The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-24 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE,

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.-LIVERPOOL, AUG. 23.
A GIRL FOURTEEN YEARS OLD CHARGED WITH
WILFUL MURDER.

Mary Ann Gibbon, a girl apparently about 14
years of age, was arraigned on the charge of wil-
fully murdering John Thompson, a little boy of four
years and nine months old, the son of Mr. Thomp-
son, her master. The prosecutor was a police officer
in Liverpool, and the prisoner came into his service
on the 18th of July last, only three days before the
alleged murder.
Messrs. Aspinall and Raffles prosecuted ; and
Mr. Pope defended the prisoner.
The girl entered Mr. Thompson's service without
a character from her previous place. On the morn-
ing of the 21st of July, Mrs. Thompson told the girl
that she would have to leave, as she did not suit ;
this was done calmly and without irritation being
apparent on either side. On the evening of that day
the prisoner was directed to take the baby and the
deceased boy out for a short time. The girl obeyed
her mistress, and in a little while returned with
the baby, but did not bring the little boy back. The
mother then sent the prisoner to look for the child ;
she returned, saying she could not find him. A
little boy, Charles Hall, then came into Mrs.
Thompson's shop, in Conway-street, Everton, and
told her that he had seen her child John with " a
yellow woman," in a street not far from Conway-
street. On hearing this Mrs. Thompson sent the
girl to tell her husband, who was on duty at the
Rose-hill police-station. She did not go to the
station; but remained out until three o'clock the
next morning. She was seen by several witnesses
going in the direction of the Leeds and Liverpool
Canal, and walking on the bank until she got be-
yond Sandhills-bridge. While the prisoner was
walking by the canal a youth of the name of Fox
fell in with her, and as they proceeded she called
his attention to something that was in the water,
and a flatman being in the neighbourhood was called
to assist in getting it out of the canal, and finding it
to be a child they (the flatman and Fox) took it to
the nearest police-station, the prisoner walking by
their side all the way. On arriving at the station the
prisoner identified the child. When she got to Mr.
Thompson's, she, to explain why she had been so
long away, told her mistress that she had been at
Sandhills Railway station, having mistaken that
for the Rose-hill station. Another little girl saw
a woman carrying the child in her arms, and the
prisoner going up to her and saying, " That's the
child lam looking for." This little girl saw the
prisoner return to Mr. Thompson's, and afterwards
leave the house, and again join the same woman,
who was carrying the child. They then went both
in the direction of the canal. The same witness saw
the woman and the prisoner together in several
places between Conway-street and Vauxhall-road.
tinder cross-examination by Mr. Pope this wit-
ness acknowledged that she had given a wrong
name and address to the police officer ; that she had
been examined for the first time only the day before
the trial ; and that her object in professing to know
anything about the affair was that she might get
into court to hear about " Johnny Thompson."
After the body had been found a coroner's inqnest
was held, and an open verdict returned. On the
13th inst. the prisoner was apprehended, and the
officer who captured her detailed to the court the
statement she made to him at the police-office. This
statement was to the effect that an elderly woman,
whose name was Latham, had taken the child, an I
had given the prisoner certain directions how she
was to proceed, and by what routes they were
respectively to reach the canal bank. When they
were on the road by the canal the woman dropped
the child into the water, when they both ran away
in different directions.
Mr. Pope, at the close of the evidence for the
prosecution, delivered a most energetic and elo-
quent address on behalf of the prisoner. The
learned gentleman, after stating that there had
been no evidence addueed that the child was mur-
dered by any one, assumed that he might have been
taken there by some person, who left him near the
canal, into which he might, in the darkness of the.
night, have fallen. The whole of the evidence was
then reviewed to show its defects and inefficiency
for the purpose of the prosecution.
The learned Judge in charging the jury said, the
case before them was exceedingly mysterious. It
was necessary to examine whether there was any
motive discoverable capable of accounting for the
act alleged. His lordship then went through the
evidence, pointing out those portions of it bearing
upon the case in any material way.
The jury, after an absence from the box, returned
into court with a verdict of not guilty.
CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Mr. Justice Hill.)
ACTION FOR SEDUCTION'.

Robert Leech, a grocer and corn-dealer, at
Ashton-under-Lyne, brought an action against
Joshua Lingard, a thriving butcher and innkeeper
of the same place, for seducing his daughter. Lin-
gard is a town councillor for the borough of Ash-
ton, and a man advanced in years. In 1855 he
began to pay his addresses to the plaintiff's eldest
daughter, then about 22 years of age, and an iuti•
macy soon sprang up between them. The plaintiff
disapproved of it, and cautioned his daughter
against its continuance. Despite of this warning
she continued clandestinely to meet the defendant,
and the result was the birth of a child on the 29th
of March last. Her sufferings were very great,
and she died on the 9th of April, her infant fol-
lowing her in a few weeks afterwards. During
their intimacy a great number of letters passed be-
tween them, and several of the defendant's were
put in and read. They were all couched in the
most affectionate language, and in them the defen-
dant repeatedly promised to fulfil his offers of mar-
riage. Ile asked her to name the day for the pur-
chase of the ring, and declared that if ever man
loved woman he loved her, and that he never made
one pledge but that he intended to make it good.
A verdict was given for the plaintiff—X3oo
damages.