The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-04
Some Remarkable Features of the PENCE
Case.

II - very S'Hl''lu lilhl u lIlui III fIlRiunu
ever arouscs such II storm Of controversy
throughout society generally ~ has been
excited by tine ponge starvation case, re-
Gently tried at the Central Criminal Court
in London, before Mr.. Justice HAWKINS.
The four prisoners were convicted Of muir
der. and the news Of the verdict was re-
ceiNed with enthusiastic cheers by the
crowds assembled outside the court. Only
few days later we find an influential por-
tlon Of the English press expressing doubt
rs To whether there had really been any
homicide ut all. Theu came the tcegruphic
announcement Of the rcprieve, and now the
recent mails have brought the Home Sccrc-
tary's memorandum. showing that the capt.
tai penalty was RENTED upon the recom-
mcndation OF Sir JOHN HAWKINS himself.
after he had consulted three of his brother
Judges. and had read the memorial pre-
scented to the Home Office by the eminent
| physician, Sir WILLIAM JENNER. Perhaps
| the most surprising of the many exceptional
| circumstances which entitle the Pcngc ease
To rank among the celebrated causes Of
modern times is this change Of opinion on
the part of the Judge who presided at the
trial; for it is impossible to suppose that he
still cntertains the strong conviction Of the
guilt Of the prisoners which he 50 plainly
manifested both before and after the YER
diet. Some of the circumstances of ease
which so nearly resulted in IA terrible per-
version of justice, are we'll worthy of atten-
tive consideration in their bearing on the
| administration Of the criminal law.
Starvation has not often been resortcd to
as an agency for murder and the selection
of this method OF killing IS one Of the re-
markable features of the Penge ease. Here
were four young persons. two men and two
women, In comfortable circumstances and
with fair prospects in life. charged with de-
liberately having starved fellow creature
to death. Most prominent among the pris-
oncrs was LOUIS STANTON. whose wife,
! HARRIET STANTON was the alleged victim.
When he married her in the summer Of 1875,
he was about "a years Of age. and carried on
| business n an auctionecr in n suburb Of
London. She was then Miss RICHARDSON,
with fortune present and prospective
amounting to about twenty thousand dol
lars. an attraction which seems To have out
weighed her twelve years Of seniority.
| Against her mothers wish. she accepted the
hand Of LoUIs STANTON to whom. on mar
riage, the law of England gave all her prop
erty. About half Of II was in such shape
that he could reduce II to immediate pos
session, and he subsequently secured the
rest.
For period Of about a year after their
marriage nothing uniowara appears Ia
have occurred except som" suspicious Of All
! improper ini ituacy between Lot STAt MON
and ALICE RHODES, IA han'i-on" Young girl
OF eighteen, who wa q relative of hi. broth
er's wife. In iii" summer ~ 1876. Mrs.
! STAUNToN, wit her baby about three months
old. wa sent L. visit AT the louS. III This
| brother. PATRICK SIAI NIoN. an artist, vino
! lived IN the country al u pac" called the
| Woodlands near 'udhain. Here IN. was AT
first treated with some kindness, but after
I Tia" beginning of the present year She was
practically Imprisoned IN her bed chamber
and deuie'l the ncces-aries ol life. Her hus-
band kept away from her and made no re-
-pou-,. 10 her letters. Worst of all. he hired
q small farm not a mile distant from the
| Woodlands, and there he lived with ALICE
RHODES. who was held cut to the ncghbor
hood a. his wife. The very existence of
HAHklIr S1AINruN in his brothers house
| hold was srlulou-lv concealed.
Scaniily fed. and on some days not led At
all. this poor woman and hcr child grew
weaker and weaker lhc child succumbed
first. Just before his death. he was taken
to II hospital, where Louis SrAuNToN ar
ranged for the burial, but denied that he
was the father. Early in April Mr.. and Mrs.
PATRICK SrAUNToN. having become alarmed
at the prospective death of the mother in
their house and the probable inquiry ii
uen1I rntunNaI hpr a BnuUa and
summoned medical attendance. Louis
SrAUNroN and ALICE RHODES assisted IN
her removal. The physician at Penge was
told. what was untrue. that the patient had
been treated by doctor at Cudham and
LoUIs SrAuNroN added that she could eat,
but she would not. She died the next day
A certificate OF death by paralysis was
given: hut the attending physician subsc-
uucnt iy advised the Coroner to investigate
the case, and post-lnortem examination
was made six days later which led to the
conclusion that death had been occusionod
by starvation. LOUIS STAUNroN. PATRICK
STAUNToN. ELIzAnRrH. his wife. and ALICE
RHODES were accused of the murder, and
the jury found them guilty, niter trial
lasting six days. and II charge from the
Judge which occupied the whole Of the sew
enth day.
The two women We're recommended u
mercy; but. so far as the STAuNroN brothers
were concerned. there seemed no reason Ia
suppose that Mr.. Justice HAWKINS would
ever advise a Communication of the sentence
he pronounced Indeed, he told the prison
ers he thought they were guilty not only OF
the crime of which they stood convicted
ulc ,f nptr,lutn oil Tlntt tod