Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-02-10
SPECIAL Report for The Evening Star

A He.
give hem the benefit Of tie county air, and
principally with a view Of improving the he s,.t
| Ct his infant child, then suffering frC m summer
| complaint While there, on the night Of the q
| ~ JCly last, the CHILEAN infant Eire month,
Oit-Glisd frem the effects Of s.Ozcn placed i'm IL
food by Mary Wallis, cOlered girl. empIoyei
as a domestic in Mr.. Fabian's family. Sue wa.
| tried at Upper Marlboro, Nd, for tae crime
and convicted and sentenced "a death. The
particulars OF the poisoning we're Dus nshed in
IHe STAR ct the time, and the progress OF the
caee was naturally watched with Interest nv
many eiti sens of Washington. This teing the
day designated for the execution at Upper Mari
bore end there being 10 telegrsIhic cCmmupi-
vas sent there eare THIS morning with fast
team. and We are thus enabled ts lay before our
readers this afternoon the particular of the
Closing scene III the tragedy.
PARTICULARS OF TIE CeyEE.
On Saturday, July 2d, the girl, Mar VaUs
employed as domestic in the family c. Mr.
Fabian, was detected in the act OF approprl-
.tlns 70 Ler own use some clothing belonging TO
Mrs Reads ehild's nurse, and being chars Ell
Win the theit, became very sullen and threat
formed OF the facts, and told Mary that she
would have to leave the house on the following
dsJ. For the remainder Of the day aud evening
she continued sCilen and distracted and me
nliree seemed 20 be the particular object of Ter
hatred. She had, IL seems, taken a strong die
Eae 20 the nurse rom the time she came into
AOsSts anu bc-nS Uetecte4 In tfc attempt
TO steal her clothes, intensified this dislike.
In the evening. tIe was directed to boil some
milk, with WHICH to feed the child il necessary
during the night, and small boy, who was esl
pioyed about the place, saw her take some pow.
der fToI, q bottle and place il in the milk This
powder 1as ssrychni1e. The theory de yeloued
at the trlal was that SIC placed il IN the milk
expecting that the nurse would taste it irss.
apd If that failed, and the poison injured or
killed the child, the pSEse would be char ged
with the 6eed, so that in either case she would
nave her revenge. As usual, on the ia mily re-
uIl1g the MILK was set in 2 cOnvenieRt place
About one o'clock Sunday morning the child
crying awakened Mrs. Read, and Mr. Read
gave the little enc some OF the mix. of which il
tooH bat little. AIR. Read found that the milk
was bitter and calling the attention OF sIrs
r. bian 20 il, she tasted it, as Gid Mr. Read
and suspected that something rnsusual had
9een mixed with it Their suspicious were in a
few moments conf rned, for the child, after
wr-thing in agony about half an hour, died, ana
The LADY was also taken with violent pains
!s. hea wi, was summoned at once, ana tried to
save ne lie o. the child, but could net; and on
examining the milk he 80 once dete cteS strych-
nine n II. inquiries were immediately made
as 10 who could have PIT the poison in the
quantity OF strychnine haa been brought 20 the
house with which 20 kill rats and the bcy en-
ployed In the house said ths; he had seen the
girl, Mary, take some Of it from the bottle
Size WAS therefore detained in the house until
the matter could be Investigated. An inauest
was held, when verdict in accordance with
ent az the inquest. and strenuously denied hav-
ing any hand in the business, notwithstanding
che was closely questioned, bat subsequently
she admitted that she did put the poison in Tie
MIX, so that the nurse might be charged with
the murder of the child. The cOrpse OF the
little one was brought TO this city on the follow
ING DAY, and the funeral took place from the
No. al Massachusetts avenue.
THE TRIAL.
Tie accused was taken TO Marlboro on the
Monday following the murder, aud, except
during her trial, which took place on the 9th
and 18th OF August last has not left the sil a,
hat place. She was assigned Judge Samuel II |
berry "a ner counsel by the conrt-Judges |
Brent, Ford, and Masruder on the bench-srd |
az. George Z. Merrlck, States Attorney. was /
The prosecutor. The small boy alluded to above |
g The principal witness. and he testified posi-
-, 20 hAv ng seer her take some OF the poison /
-onn &c bottle. Mi Read testified that the |
aiIL rre Jared By the accused was given to the !!
nfant, anu commissions followed. h described /
sSmIo testGed thst tb emu r pTs Ane
81 the former that he had made |
9 Ison, isis Of portion of the milk sd- |
hemical AZ detected a quantity OF strych- /
, histefeu, an -" OF grain TO the ounce |
ihe IN the groSottt, 40 from the effects OF |
.c peLe,eu tne .LIiu u "ofToborAted by |
7. Hartigau. = verdict of guilty In Ne
nd she was sentenced 10 be executed. d. -
embeT Governor Bowie signed the deaf h Wa. /
ant, uesienating thls AZ the day Tor the time for
he execution.
THE CONDEMNED GIRL,
Iary Wallis, was formerly a slave, belong
" TO the late Richard u. Hall, on whose place,
ear Good Luck, (about i've miles east OF Belts !
lille j she was raised aud her entire lite was
pent in the county, most of il in the neI9hbor- |
cod where she committed the atrocious crime. |
liter the war she was employed "a house ser |
ant AT various residences in tie nei ghSOTh0oi ,
1 BeltsvIlle. She is rather tall and very dark
n color, and looks rather simple IN nded. A tier
er incarceration she did not exhibit mach con- !
ern a TO her fate, and, indeed, when spoken
o on the subject At all, did so lightly. IL Is
opposed that che had. up 10 few days past, a
nm conviction that the Governor would com
mute her sentence, and Their fore did not exhibit
Is much concern as she otherwise would have
lone. As child, she was given TO tits OF suli-
less. When she grew up they we're not so fire.
u, NJ, but were more threatening In their char
Ictcr.
WAS sHK ISsASE?
Her triiiinS conduct In the nssTlrt room. and |
eemIng Indifference TO her fate, led to the beliCf
hat she was either An imbecile or was insane
and hence accommodation for mercy, which /
was presented by the Jury. After the trial |
she was remanted TO JAIL and still ccntin- |
ned 20 wear the same unconcerned appearance, !
and the belief ia her insanity gained ground so |
rapidly that a petition was drawn up, circulated |
and signed by numbers of the best citizens OF |
the county, ard presented to Governor Bowie |
asst week, for Communication OF her sentence TO
imprisonment IN the penitentiary for life, upon
the ground that the jury which convicted her
believed her not thor 1ughly sane, aud recon-
mended her 10 mercy in the belief that impTis- J
onment, and not hanging, would therefore be
the punishment inflicted. The Governor III
formed MIR. Brent, tine States attorney, on
Wednesday last, BY letter, that he had weighed
this petition with the counter petition OF re-
spectacle citizens setting forth that she 10 Just
the reverse OF insane, being bright and iptelli-
gent, but naiiciousy wicked; and he as there
fore satisfied that the ends OF justice de m2nfied
the enforcement OF the sentence. lie therefore
declined 10 accede 10 the request. Sheriff Fra
zier, about O'Clock of the same day this com
munication was received by Mr.. Brent, pro-
ceetied 10 heT cell and notified her of the Gov
ernors refusai 10 interfere. and she seemed at
once to realize the true state OF the case, and
sObbed violently.
Her attendant spiritual ministers ~ well as
The guards At the Jail, seemed 10 incline rong!y
10 the opinion that the prison was not OF sound
mind, hence the appeals to the governor Tor
mercy in her behalf.
On the other hand. DIR. j. h. Mundell ply
-icisn TO the jail, says that she exhibited during
her imprisonment more than ordinary intelIi-
gence IN conversation, aud that in his opinion
she was as sane as anybody. She once remarked
q him that - before anybody should bring her
out on the sca;'old and put a rope around her
neck she would kill herself but she suisse
quenfly modified that remark by saying sob
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