The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-26
SAVING THEIR SOULS.
Why Lady Montagu Treated
Her Children Brutality.
sTRANGLED HER LITTLE GIRL,
ehe Is to BE Tried for Mans,aurbtsr
eueity to Children-murderer
OF baroness DeIIard on Trial.

BELFAST feb. 25.-The hearing of Mrs Mon.
usu, charged with being rcsponsibto for the
ueatn oi ner 5-year-old daughter. began today
uisaS excitement prevailed in t,oloraIpe snd
order ueo 70 preserve
Piss Doseii, the governess, testified that for
a., .soeuasiof she placed the child in
. iooiht ana aiserward informed Mrs. Mon
tagu. The latter went to the roo,, tfea the
III, arms behind here with stocking. then
se. nee UP with a cord 10 a ring in the
wall. AT the expiration OF four bours
wnen Mis- Montagu went to the room to release
we chiia, she found that the stocking In some
unsceouhtap'e manner had slipped up around
- nck ana the child had been strangied
nearIng further evidence to prove that
Mls, honfagu had been guilty of rnanslaughte
charge. a'' an va ''''''
me nearing on the second count. charging
eiaeity 70 children, was proceeded with
Lee wallace, former governess, testified
uiae waiter Moniagu, the 4-year-old son OF tho
usiehoaut, was on one occasion tied to a tree all
day. At other times she heard Mrs uoutapu
beat him badly
Mrs James, former nurse testified thnt she
Hau seen o-yearold Gilbert Moniagu with the
ihaIA As OF cord around his elbows and pieces of
mesh cut out OF the toes lie and the other
chlidren were frequently locked in the dark
loon. Ars- Montagu told her this was her
way Of Furnishing. She did II to save the chill
dren's souls. She did not mind their bodies
Mrs. James deposed that she ones saw the nc
cused drawing Austin, another boy, along the
corridor by the feet, his head trailing on the
floor.
housemad named Campbell deposed that
sne saw hilbert Montagu stripped naked and
oeatcn with scourge until his whole body was
iacerated, aud then thrust into n dark closet
Inn all
tagu was committed to trial also on this charge
lIhe child which suffered such an awful death
was helen Mary Montagu, the youngest OF tho
iamiiy. II seems that the girl had been badly
nSsu " US gqyerness, in addition to being the
cblect oil the hatred of its mother The harsh
acuon oil the goyerness seems to have led up TO
the tragedy The latter, for some childish esca-
P s.t1 upoa the part OF her charge, locked tho
Attie giTt up IN dark room as u punishment
anu t1cn informed the mother, Mrs. Montagu,
OF the childs offensc and OF the punishment She
naa me,ed QUITO her. The mother became so
enraged at her daughters conduct that she
resolved 10 punish her still more severely.
Going to the DARK room In which the chiid
n I poem confined by tho governess. Miss
Rosa Dosseli, Mrs Montagu tied her daughters
arms behind her back with stockiag
which cut deeply into the ehild's tender limbs
ana then, not satisfied with this treatment, con
Aecteu the END OF this string about the chlld's
arms TO ring III the wall, hall stringlug her up
aud half fastening her to the wall in order. an
parentiy, TO prevent her from moving about
cried piteously to be released, but the mother
went away aud locked the door behind her,
leaving the infant alone in the dark room. After
the mother left the child in this position tho
poor child's cries grew fainter and then ceased
entirely.
-Four hours passed before anybody thought of
going 10 the dark room in which the little girl
was confined In order to see II she wanted any
thing or If she was safe. At the expiration OF
that time the door of the dark room
was visited, and when several knocks
at the door failed to obtain reply
from the child the door was opened and she
was seen huddlea up under the ring in the
wall, her curls covering her face, which was
hanging downward, the body being upheld by
the string around her arms. and secured to the
ring. When the hair was moved away it was
seen that her face was horribly discoiored and
distorted, and further examination showed that
she was dead, having been choked to death. A
doctor wrs sent for but all efforts proved futile
The mother and the governess were in despair,
but the physician, servants and neighbors who
heard OF the affair were furiously indignant and
insisted that justice should be done.
Soon after warrant for the arrest of Mrs
Montagu was issued When taken into custody
she sobbed bitterly, and again aud again as
serted that she had no intention of taking the
child's life; that she was utterly broken hearted
at what had occurred, and that her sole object
in fastening the child TO the wall was to pre-
vent her from kicking the door of the room.
Mrs. Montagu's explanation, however, did
not satisfy the police, for, in spite of the efforts
of her influential friends aud relations, she was
taken into custody. Mrs. Montagu is a daughter
in-law of the Right Hon. Lord Robert Montagu.
T.. c., the uncle of the present Duke of Man
chester Lord Robert Montagu married first, in
1852, Ellen Mary, only daughter OF John Cromie,
of Cromore, County Antrim by this marriage
he had & son, Robert Acheson CFomie NontaCu,
who was born in 1854, formerly lieutenant in
the Royal navy, who in 1850 married Annie
Margaret, the guilty woman, daughter OF
Gilbert McMicking, esq, OF Miltonise, Nigtown-
shire, by whom he has had the following chill
dren John Michael Cromie, born IN ISL:
George Frederick born 1857: Cuthbert Francis.
born 1881; Austin Robert, born 1855; Walter
Phillip. born 1856; Gilbert Paul, born lS,1; aud
Helen Mary. born 1882 tile latter the victim .:
the mothers cruelty