The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-12 00:00:00

tite.
The whole of the night-charges baying been disposed
of, and the solicitors and witnesses being in attendance,
the prisoners were taken into court at a quarter to two
o'clock. Bacon was the first to enter the dock. His
manner on this occasion was quite different from and
formed a perfect contrast to that which he exhibited at
his former examinations. He entered the dock with a
firm step, and on geting to the upper end he turned
round and faced the gaze of every one in the court. In
fact his appearance was that of a person who was deter-
mined to brazen it out. Mrs. Bacon appears improving
in health ; she was accommodated with a seat at the
solicitors' table, with her back to the dock, so that her
husband, though he made several efforts, could not get
a sight of her.
Mr. Woodward, as on the former ex iminations, at-
tended for Bacon, and Mr. Crouch, from the office of
Messrs. Wright and Bonner, solicitors, London-street,
City, appeared on behalf of Mrs. Bacon.
The first witness called was Mr. W. Harris, the sur-
geon to Horsemonger-lane Gaol, who said—l recollect
the female prisoner Mrs. Bacon being brought to Horse-
monger-lane, and on that occasion the matron called my
attention to some marks on her throat, which appeared
to have been occasioned by a string having been drawn
tightly round it. I should say it was a string, and not
a rope. There were also some superficial wounds on the
throat, but the prisoner said nothing to me about how
they had been occasioned. I have watched her care-
fully, and I have come to the opinion that she is a per-
son of unsound mind. She has that appearance--has a
vacant look—won't look at you—and says nothing, but
is sullen and quiet.
Mr. E Mott—You did not test her state of mind in
any other way, but merely think her to be a person of
unsound mind from her appearance and manner ?
Witness—Just so. The mark on the throat was just
above the cuts, and was ail round the neck, and the
mark was very perceptible at the back part of the neck,
so that the cord must have been tied round very tight,
and the cord itself must have been very sharp, something
resembling whipcord.
Mr. Ellett—Doyen think that such a mark may have
been occasioned by her dress ?
Witness—l think not, for it was too high up and too
straight or circular.
A piece of cord, between whipcord and sashline, which
was found at the late residence of the prisoners, was
here produced, and Mr. Harris said it was such a cord as
was likely to produce the"inaek he had described.
Mr. .Elliott—You say that the mark was above the
wounds on the front of the throat. Is it your opinion
that a cord might have been tied or drawn closely round
so as to have caused that mark without its being stained
or marked with blood I
Witness—lt is my opinion that it might have been
tied round and have no marks of blood.
Cross-examined by Mr. Crouch—The cord produced
would have caused the trarks I have described. It did not
require to be tied very tight to produce the mark ; for,
if see-sawed when held tolerably tight, it would produce
a similar mark as if tied very tight. She could herself
have caused such a mark, but it was not the mark of a
person who had been hanging. I ask her daily how she
and from what I have seen of her I believe her to be of
unsound mind ; and I believe also the cuts on her
throat were inflicted by herself, but they may have been
done by anybody else. The cuts were so slight and super-
ficial that any other person inflicting them must have
been very careful not to kill her ; and I think that if any-
body else had done it it must have been by connivance.
' Mr. Crouch —Now, suppose it had been the object of
the person inflicting these cuts to deceive the pollee, and
I lead them to the supposition that Mrs. Bacon bad in-
flitted the injuries herself, were not the wounds just
I such wounds as woul I have been inflicted ?

as Witness—e Sly tr,e)llh,
athey b are.een etye
inflicted
rbeynaot
personsuch iwoundsntend.
Elliott—ThereAWlrit.nesslquantity
nitwblicsht
mleuosintithtaevde.
intend-
ing to kill her.
should thinkisn et
hcieuctesutai
What quantity of blood dceyou think Mrs. Bacon lost
at the time of receiving these injuries ?
been but small. The matron at the gaoly echo
chemise, and there was not much blood
therew d me her
Henry Woods was next called—He said he lived in
High-street, Reigate, and was in the employment of Mr.
Mad Monday edge, an ironmonger there. On the morn-
ing after Christmas day he saw the male prisoner at the
railway station at Reigate after ho got out of the train,
and soon after he saw him at his master's shop. He no-
ticed something very particular in his manner, and he
did not seem to know what he was doing. At about
half-past 12 he came into the shop, when he (witness)
asked him what o'clock it was, and he then saw him take
a watch from big pocket, by which he told him the time.
For five minutes at a time the prisoner used to stand
looking on the ground, and he was evidently in a very
distressed state of mind. In the evening witness pointed
out a shop to the prisoner where be could get a watch-
key, and afterwards saw him at the Bell public-hou.se,
where he had a bed, and he then asked him-to sit down
and have some brandy and water, but he refused as be
did not like his manner or appearance. The prisoner
then wore a pair of fustian trousers and an apron.
Samuel Perry, another man in the service of Mr.
Malledge, said the prisoner was in such a state of mind
on the Monday that he could not do a bit of work.
He used to throw his tools about, and stand as if study-
ing for a whole quarter of an hour. He did not do any
work at all, bat merely looked at it, and spent his time
in walking between his master's shop and the job where
they were at work.
Chas. May, another workman who was employed with
the prisoner on the Tuesday, said he did little or no work
on thatday, and did not seem to know what be was about.
The next witness, Win. Payne, of 15, Anglesea street,
Stepney, engineer, gave most important testimony. Ile
said—lJacon is my wife's nephew. On the Sunday even-
ing after Christmas he came to me, to my wife's bro-
ther's, between 8 and 9 o'clock, but did not stop long ;
my wife and he went off to see my daughter. I did not
then notice that there was anything the matter with his
finger, nor observe that it was tied up. I did not
know that there was anything the matter with his
finger I saw it in the newspaper, and this induced
me to look at it. I examined it, and told him
I thought it had been done sharpening the knife
on a steel. I thought so by the cut, as it was right
across the left band forefinger, between the
first and second joints ; he said he did not cut it that
way ; that he did it cutting a bit of meat at dinner ;
that his knives were new, and did not want sharpening.
[lt may here be marked as a rerange and suspicious
incidence that that Dr. Bushell, on examining one of the
knives found in the prisoner's room on the morning on
which the murder was discovered, Expressed his opinion
that it had all the appearance of having been recently
sharpened on a steel, and this knife, when subsequently
examined by a microscope, was found to be deeply
stained with blood, and was the instrument with which,
according to his wife's confession, he cut his children's
throats.] Mr. Pane further proceeded to say—l have
talked to the prisoner a good 'deal about the affair,
because he said he was sure his wife did not do it ;
that he did not do it • and that be bad every reason to
believe that somebody had unlocked the door, godnehim
and had done all that bad been done, I aske
if he bad left the key in the door when he went
out, and he said he had not, that he took it out
and hung it up, as was his common practice. I told bun
that it lay between him and his wife, for that no one
would have gone in and done such a thing without taking
the money that was there, and he said nothing to that;
but two or three days after he told me he had been robbed
of a greatcoat and other clothes, and I asked him about
the greatcoat. FT
—e said it was a rough greatcoat, and as I
had' never seen him with such a coat I asked him who
made it. He hesitated and ma le no answer, and I then
said, "Did your tailor make it? Because if he did the
police will find it out." He hesitated, and then said he
took it for a debt. I asked him of whom, and he again
hesitated, and said he could not tell me, but I considered
his statement to be false. He alsosaid e h ha dlost a watch,
but I never knew of his.havinbut one watch, and that
he brought back with him from Reigate. The watch now
produced by S
—ere. Broad is that watch, and its number
is 32,798. I never saw the other watch, No. 13,663, now
in the hands of thepossession until after he
, his
police,
came back from Stamford a week after the murder. In
trying to wind it;up at his house the prisoner broke the
glass, but, with the exception of that injury, it seemed
to be perfect. I had not seen the watch 32,798, but
subsequently saw the one 13,663 with the second-baud
off, and the prisoner then said the police bad caused the
injury done to it ; but at that time the face was not da-
maged. I told him when he advertised for the watch f
that be was a great fool for doing so, that it would be I
sure to be picked
up and brought forward, when he
would have 51. to Pay for it, when he said be wished he)
should. When the prisoner came the night before the
murder he seemed very much confused. Mrs. Bacon sat
alongside me, and I said to her wonder heti, you
can leave those little childrem " And in a little time she
replied, Uncle,
you have no cause to fret about the
children ; they are happy," That was all she said.
Mr. Elliott—. When was this ?
Witness—On the nihtof the Sundayafter Christmas, ;
just two days before the
murder wasdiscovered.
Mr. Elliott--Then they had not the children with
them when they called on that night ? •
Witness—N° sir, and that was the reason I spoke
about their leaving them. Oa the Wednesday morning