The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-17 00:00:00

OXFORD CIRCUIT.-GLOCESTER, DEC. 16.

(Before Mr. Baron Channell.)
Ann Fowler, 33, silk weaver, was charged with
the manslaughter of her child, Mary An:Fowler,
on the 30th of January, 18:54, at Thornbury.
It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner
was a married woman, who, in the beginning of the

year 1854, was living with her husband in a cottage
at the Cross Ways, in the parish of Thornbury.
She was now charged with causing the death of her
little girl, who was about two years of age, by
omitting to give it necessary food, in consequence
of which the child died on the 30th of January,
1854, in the workhouse of the Thornbury Union.
The prisoner and her husband absconded immedi-
ately on the death of the child, and she was not
taken into custody until Monday last, when she
was apprehended near Newport, in the county of
Monmouth. The evidence now given showed that
the prisoner's husband was an able-bodied man,
but it did not appear whether he was in work, or
that he had supplied the prisoner with necessaries
for the use of herself and child. From the evidence
of a next door neighbour, a Mrs. Thorne, it appeared
that in the early part of January, 1854, she saw
the child, who was about two years old, in a very
poorly and weak state. The prisoner nursed the
child, and continued doing so until its death, but it
continued wasting away. Mrs. Thorne, finding
that the prisoner had no broth to give the chill, on
one occasion gave her a pound of " lazarus,"
which was explained to mean a bit of pork bone,
but the prisoner neglected to make any broth,
and excused herself by saying she had no sauce-
pan. Mrs. Thorne also from time to time gave the
chili milk and arrowroot, of which it would take a
little. A Mrs. Ball also gave the prisoner some
milk, but she said the child would not take it. The
prisoner and her husband used to quarrel, and on
one occasion the child was seen with a black eye,
and some of the skin scarred off the head, but this
was caused by the husband. The prisoner, however,
used to leave the child alone in the cottage for several
hours, and on those occasions it was sometimes left
in bed, or tied on a chair before the fire. At length,
on the 21st of January, the relieving officer of the
union and the medical officer went to the cottage,
and finding the child in a wretched state, lying on
some rags placed for a bed upon two chairs, the
child an mother were taken to the union. The
child was there nursed twice in the day by another
pauper, and also twice at night, but though it
seemed to improve for a short time, it died in a few
days. On a post nzortem examination it appeared
that the various vital organs were small, and nearly,
empty and colou-less, and as there was no appear-
ance of disease, the medical men attributei the
death to want of food. The child after death weighed
only between 91b. and 101 b., instead of from 201 b.
to 251 b., the ordinary weight of a healthy child of

the same age
Mr. Baron Channell summed up the evidence
and told the jury that if they believed the child
died of starvation they must then consider whether
the prisoner had the means of providing it with the
necessary food. If she had the means, and the child
died from her neglect, she would be guilty ; but if
she had not the means she ought to be acquitted.
The jury found the prisoner not guilty.
James Frebroy, 27, labourer, was charged with
cutting and wounding Emma Mabbett, with intent
to murder her, and in another count with intent to
do her grievous bodily harm, on the 29th October,
1856, at Almondsbury.
Mr. Cripps appeared for the prosecution. The
prisoner was undefended.
It appeared that the prisoner had lived for about
18 months in the house of a Mrs. Mabbett, a widow
living at Almondsbury. In the same house the
prosecutrix, Emma Mabbett, also lived, she being
the widow of Mrs. Mabbett's son, William Mab-
bett, who had died several years ago. It would
seem that the prisoner had formed an improper con-
nection with her, but at Michaelmas last the
mother obliged him to leave the house. The pri-
soner became jealous in consequence of the prose-
cutrix having formed an acquaintance with a man
named Mitchell, and threatened that her court-
ship should not last a fortnight. On the 29th of
October last he went to her house, in the absence
of her mother, and rushed in by forcing off the bolt
of the door. He immediately took hold of the pro-
secutrix and asked her to go upstairs. She asked,
" What for ?" and he then took off his boots and
forced her upstairs into her room. He pulled her
about for a minute or two, and then said, " Turn
round, there is a flea on your neck." She then saw
that he had a razor in his hand, and struggled with
him to save herself, but received several cuts on her
neck and face. The prisoner then left her, and the
prosecutrix crawled• to the window and gave an
alarm, which brought some persons to her assistance,
and she was taken to the infirmary. The surgeon
stated that he found four severe cuts on her throat,
near the windpipe, and one on the forehead. The
wounds were of a dangerous character, but not so
dangerous as those found on the prisoner, who was
discovered in an upper room at the house of the pro-
secutrix with his throat cut and apparently in a
dying state. He also was taken to the infirmary
at Bristol, and had recovered, but still appeared in
a languid state. When before the magistrates the
prisoner made a statement to the effect that he had
lived with the prosecutrix for several years till
about two months previously, when she picked up
another man, " which," the prisoner said, " drove
me beyond myself."
Mr. Baron Channell summed up the evidence to
the jury, and left it to them to say with which of
the intents charged in the indictment the prisoner
inflicted the wounds.
The jury found the prisoner " Guilty" of wound-
ing with intent to murder.
Mr. Baron Channell ordered sentence of death to
be recorded, at the same time intimating that the,
sentence would not be carried into execution, but
it would remain with her Majesty's advisers to
decide as to the prisoner's fate.
Peter Burston, 41, labourer, was charged with
the manslaughter of Jane Jones, on the 13th of
September, 1859, at Bristol.
It appeared that on the evening of the 23d of
July last the prisoner went to a public-house at
Bristol named' the Black Horse, where his wife
was drinking, and had become intoxicated. The
prisoner wanted his wife to go home, but the de-
ceased interposed to prevent it, and said she would
show him haw she would serve him if he was her
husband. The deceased was ironing at the time,
and held up the iron to his face, which so irritated
the prisoner that he snatched up an iron from
.before the fire, and with it struck her a blow on
the left side. Another witness rather varied the
story by saying that the prisoner was pulling Mrs.
Jones's things about, and that she told him to leave
off, end held up the flat-iron towards the prisoner's
face, but without touchin him, and that he then
took up the iron and struck her. The woman when
struck, cried out, " Oh! Peter, you've killed me,"
and fell down on a chair. The blow caused a bruise
on the side, and the deceased was afterwards taken
to the infirmary, where she remained some time.
She was the' brought home, and appeared to be
getting better ; but in a few days she lost her
speech and died. The evidence of the surgeon
showed that when the deceased was first taken to
the infirmary she had no bruise on her side, but she
was suffering from pleurisy and inflammation of
the lungs. At the end of August she left the in-
firmary, at her own request, but against the wishes
of the surgeons, who thought it not safe. On a
post-mortem examination the Bth and 9th ribs
were found to be broken, and at the fracture there
was a small abscess. There was also a large deposit
of pus on the surface of the brain and at its base,
which the surgeon thought had been absorbed from
the abscess at the fracture.
The prisoner, in his defence, said the deceased
struck him with the iron.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, with a strong
recommendation to mercy.,
Mr. Baron Channell saia that, independently of
the recommendation of the jury, he should have felt
disposed to pass a lenient sentence, as the prisoner
had received considerable provocation, and never
intended to do any serious injury. His Lordship
then sentenced him to one week's imprisonment.

COLLISION IN HARWICH HARBOUR.—On Wed-
nesday a collision took place in Harwich harbour between
the schooner Rover of Goole, and the smack Diligence of
Harwich, the latter sinking in a few minutes from the
effects of the injuries she ha l sustained. A man named
Bowen, one of the smack's crew, was drowned.

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