The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-07
TIE CASE OF MISS M,LEAN.
The Coroner Finds She Was MUIR
derea and Commits the Accused.

derea and Commits the Accused.
London Standard
The verdict given by the Coroners jury
yesterday in reference to the death of
Miss Mclean does not appear to be in
consistent with the nature of the evi-
dence produced at the inquiry. The jury
have arrived at the conclusion that the
deceased died from the excessive use of
stimulants and the want of proper nour-
ishment; that drink was administered to
her by Lewis James Paine for the pur-
pose Of causing her death, and that the
girl Fanny Matthews was accessory to
the fact. In accordance with the finding,
the Coroner has committed Paine and
Matthews to Newgate on the charge Of
willful murder, and they will, in due
course, be put upon their trial for that
crime.
Under these circumstances it would be
manifestly unfair to offer any comments
which might in any degree tend to pre-
Judge the case against the prisoners. The
facts cited in evidence are sufficiently
familiar to those who have watched the
proceedings before the Coroner. Miss
Mclean was the daughter Of the late Col.
Mclean, G. B., and lived with her moth
er and brother, DR.. Norman Mclean, in
Eastbourne terrace. On the death of
Mrs. Mclean the deceased became enti-
tied to the whole of her property, includ-
ing the house in Eastbourne terrace, a
place called the Shrubbery, at Broadway,
Worcestershire, together with quantity
of plate, furniture and other valuables.
Soon after Mrs. McLean's decease Paine
went to live at the Shrubbery with the
daughter, to whom he was not married,
but whom he represented to be his wife.
According to his own admission he had
already been married three times, one OF
his wives, as he affirmed, being dead,
from another he had been divorced, while
the third was in court yesterday. He
held himself out as the ostensible owner
of the Shrubbery and other property be-
longing to Miss Mclean and she agreed
to make will in his favor, leaving him
all she possessed, he, in return, making a
will in her favor, leaving her policy Of
insurance on his life for f500, on which
he acknowledged that he had not paid
any premiums. Into the evidence al
legged to connect him and Matthews with
the crime of which they stand charged,
we can not now enter. Most of the wit
nesses affirmed that the deceased was
treated in shockingly cruel manner, and
that Paine, assisted by Matthews, while
keeping her without substantial food,
poured raw spirits down her throat.
In any case, she died miserably in a
cofee-house in 'Seymour-place, and it was
only by chance that an inquiry into the
case was instituted. This is really the
moral of her unhappy story. The exist
ing defects Of our criminal procedure
render it possible for crimes to be COM
mitted with the smallest risk of discov-
cry to those participating in them. In
saying this we are, Of course, expressing
no opinion upon the guilt or innocence
of the prisoners, Paine and Matthews.
1t is a noteworthy fact, however, that
until yesterday, when Mr.. Poland ap-
peared on behalf of the Treasury, no
public officer had been present to see
that the interests Of justice were not neg
lected, although the inquiry had been
going on for several weeks. Had we a
Public Prosecutor, properly discharging
his functions, cases of this kind would
unquestionably form the subject Of a
magisterial investigation without wait
ing for the finding of Coroners jury.