The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-08-10
MRS. MAVERICK SET FREE
Liberated After Fourteen Years of
Penal Seryitude.
END or A REMARKABLE CASE
Sentenced For the Death of Her Husband
when She Was Twenty-six Years Old
LEFT Truro, Cornwall. on Her Way
to France-Many Efforts to Secure
Her Pardon From High Sources.


to France-Many Efforts to Secure
Her Pardon From High Sources.
Truro. Cornwall.-MrS. Florence May
Drirk IS free. She LETT here on her
v;iy 10 France.
Mrs. Maybrick's Imprisonment Of
more than fourteen years Of her life
closed before the archcd doorway Of the
eonyAnt OF the Sisterhood Of the Epip-
bang in this little town, with the black
ROBBED Sisters softly uttcring their
blessings and good wishes for her fu-
turc. With two companions Mrs. May
brio; entered the carriage of Miss Dali
rymplc, secretary Of the Sisterhood.
and was driven rapidly to Staustell,
small station fourteen miles away,
where, after exchanging good-bys with
her companions, she boarded q train
and started on her journey to France
She will not 60 to America until her
presence there is considered necessary.
The greatest secrecy was thrown
about ber departure. Mother Super
or Julian Of the convent said to 4 rep
rescntative Of the Associated Press
hat under her instructions she must
refer all inquirers to the Home Office.
OTHERS at the convent were equally I'M
communicative.
At the railroad station orders were
issued forbiadinS the employees to dis
cuss Mrs. Maybrick or even to admit
chat c1,n ,rro of tho 0nDIrnnt
When Mrs. Maybrick first arrived
terc she was kept under strict sur
veiliance, never leaving the conveat
walls.
MIS-. Maybrick, who vas Miss Flor
ence Elizabeth Chandler. a member of
a well-known and prosperous South
ern family, was married July p. 1881,
in 81. James Church; Piccadilly, to
James Maybrick. of Liverposl. She
WAS taen eighteen years cid. Her hus-
band was more than forty years of
age.
In the spring of 1889 Mr.. Maybrick
became i'll, and in a few days he died.
HIS brothers Investigated his death,
and charged Mrs. Maybrick with the
murder Of her husband. A long trial
followed, and a number of doctors
svcre that the deceased died Of arSen-
lea! poisoning. The defense proved that
for twenty years Mr.. Maybrick had
been a confirmed user of arsenic, and
that ne daily took doses large enough
to have killed a dozen ordinary men.
Mrs. Maybrick was eventually SEN
fenced to death by the judge, Sir FitZ-
james Stephen. who spoke for two
days in charging the jury. He said
it was impossible for them not to find
her guilty in the face Of the medi-
cal evidence. The judge died some
tine later in 4 %Eadhouse.
From the time Of Mrs. Maybrick's
conviction, her mother, the Baroness de
~Roques, was unremitting in her efforts
in behalf of the prisoner. She succeed
ed in having the death sentence conf
muted to penal servitude for life, and
finally has obtained the freedom OF her
daughter, to whose release from pris-
on she had devoted her life. The
Baroness was aided by influential
friends on both sides Of the Atlantic.
In 1900, after the death of Lord Rus
sell of Killowen, Chief Justice Of Eng
land. a letter, which he had written
to Mrs. Maybrick was discovered. 1t
showed that he was convinced that she
ought never to have been convicted,
and it has been generally understood
that all the recent American ambassa-
doris to the Court of st. James have
done everything possible to obtain Mrs.
Maybrick's pardon.
The fact Of her probable release was
used as the reason for securing the
postDonement of a trial last year of
lawsuits bearing on Mrs. Maybrick's
interest in land in Kentucky, Virginia
and West Virginia until she was able
personally 10 testify. If she was not
able to testify in these suits Mrs. May
brick and her mother would have lost
all title and interest in many thou
sands Of acres of land involved in the
case.