The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-08 00:00:00

THE LATE MRS. HENRY CUTTS, OF CARBURTON

It is with feeling

recur to the a

s of the most painful nature that we agair

Every circum

stance connected with the brief but eventful life of this de-
praved woman, far exceeds those detailed in fiction. Young,
handsome, accomplished, and of the most captivating man-
ners, apparently artless and ingenuous, her heart appears to
have been " deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked." The cool and systematic manner in which she for
months kept administering poison to an affectionate husband ;
the pleasure with which she witnessed his daily and nishtly
sufferings, the gradual wasting of his frame, and the total
deprivation of the use of his limbs appear too monstrous for
belief. But yet these are, unhappily, facts beyond the possi-
bility of a doubt. Nor does it appear that her murderous ef-
forts were confined to her unsuspecting husband, for it has
been also ascertained that poison had been administered by
her to the household servants and farm labourers in his ser •
vice. We feel it necessary to make this preliminary state-
ment lest any of our readers might be ignorant of the facts
stated on oath upon the inquest held in October last upon
the mother of her husband, when the corpse of the old lady

was disinterred, in order that the charge Of having poisoned
her mother-in-law by means of small doses of arsenic might
be investigated before the coroner.
Mrs. H. Cutts had been placed at that time under the
surveillance of the police at her hUsband's residence, and in-
formation was brought to the inquest-room that she bad
effected her escape from their custody. Nothing was heard
of her until July last, when Mr. Cutts had intelligence of her
at intervals. Shortly since, her husband was informed that
she was entitled to some copyhold property at Bolsover, under
the will of her father lately deceased, and Mr. Cutts finding
it necessary that they should be admitted to it. and also being
anxious to make a competent provision for her, he authorised
Mr. Payne, the solicitor,. of Nottingham, to go to Chester-
field, and find out the wretched woman, whom he saw there,

rred by her to Mr. Drabble, her attorney, in that
Cutts offered to settle on her the whole of the

:m cut ui

lady refusedto come tc.EZ

less £3tlo were first given to her. After re-
interviews with Mr. and Mrs. H. Cutts, their
Bed that they shonld meet in the presence of
►nd the tryistees ; and it was ultimately

arranged that Mr. Cutts should give her £lOO down, and
adhere to the first proposition 'as to the settlement. In

addition to this the watch and chain purchased on his mar-
riage, together with the elegant wearing apparel (the most
costly part of which had been obtained with money secretly
purloined from her husband), 'trinkets, &c., were given up
to her ; . and it is but; justice to Mr. Cutts to say, that Mr.
Bagshaw, the lady's uncle, declared that gentleman's con-
duct to be " handsome and liberal in the extreme." This
agreement was completed on the Saturday, and Mrs. H.
Cutts remained at Chesterfield.until the Wednesday, when
she took her departure for Worksop, in company with a cele-
brated swell coachman well known here and at Retford.
Her conduct at Mr. Evaus's inn, at Chesterfield, on the

above-named Saturday, was very extraordinary and alarming;
and such was the apprehension. entertained from her ex-
citement that the stomach-pump was resorted to. She was
known to be in the habit of taking exciting drugs. and dur-
ing one of the paroxysms she gave the sum of £BO to Miss
Evans, and her-gold watch to her brother ; but of course
they were given up to her again. From this period up to
that of her death, Mr. Cutts was totally ignorant of whither
had gone, until Saturday week, when he received
Bence of her appalling death. Accompanied by one
brothels, he immediately proceeded to Miss Sankey's,

at New Terry. It appears that during her residence'
at New Ferry, she had represented herself to be the Hon.
bliss
and at other times as- the Hon. Miss A. Coop-
er, Coutts, r
of Watnall-ball, Nottinghamshire. We are. informed
that' she had previously lodged at two places before she went
to Miss Sankey s, and that she was in the habit of getting so
intoxicated and excited, that the people of the house were
obliged to watch her when under these.eircumstances, lest she
should set herself or the houses on fire. There is no doubt
that this fatal propensity caused her death. When she lived
with her husband she was guiity of this practice, and she was
always anxious to have a candle burning in her bedroom at
night.
It is PrOls^'
'1 night in which she was burnt

to death that s'

le that on the f
the was intoxii

the cinders of a stocl

oaaaey ueuvered to Mr. H. Cutts a mass of letter's
from noblemen and gentlemen with whom the guilty woman
bad been corresponding • some of them were very curious,
containing highly-inflated affectionate assurances. To some
of these admirers she represented • herself as the victim of
treacherous guardian, to others that her husband had obtained
.possession of her property, leaving her without funds. By
these artful schemes she obtained from time to time consi-
derable sums of money
I one man of high rank making her
frequent rernittances. n some letters she is addressed as
" My. dear Mary Anne," and the copies of her replies
breathe the spirit of youthful fervour
_and affection. From.

delicacy to tliose who would suffer from the exposure of
their connections, the names of these writers are suppressed.
Mrs. Cutts' maiden name was Mary Steele, and not Mary
; she was born at Palterton, near Bolsover, in the
icounty of Derby, in 1919. Her late father was an opulent
man, and highly esteemed by ,all his neighbours. She was
married to Mr. H: Cutts on the 14th Januaryi 1838 and
died on the I4th ultimo.—Nottingham Journal.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—FnmAI

STEALING A SHAWL

A miserable-lookingwoman was brought up, charged with
stealing a shawl from Mrs. Ridgeway, a lodging-house keeper
n Park-lane ; also, with having pledged the same with a
pawnbroker in town.
Mrs. Ridgeway stated that on Wednesday night she met

the prisoner in Park-lane, in a state of intoxication ; and ti
,risoner having recognised her, begged some money, wh
was refused. She then took witness's shawl from h
iers, conveyed it to a pawnbroker's shop, and _
I shilling. Witness gave information to the police, and
_ _

her apprehended.
The pawnbroker being called upon, produced the shag
and identified the prisoner. who was sentenced to be impr
soned for three months.

CAUTION TO PAWNBROKERS

Thomas Timmons, a boy ten years old, was accused of
stealing a table-cloth from Mr. Beasley; with whom he had
been employed, and pledging the same with Mr. Holland,
pawnbroker, Scotland-road.
Mr. Beasley said he engaged the prisoner to keep an office
he had in town. For some time past several articles were
missed from the premises, and, having suspected the pri-
soner, he discharged him. Afterwards he employed him to
attend upon his sister-in-law, from whose house the pi isoner
had stolen a table-cloth and pledged it.
The mother of the boy stated, that when the table-cloth
was brought home she inquired where he had got it, and
being told that he had received it from his employer, .slie
directed him to take it to a pawnbroker, as she was in want

of money.
Mr. Beasley thought the pawnbroker was greatly to Man
and suggested that he should be inquired at as to whether
was customary to take goods from children of ten years

Mr. Rushton was convinced that the pawnbrokers shoul
be checked. No good would be done till five or six of thes
individuals were indicted. Every day some one or other of
these cases were brought up. The mother of the ho - -
yielded to poVerty, but the pawnbroker had no exctu
had taken the article without any questions, and Ig
have known that a child ten years old could not honest
tain possession of a table-cloth so valuable as that offeret
He considered the pawnbroker highly culpable, and said 11
would remand the prisoner till Saturday. The prisoner was
remanded accordingly.

STRIKING A SAILOR ON THE HIGH SEAS

- Riley, chief iiateo-f-tfieship Mary, was charged wit
flogging and otherwise striking John Cornish, a seaman i
the said vessel, while on her voyage from Bombay.to Live'
pool. _ _ _

The complainant stated that he had been flogged and struck
by the chief mate while in the performance of his duty, and
that his health had been materially injured thereby. He
also accused the chief mate with having applied offensive
names, and done everything to torment him during the

in-defence, Riley admitted that he had struck the pri-
soner, but denied that he had done him apy bodily harm.
He called several witnesses who proved that when Cornish
was shipped he was suffering from disease, and quite incom-
petent to act as an able seaman.
Mr. Rushton said the best way would be, when seamen
shipped themselves in a diseased state, thatthc captain should
refuse to pay them, and then it would be a question whetbe
they were entitled to any wages, and if any, what
He condemned the system of heating seas
complainant could not substantiate his char„
miss the case

WITH INTEN

was placed

g round under ver
ses of N

heard an unusual r

,fterwar

appreher