Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-02-20
A Curious Murder Trial.

A Curious Murder Trial.
A cause lately tried in London excited for
the time an interest little less than that felt
in the Tichborne case Christiana Edmunds,
aged forty three, was arraigned for the MUIR
der of Sidney Barker. The prisoner resided
with her mother at Brighton, and had formed
acquaintance with DR.. Beard, for whom she
conceived a somewhat too tender regard. ln
September, 1870, she gave Mrs Beard a cho-
colate cream, and that lady suffered so acutely
after eating it that she told her husband she
was convinced it was poisoned. This circum-
stance might have passed off without further
notce, but before long other cases OF illness oc-
cured after people had eaten creams and
swcetmeats which came, or purported to come,
from the shop of Mr.. Maynard. On June
-, 1871 Charles Miller bought some chocolate
creams at Maynard's. He ate one, and gave
his nephew, Sidney Barker, another Miller
was attacked with sickness and rigidity. His
nephew died. This packet Of chocolate was
thrown away, but subsequently another was
purchased aud handed to an eminent anal yst.
He found that the creams contained strychuine.
Au Inquest was held, verdict of accidental
death recorded, and Mr.. Maynard was exon
Grated from all blame. After the inquest he
destroyed his stock.
Miss Edmuuds had previously called on May
nard, aud told him that his caudles contained
poison, aud that friend of hers had uearly
died from eating them. 1t appeared that the
prisoner was IN the habit of seuding boys,
whom she found playing in the streets to buy
sugar plum> aud Chocolate creams trom May
nards. She would say that these were not
quite what she required, aud would return what
appeared 10 be tho>e just received, but were,
lu fact, Others which she had luierted with
po,suu The buy returned to Mayuard, who
pourel back luto the jars those Which Miss
f :munds had returned, AMI seut her another
pacAct, with which she plotcsSed to be salts
fled, and which in turn she duly Strychulncd
More than this she left about on shop cUuut-
erS and other places as though by accident,
bags baarlng Maynard 5 name cuntalulug the
pol>oued swcctmeats. When the boy Barker
died anonymous letters were addressed TO his
father, urging him most strongly to prosecute
Maynard, aud there was stroug evidence to
show that such letters We're III the handwriting
OF the prisoner. The weight OF ev,deuce was
~ entirely against her that her COUNSEL pro-
e:drd to set up the defence ot insanity, and
this is, legally considered, the Importance vi
the case, for it will probably become an Oft
quoted precedent III our own courts as well as
III England. The evidence III support OF the
Of the jail IN which she was confined prior 10
the trial, who had beeu chaplain OF u unauc
asylum, and is person Of experience In such
cases, was decidedly OF opinlon that she was
demented. DIR. Wood: formerly resident at
another great asylum, believed her really In
capable OF Judging between right and wrong.
DR. Robertson, one OF the visitors ot the Court
OF Chaucery to Lunatlcs, regarded her 'as one
OF those persons on the border land between
crime and insanity He thought her intellect
quite clear aud free from any dclusion, but that
she was morally insane. DR.. Mandsiey, an
eminent man, agreed with DIR. Robertson.
There was yet another witness ~
Seldom writes one present, has there
been witnessed more painful scene IN court
than that caused by the appearance of Mrs.
witness-box. The unhappy lady, who had all
the look of extreme old age, was for a long
time unable to speak for her sobs. There
was something inexpressbly pitiable IN the
story of her life, as she gasped 1t out 10 sen
tcnces broken with tears how her father,
whose name she begged not to be asked to
tell, had died an epileptic cripple; how il. her
husband had gone mad In the prime OF life
and died a ravlng lunatic how her only son had
been an idiot from his childhood, and had at
last to be sent to Earlswood to die; how her
eldest daughter had attempted to commit SUI
eide, and had died victim of hysterla how
the prisoner, the child whom everybody who
knew her loved, had suffered from paralysis
and hysteria; and how she herself had watched
stealing over her the symptoms OF the heredl-
tary malady SO fatal to her race, until this last
horror had come upon the end OF lite OF
misery. All this was wrung from the wretched
mother by questions gently and kindly put, but
vet to answer each one of which was to her
mortal agony. And in the midst oft all there
came response, sort of waihng cry from the
dock, This is more than can bear. No coun-
sci can be justified in leaving his case lncom-
plete yet if sudden inspiration had led Ser
gcaut Parry to close his case as Mrs. Edmunds
was led from the witness box, it IS doubtful
whether any verdict but that of not guilty on
the plea of insanity could possibly have been
returned Unfortunately, the succeeding eyl-
dence weakened, if it did not destroy, the
powerful impression caused by, the widowed
mothers story of her own, and her child LIE.
That story bore the impress OF truth, and yet
the corroborating evidence was slnguarly weak,
and at the close of the case for the defence the
Impression left upon the court was that the plea
of insanity had not been made out as torclbly as
had been expected from the opening speech
The Jury brought in verdict of guilty, uuac,
companied by any recommendation to mercy
aud the Judge expressed his concurrence with
it: but the Home Secretary has altered the
sentence. and Miss Edwards goes to prison
tnr fa N Y Times