The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-07-24
A TICKET OF LEAVE.
queen victoria's Niece In BLOOD
Confessed Murderess.
After Twenty Years of Penal
seIyitude She is Released
Under surveillance.


crimes recorded in the history of En-
glish trials. The item ran TO the eff
feet that Constance Kent, convicted
twenty-five years ago of the Roade
murder, had received a ticket of leaye.
The woman thus briefly mentioned
was at the time OF the commission of
the crime young girl of Is, or there
abouts, and the victim was her Swear
old half brother, Arthur Kent. The
event acquired unusual prominence
owing TO the relationship all the par
lies Immediately concerned bore to
the queen.
william Kent, the father of Con-
stance and of the murdered child. was
Va gentleman of private fortune living
at a place called Roade. lie was
said to be, aud the statement was
never contradicted, all illegitimate
son of the Duke of Kent, fourth son
of Gearge Ill, and father OF Queen
Victoria, and his private fortune as
supposed to have come from this royal
source. Mr.. Kent was u gentleman of
quiet and cultivated tastes, enjoying
life of lettered ease. His first wife,
mother OF Constance, having died
when she, the eldest of his children,
was about 10 or IL years of age, he
employed a lady of education rs gov
erness and superintendent of his fam
lily. THIS lady he married, and by her
had a son, young Arthur. All seem
ed happy in the Kent family,
though the eldest daughter, Con
stance, was occasionally subject to fits
of moodiness, for which she assigned
no reason.
THE DISCOVERY.
Early one Sunday morning in sum
mcr the nurse girl, whose name is not
recalled, alarmed the sleeping house
hold with her outcrics. She had
awakened to find her young charge,
little Arthur, who slept in a cot by her
bedside, lying dead, with his throat
cut from ear to ear. The horror
stricken parents at once sent for as
sistance. The police aud the coroner
were promptly on the spot, aud i'll
| yestigations commenced. Ii was then
noticed that though there were traces
of blood on the blanket Oh which the
child lay, there was no saturaiion,
such as would have been the case had
the murder been committed while he
lay sleeping. Further examination
|
been taken to water-ClOset in the
house, and that there the butchery
had been performed. A carving
knife, sharpened almost to razor
edge, was also found with traces of
blood upon it.
OF course, all these circumstances
tended to fasten suspicion on the I'M
fortunate nutse girl, tor who else
could have carried the child to the
scene of the murder without causing
him to make some cutlery. At the
time of the alarm being given it was
shown that every one else in the house
was sleeping peacefully, including
| Constance, against whom suspicion
was not once directed. An attempt
Was also made to fasten suspicion on
Mr. Kent, the unhappy father, and the
whole of England took sides, one in
favor of this, the other in favor of
that theory. Finally the testimony
clearly exonerated Kent, SO there was
nothing left but the conclusion that
the servant was
THE GUILTY PARTY.
II Is true that no motive could be
shown for the deed; that she was of u
most amiable disposition and a great
tavorite with all the children, but
there were the facts. The conclusion
was irresistible, and the poor girl was
arrested and thrown into prison to
await her trial.
Meantime the Kent household
, | was broken up, the bereaved
parents trying to seek relic
from sorrow in travel. Constance
I To an wi Of lplt
1t Brighton, on the south coast. Thii
school was All attachment to high
ritualistic Episcopal church, the rec
} tor of which had established the con
il essional as part of his church discip
}, inc. The time came nigh for tn
O rial of the imprisoned nurse CIR
!, Controversy waXed warmer and high
n as the day set came nearer. Whe
4 1t arrived the papers were full of col
Il dependence ON the subject, and Al
d sorts of theories were preached TO n,
Il count for the deed without the inter
l vention of the accused. Various al
81 rests were made. but always withou
:, result. Finally the girl was tried an
n convicted. But the public was nc
satisfied. and the home secretary wa
s. persuaded to era 1t respite pendin
ID further investigation.
II The case seemed hopeless. however
y until one morning Constance Ken
d accompanied by one of the sisters of
Is convent school, called on the rccto
II of the church above spoken of, an
y the two asked private audienc
Constance.
le HAD COME TO CONFESS:
IL she had evidently already told he
l. story to the sister, She then, calml
~ and lucidly, as the Clergyman altc
~ ward said, told the whole story of III
y crime. She had deeply resented h,
T. fathers second marriage, though 81
y had given no outward sign of her r
sentiment. Her anger was still moi
re heightened when her young hal
D., brother was born. She had ST
81 j'ously concealed this feeling. b
ne her jealous hate grew TO intensity
us he grew from infancy into laughii
u childhood. Gradually hate matur
as INTO design, and she determined
Oh destroy the little fellow. Provide
ST. herself with the sharpened kni
shortly after dawn and had slipp
m into the nursery bedroom. Stoopi
en- over the cot she awoke the child wi
de a kiss, and, wrapping him in his bli
ite ket, carried him with her to I
Try closet. Here the knife was used
ave such way that the flowing bio
ep went down the pipe. when life "
EN- extinct and the blood had ceased
ar flow, she gently returned to the N
icy sery, replaced the little corpse in
En- cot, wiped and restored the knife
eir its place in the kitchen, and Oh
ow went to bed and to sleep. One Z
OF imagine the
the HORROR AND EXCITEMENT
We, Ne this awful confession created. Tho
'he ands refused to belive ii, saying I
-, girl was demented, aud pointing I
,nn supposed hereditary faint of insaI
" vhirh had cnmn in her from