The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-05
CRUEL MOTHER CONVICTED.
She Believed in Not SparinE the Rod and
Caused the Death Of Her hill

She Believed in Not SparinE the Rod and
Caused tho Death Of Her Child.
DUBLIN, April AIRS. Annie Margaret
Montague. wife of Mr.. Robert Acheson
CrOmio- Montague. of Cronmore House.
TOwnland of Ballyleafe, County of London.
derry. who was indicted here on Saturday
for manslaughter for killing her three
year old daughter Helen. and for cruelty to
Austin. Walter and Gilbert. three of her
sons. under the age of fourteen. was tried
here to-day and convicted of manslaughter.
She was sentenced to imprisonment for one
year at hard labor.
> A large model of the Cronmore house was
produced In court to show the jury the ex-
act position of the darkroom and the ring
to which the girl Helen had been tied.
Mrs. Montague. as at all the previous court
proceedings, was attired in deep mourning.
Her husband. her brother. Captain Nc
Micking. and a female friend sat as close
to the dock as possible. When the charges
against her were read Mrs. Montague arose
and raised the veil that hitherto had con-
cealed her features. In entering her plea
of not guilty she was perfectly calm and
self possessed. Miss Dozelle, the COVER
ness, testified to locking Helen in the dark
room. and the subsequent acts of Mrs.
Montague as already developed at the cor
oners INQUEST and the hearing before the
police magistrate at COleraine. The wit
ness SAID. however. that Mrs. Montague
was an affectionate mother.
The Solicitor general then. in graphic
language. gave the details of the case. He
pictured the child subjected to the most
arraignmeDt of all the facts bearing against
Mrs. Montague. After the defense had an
nounced that it's testimony was all 10 the
Judge summed up the case. defining the
legal meaning of manslauehter. The jury
returned a verdict of guilty and Mrs. Mon
tague wos Ut once sentenced as indicated
above. Only two witnesses appeared for
Mrs. Montague. Their evidence was con-
fined TO proving that the defendant was
deeply attached to her children and that
the ventilation of the room in which the
child was confined was not bad.
The counsel for the defense asked the
jury 10 avoid the influence of the savage
cutlery against the prisoner. She might
have made q mistake in correcting her
children under stern ideas, but that was
without criminality. There was no proof
of an evil mind. On the contrary. the evil
dence agreed that she was fond of her chill
strong sense of duty which dominated her
genuine affection. She had severe notions
of habits of obedience and regularity. and
BY q mishap she had done something re-
sulting in death; 1t was not legally slaugn-
ter. The prisoner wept %copiOusly rs her
counsel proceeded to make n pathetic appeal
to the jury. She was the greatest
sufferer by the death of her child, he said,
and she was also about to become the
mother OF an eighth child. There was
applause IN the courtroom when be de-.
clareG that though the jury could not re-
move her incurable agony. they could, by
affirming on absence Of criminal intent, re-
store her to her husband. to her home and
to her children The jury doliberated an
hour. The verdict was accompanied with
a recommendation to mercy on the ground
that the prisoner believed in furnishing her
children and was acting under q mistaken
sense of duty. The Judge ordered that Mrs.
Montague be given labor suitable to her
sex and condition in prison. On the other
charges the crown returned o nolle pros
seoul.