The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-09 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Selina Stanfield, a young woman, whose manner and
language indicated her having had a liberal education,
was placed at the bar before Mr. Henry, charged with
having made two desperate attempts to destroy
herself, by swallowing on each occasion a large dose of
audanum.
From the evidence, which had been taken at some
length, it appeared that the prisoner resided with two of
her brothers, at 17, Webber-street, Lambeth, and the
latter had treated her so indifferently that, on Wednes-
day last, she took one dose of poison, and on Saturday
morning another. The last dose was so powerful, that
she must certainly have lost her life, had not the stomach-
pump been effectually used at the station-house.
Mrs. Garrett. the landlady of the house, deposed that
though the brothers of the prisoner earned as much as
fifteen guineas a week each, they occupied a room in her
house, for which they only paid 2s. a week, and they so
neglected the prisoner, that she, the landlady, was
obliged to allow her, from a feeling of humanity, to sleep
sleep upon a sofa, without charging her anything for it.
The prisoner said her father was the principal civil
engineer in her Majesty's Dockyard at Portsmouth, and
in the receipt of an income of from 6001. to 7001. a-year.
About two years ago her father married a second wife,
and not wishing, she supposed, to have them at home
with their stepmother, he sent her and her sister to live
with a person at Greenwich, where they remained for
some time, their father paying forty guineas a-year each
for their board and lodging. This he, however, con-
sidered too expensive, and refused to pay it any longer ;
and the consequence was, that they were obliged to leave.
They then dame to town, and by their needles, and by
the occasional assistance of their father, they were
enabled to make out a scanty existence. Her sister
soon after became an inmate of the Female Asylum, in
Pentonville, and she, the prisoner, struggled on as well
as she could—her father and brother, who held a lucra-
tive situation in the Southampton Docks, giving her a
trifle now and then to assist her to pay her rent.
Latterly, however, her father discontinued his gifts,
and the consequence was, that she was left solely to
herself, and endeavoured to maintain herself by stay-
stitching, but so wretched was the pay for such work,
namely, fourpence a pair for stays which took her
eight hours to do, that she had made up her mind to do
no more at it, and told the person who supplied her
with them so, on taking the last parcel.
Mr. HENRY—Is it true that you took laudanum on
Wednesday last? Prisoner—lt is true, sir.
Mr. HENRY—Where did you procure the laudanum
on that occasion? Prisoner—l got two pennyworth at
a shop in the Blackfriars-road, and one pennyworth at a
druggists in the New-cut.
Mr. HENRY—What did you say you wanted it for?
Prisoner—l said it was for a person who had a tooth-
ache.'
Mr. HENRY—Where did you get the laudanum on
Saturday, at the same places? Prisoner—l got two
pennyworth at one of the places where I got a penny-
worth on the Wednesday, and the person who served me
jokingly asked me how my friend's tooth-ache was, and
then served me; the other two pennyworth I got at
another shop.
After some further proceedings,
Mr. HENRY remanded the prisoner, to give time for
communication being made to her father, and with a
view of something being done for her.
QUEEN-SQUARE.
MURDER OF MRS. MUNDELL.—This case was brought
before the Coroner's Court last week, when a verdict
was given that deceased had committed suicide. Sus-
picions, however, fell upon a young woman, now in
custody, Martha R, owning, who, it seems, had been
living with the deceased at the time of her death.
Further inquiry confirmed the suspicion of murder, and
the manner and language of the prisoner were of a
character such as allows little room for doubt who has
been guilty of the deed. The facts need not be detailed,
as they will appear in evidence. The prisoner was
brought up before Mr. Bond on Wednesday last, and
remanded till yesterday, when she was again brought into
Court. The prisoner is a good-looking young woman, of
poor condition. She seems to labour under the deepest
agony. She had to be lifted on both occasions into the
dock, where she was accommodated with a chair.
Throughout the examination yesterday she continued in
a reclining posture, her eyes shut, her features deadly
pale, seemingly unconscious of what was going on.
Her breast displayed marks such as might have been in-
flicted by herself in the agony of despair.
The first witness called to-day was Ann Gage, the
daughter of the deceased. Her evidence last week was
read over to her, which she again confirmed, She said
she lives at 11, Rochester-street, Rochester-row. She
knows the prisoner, who has lived with her mother for
the last three months. It was on Monday morning last
that she came to witness's room, and said her mother
had had a fit, and screamed out " Murder, mur-
der !" She (prisoner) said no person had gone
into the room, for the door was locked.
Witness rose from bed and went to deceased's lodgings.
When she went into the room she looked into the bed,
and found that empty, but afterwards saw deceased
lying on a box. A. rope was fastened twice round the
throat of deceased, and her mother was then quite
dead. Since the inquest they had had reason, from the
prisoner's manner and conduct, to suspect her. On
Tuesday morning prisoner had asked her to go with her
to the corner of Bedford-street, Covent-garden, where
she expected to get some money. Witness went with
her to near the place, when she was left by the prisoner
for a time. Prisoner, when she came back, said she
had got a 5/. note. Next morning prisoner went over
to the " Blue-coat Boy " public-house to get change of
the note, but when she returned to witness's house
she said the gentleman had played a trick upon
her by giving her a Bank of Elegance note. Wit-
ness's husband, on this, wished to see the note,
and prisoner, after waiting a moment as if unwilling,
gave it to him. That note had marks of grease on it.
The note produced in Court is the same. Her husband,
upon seeing it, said to witness, " Your mother had two
notes like that." Witness had often seen them, and one
of those notes was marked with two spots of grease.
, Mary Cheshire said she lives at 1, Providence-row,
L Brewers-green, in the same house with the deceased.
On the night of the murder she was awakend by the
cry of " Murder, murder." She knows it was Mrs.
Mundell's voice. Before witness could get up, she
heard deceased cry again, " What are you doing to me?
what are you doing to me?" She went and knocked at
the door of deceased's room, but received no answer.
Knocked again, and after a time the prisoner said, in a
ow voice, 6 Nothing is the matter." She is certain
the prisoner was the party who made answer. She
tried the door but found it locked, when she returned
to her bed. She had not been thero more than
half an hour when she heard deceased's room door un-
locked and some one knock at hers. She called out,
"Come in," and the prisoner, with a bundle of fire-wood
in her hand, came into her room, and said the old lady is
very poorly. Witness answered, 4`lfsheis very poorly, go
for her daughter." After a little time she said she
would, and went out. prisoner came in again with her