The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-23 00:00:00

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NEWSPAPER

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accorded in detail with the statementiofnth se
prisoners.
jury The
Mr. Baro
Baron
found Martin, th
who
wasprisoners
mg guilty., a
ected, theat
passed sentence on the prisoners, telling them the t
'as sure as they stood there living men they woul d
very shortly have to appear before their God. The
evidence showed this to be one of the most brutal
murders ever committed ; for, as they went to the
cottage to rob, they might have done so without
any necessity of injuring these poor old people, for
what resistance could they have offered to such men
as they were ? They might depend upon it no
mercy would be extended to them in this world.
His Lordship then passed upon them the sentence
of death.
The prisoners stood unmoved during the whole
trial.

pEif JE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

his noble friend at the head of the Government was not
then in the house, and he could not take it upon himself to
do more than prornise that he would not move the second
reading after ten o'clock on Monday, the Bth of April, and
further, that there would be ample time given between the
second reading and the consideration of the bill in com-
mittee.

The motion that the house should adjourn to Monday, the
Bth of April, was then agreed to.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.
SHREWSBURY, MARCH 22.
Elizabeth Griffin, 36, single woman, was charged
with the wilful murder of her illegitimate child,
William Griffin, aged nine months, on the 3d of
March, 1861, at Shrewsbury.
Mr. Best conducted the prosecution ; Mr. H.
Matthews, at the request of the learned judge, de-
fended the prisoner.
Mr. Best, having stated the outline of this pain-
ful case to the jury, called several witnesses, who
proved the following facts.
It appeared that, in the month of June last,
the prisoner was residing in the house of some
poor people named Peel, in the town of Shrews-
bury, and was there delivered of a male
child on the Bth of June. She called the child
William, and remained there till the month of
November, when she took the child to the house of
a Mrs. Grist, also at Shrewsbury. While at Mrs.
Peel's the prisoner nursed her child and treated it
with kindness. 'The child was healthy, but it once
had an attack of inflammation of the lungs. The
prisoner had no father and no mother living. Mrs.
Gthe i spt .rbitsaotneedr'tbh.raotugahbtouhtertheoheinldd
toof Nheorvehmoubseer, loaosdt
placed it with her to nurse, and agreed to pay her
3s. a week. The prisoner after Rards herself went
to lodge "with Mrs. Grist, and stayed there for
about a fortnight when she took the child away,
one Sunday evening, the 3d of March. She went
away with the child about six o'clock in the even-
ing. The child had not been well at the time Mrs.
Grist bad the child. The prisoner returned at be-
tween eight and nine o'clock in the evening, with-
out the child. The next day, Monday, the 4th of
March, the prisoner said she was going to see the
child before she went' to her place, and the next
day, Tuesday, the sth of March, in answer to a
question, she told Mrs. Grist that she had seen the
baby, and it was better, and that it was in Abbey
Foregate, Shrewsbury. The witness identified a
shirt, flannel, and socks found upon the body of the
child; also a plaid frock, &c., afterwards found in
the prisoner's box, and she also spoke to the iden-
tity of the body of a child which had been shown
her. The child was teething while with Mrs. Grist,
and suffered from convulsions, and it was to leave
in consequence. A man named Robert Ellis, on
Sunday, the 10th of March, saw the body of a child
on the banks of the Severn, at Monkmoor, about
two miles from Shrewsbury. It had en the shirt,
flannel, and socks identified by Mrs. Grist, and the
body was also identified by her and other wit-
nesses. -john-Davis, a sergeant of the Shrewsbury
police, stated that, on the morning of Wednesday,
the 13th of March, he went to the house of the
Rev. Mr. Gifford, the master of the grammar
school at Birmingham, where the prisoner was
in service, and took the prisoner into custody,
upon the charge of murdering her child. The
prisoner said nothing, but began to cry.
The policeman took possession of the prisoner's
boxes, of which the prisoner had the key, and
brought them tc Shrewsbury. The prisoner was
searched, and a key taken from her, with which her
box was unlocked in her presence, and in that box
were found a hood, a plaid frock, and a pinafore.
The first two articles were identified by Mrs. Grist
as a part of the clothing which the child had on
when the prisoner took it away. The witness stated
that the prisoner cried when he took her into cus-
tody, and when before the magistrates she cried a
good deal, and appeared much distressed. Mr. J.
D. Davis, a surgeon of Shrewsbury, who had made
a post mortem examination of the body on the day
after it was found, said there were no external
marks of violence upon it, but there were al rbsions
on the face, caused, as he supposed, by its floating
in the water. The membrane of the brain was
slightly congested. The lungs were congested, and
contained frothy mucus. The windpipe also con-
tained frothy mucus and sand, which was also found
in the air passages. The right side of the heart
contained fluid blond, and the left side was empty.
The stomach contained about four ounces of undi-
gested food, a portion consisting of lumps of potato
and meat, either pork or mutton. The surgeon gave
it as his opinion that the c!;ild died of suffocation
by drowning; but, on cross examination, he
that children while teething often suffered 'from
convulsions, which would be aggravated by improper
food, and that some of the appearances of death by
convulsions corresponded with those of death by
drowning.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Lord J. RUSSELL said perhaps it might be as well for
the house to know the order in which business would be
taken after the recess. The third reading of the Bank-
ruptcy Bill would be taken on Monday, the first thing, and
then the Post Office Savings Banks Bill, and then the Coal
Duties would be moved by his right hon. friend the Home
Secretary. On the following Thursday the Navy Esti-
mates would be proceeded with in committee.

NOTICES OF SAVINGS

BANKS.
Mr. AYRTON gave notice that on Tuesday, 9th April,
he should move for a return of the estimated cost of con
ducting the business of the Post Office savings banks, and
also for a copy of any report of the Post Office authorities
on which that measure was based.

A statement made by the prisoner before the
magistrate was then put in and read. It was in
these words :—" I found I could not support both
my children and keep myself."
Mr. Matthews then addressed the -jury for the
prisoner, and contended that the evidence was not
sufficient to lead to the conclusion that the child had
come to its death by drowning. He admitted that
the evidence showed that the prisoner had put the
child into the water, but he contended there was no
evidence to show that it was alive when it was put
there; and he contended it was more reasonable as
well as more humane to come to the conclusion
that the child had died of convulsions or accidental
suffocation, and that it was thrown into the river
after its death.

Mr. Jutice Blackburn having summed up the
evidence to the jury, the latter retired, and, after
nearly an hour's absence, returned into court and
found the prisoner guilty, at the same time recom-
mending her to the merciful consideration of the
Court " upon account of her helpless and desolate
condition."

Mr. Justice Blackburn said he would take care
that the recommendation of the jury should be for-
warded to the proper quarter.
His Lordship then assumed the black cap, and
pronounced the awful sentence of death upon the
prisoner in the usual manner.
The prisoner, who appeared much affected, and
concealed her face with her hands, was then
removed.

THE INTENDED OUTBREAK AT THE

CONVICT PRISON.

CHATHAM, MARCH
of e
o2n2v.iet
Captain Gambier, Director-General
Prisons, arrived yesterday from London, and after
having an interview with the Governor, Captain
Powell, entered into a searching investigation into
the causes which led to the intended outbreak
which was to have been carried out a few days ago
by the convicts at the prison. Their object was to
get complete control of the establishment, by first
securing the warders, and then barricading the
gates of the prison, to prevent the ingress of the
military guard and the civil guard of the prison:
The inquiry was, as usual, conducted with closed
doors. Enough, however, has transpired to show
masters, and
that the plan laid down by the convicts was syste-
matically arranged to wreak their revenge on the
authorities of the prison. The result of the inquiry
has led to 12 of the worst of the ringleaders who
were engaged in the plot being heavily ironed.
They are kept entirely secluded from having any
intercourse whatever with any of the other pri-
soners ; besides, they are wearing a black dress to
denote their characters, and their only subsistence
is bread "and water. It is generally believed among
the officials that there are upwards of 100 prisoners
who form the ringleaders in these outbreaks. Every
precaution is now taken by the authorities to pre-
vent any hostile move being made without meeting
with a sure check, as the strength of the
military guard is doubled, and the civil guard of
with the prison are on duty day and night,their
anyrifl possiblee s
outbreakwith ball
occurringand capped,
;
ready
an
order was
s
issued this day to the effect that if any to repress
convict
warder or an
offersassistant
witth a
the convict is to be
immediately shot. It has been long known
complained warders'
to
warderstrike when or interfere
on
duty,
against
their that
eml.
i f the'
the convicts
warders
b have
v e been
duct, the complaints have never been inquired into,
and these outbreaks forcibly
show some prominent
defects in the existing_ penal system carried out at
this establishment. One of the warders is suspended
in consequence of his showing some lekev•Tarruness
in the execution of his duty. During the time of
the intended conspiracy he was ordered to open
some cell doors where from 30 to 40 convicts were
vin
confined, they ha • their g had dinner, consequently
they had their i k'lves, and as there was a consider-
able
. yelling and hooting
afraid to open their cells for fear of some fatal con-
sequence. Capt. Gambier returned to town yester-
day afternoon.

THE MILL ACCIDENT AT WALMERSLEY.--James
Booth, who, as stated in Thursday's Guardian, had his
leg broken by a shaft in Messrs. Mills's factory, at Wal-
mersley, near Bury, died in the Royal Infirmary on
Thursday. An inquest was held yesterday by Mr. Her-
ford, city coroner, and a verdict of " Accidental death"
was returned.