might lead her to be de-
sirous to sect ete the body by putting it into the
pond, first decently putting a napkin round its body
and a handkerchief loosely round its neck, and
carefully keeping the little thing's clothes. The
absence of any proof of violence supported this pre-
sumption, and the medical testimony, instead
of detracting fi orn, really made it fair and reasonable
that there was nothing in the case inconsistent with
the sup;:osition that accidental suffocation, while
the child was being carded along by its mother,
was the cause of death.

His Lordship, who summed up most elaborately,
put it to the jury whether death was caused by
drowning, or whether it might not have arisen, as
suggested by the counsel for the prisoner, from
accideni al suffocation.

The jury, after Jetiring for an hour, returned a
verdiqt of Guilty, with a recommendation to mercy.
His Lordship, in an address delivered with great
emotion, passed sentence of death on the prisoner.

WESTERN CIRCUIT. —BODMIN, MARCH 22.
CROWN COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Crowder.)
William Nattle, 41, labourer, was charged with
the wilful murder of Maria Nattle, his mother, at
St. Dominick, on the 21. st November.
The prisoner lived with his mother and sister.
His mother was, generally speaking a person of
good health. The prisoner worked with his sister
at a farm in the neighbourhood. They were in the
hilA of going to work together and coming beck
together. Tne prisoner was very violent when
drunk, and on such occasions had been heard to
threaten his mother, who was in consequence afraid
of him. On the 21st his sister went to work
alone, the prisoner not accompanying her.
Abut five o'clock in the evening.he was seen
to go home by a person who considered him
drunk. Just afterwards his mother was Been to
cross the kitchen with a candle in her hand. The
sister on returning, about seven o'clock, found her
mother stretched on the floor, breathing heavily.
She did not speak, and died shortly afterwards.
The prisoner on being called to come down said,
"If you don't be off, I'll kill the lot of you." He
refused to come down or render any assistance. A
large bruise was found over one of the old woman's
ears, and death had resulted from apopl,xy caused
by a blow to that part. The question was whether
that blow had been produced by a fall or by the
act of the prisoner. A weeding iron was found
broken in the prisoner's house such as might have
inflicted the bruise.
After witnesses had been called in establishment
of th.ne facts, and his lordship had summed up,
the jury returned a verdict of guilty of man-
slaughter.
Hia lordship said he could not receive this ver-
dict—they must either find the prisoner guilty of
the murder or not guilty. His lordship then re-
quested the jury to retire, and in the meantime
advised with his learned brother in the adjoining
court. On the return of his lordship, the jury was
sent the foreman said they were unani-
mously agreed; and their finding was not guilty.
fi)r, a
The prisoner was
then discharged.
The assizes for this county terminated this
(Monday) evening.

NORTHERN CIRCIIIT.—LIVERPOOL, March 23.
CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)
BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.

The next case was an action for breach of pro
raise, brought by Mr. Abrahams, picture dealer, of
Manchester, on behalf of his daughter, against a
Mr. Ferdinand Rosenberg, tobacco and cigar
dealer, of Oxford-street and Market-street, in Man-
chester.

The engagement between the parties was made
in December, 1856, and it was fixed that the mar-
flap should take pace on the 24th of June fol-
owi'ng, but in consequence of the illness of tht
young lady the wedding was postponed, and in
the meantime she went to London to the house of
her sister-in-law, for the benefit of her health. The
defendant accompanied her to the railway station,