Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-23
Mrs. Maybrick to Be Released
in 1904.
OFFICIAL NOTICE GIVEN
BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE NoTT-
FIES HER ATTORNEYS.
American Woman Who Was Convicted
Of Poisoning Her Husband at
Liverpool in 1889.

LONDON, March 23.-Nrs. Florence May.
brick, the American woman who was consI
victed at Liverpool in 1889, on the charge
Of poisoning her husband, James Maybricl,
at Aigourts by arsenic. and whose sen-
tence of death was commuted to penal
servitude for life will be released in 1904.
The announcement comes from the home
office, which now authorizes her Washing-
ton lawyers to use the fact of her release
next year as a reason for securing the post
ponement of the trial of the lawsuits bear-.
ing on the prisoners interest in land In
Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginias
until she is able to personally testify.
Those who are In a position to know say
that Home Secretary Akers-Douglas has
shown great courtesy in connection witfIs
the suits now pending in America, that thei
decision to release Mrs. Maybrick was en~'
tirey due to efforts on this side of the At:
lantic, and that Ambassador Herbert has
never been called upon to act in this mats
ter.
Story of Alleged Crime.
Mrs. Maybrick, who was Miss Florencal
Elizabeth Chandler. and member of AZ
well-known and prosperous southern fame
lily, was married July q, 1881. in St
James Church. Piccadilly, to James Maysi
brick of Liverpool.
She was then eighteen years Of age, viva.
cious and beautiful and a social favorite.
Her husband was over forty years old. In
the spring of 1889 Mr.. Maybrick became III, /
and in few days he died. His brothers in
vestigated his death and charged Mrs. May /
brick with the murder of her husband. Az
long trial followed, and a number of doctors;
swore Mr.. Maybrick died of arsenical pol i
soning
The defense proved that for twenty years
Mr.. Maybrick had been a confrmed
tln, L, :, Tia &,alrl l.1oA
that would have killed dozen ordinary
men. Mrs. Maybrick eventually was sens
fenced to death by the judge, Sir Fitztames !
Stephen, who spoke for two days In charg-
ing the jury, and who said it was impossi-
BILE for them to find her guilty in the face
of the medical evidence. He died some !
time later In a madhouse.
Efforts for Her Release. (
From the time of Mrs. Maybrick's con- !;
viction her mother. the Baroness e. Won |
Roques has been unremitting in her at. /
tempts to obtain the prisoners release, I'M
which she has been aided by influential
friends on both sides of the Atlantic IN
1900, after the death Of Lord Russell OF
Killowen, chief justice of England, a LETT
ter, which he had written to Mrs. May
brick in 1895, was discovered.
1t showed that the eminent lawyer was
convinced that she ought never to have
been convicted, and it was been generally
understood that al, the recent American
ambassadors to the court of st. James have
done everything possible to obtain Mrs.
Maybricks pardon. The failure of Mrs.
Maybrick to testify in the suits pending in
the United States would cause the loss to
her and her mother of all title and interest
in large tracts of land situated in Ken
lucky, Virginia and West Virginia:
Mr.. Samuel V. Hayden of the law firm Of
HAYDEN and Yarrell the Washington at.
torneys referred to, confirm the foregoing
dispatch. At 3 o'clock this afternoon Mr.,
HAYDEN received cablegram from the
American embassy in London saying that
the British home office had authorized the
information that Mrs. Maybrick will be re-
leased from prison in July, 1904, when she
will have served a term of Imprisonment OF
fifteen years duration.