Arizona republican., 1904-07-21
FREE AT LAST
Long Imprisonment of Mrs.
 Florence MaybriCk Ended
VICTIM OF A MAD JUDGE
Hrs. haybrick Finds Refuge in France Before Coming to This Country to
 Testify in a Suit Involving Thou
 sands of Acres of Land.

Truro, Cornwall, England, July 2O.- Mrs. Florence Maybrick is free She left here at 11:43 a. m. today on her way to France.
 Mrs. Maybrick, who was Miss Flor ence Elizabeth Chandler, member of a well-known and prosperous southern family, was married July 27, 1881, in St. James church, Picadily, to James Maybrick, of Liverpool. She was then eighteen years old. Her husband was over forty years of age. In the spring of 1889. MT. Maybrick became i'll and in a few days he died His brother investigated his death and charged Mrs. Maybr:ck with the mur- der of her husband. long triad fol- lowed. and a number of detectives swore that the dece& sed died of arse nical poisoning. The defense proved that for twenty years MT. Maybricb had been a confirmed user of arsenic and that he daily took doses large enough to kill q 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 to find her not guilty in the face of the medical evidence. The judge died. some time later in a mad house.
 From the time of Mrs Maybrick's conviction, her mother, the baroness de Rouques, was unremitting in her efforts on behalf of the prisoner. She succeeded in getting her death sen tence commuted to penal servitude for life and finally has obtained the free dom of her daughter, to whose release from prison 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- sel of Killowen, chief justice of Eng land, letter which he had written to Mrs. Maybrick in 1895 was discovered. It showed that he was convinced that she ought never to have been convict ed, and it has been generally under stood that all the recent American am bassadors to the court of St. James have tune everything possible to aid in securing Mrs. Maybrick's pardon
 The fact of her probable release was used as reason for securing the post ponement of trial last year of q law suit hearing on Mrs. Maybrick's inter est in land in Kentucky, Virginia and
 
 personally testify. If she was not able to testify in these sults. Mrs. Maybrick and her mother would have lost all title and interest in many thousands of acres of land involved in the case.
 The transfer of the prisoner from q penal prison to a quiet country home constituted an almost unprecedented act on the part of the British authori- tr, ha the duchess of Bedford, wllo as wis itor to Aylesbury prison for many years, had taken a keen personal in- terest in. Mrs. Maybrick and finally succeeded in obtaining the mitigation of her punishment to the extent of her being allowed to spend the last six months of her confinement outside the prison walls.
 Mrs. Maybrick's imprisonment was not terminated with the Clanging of the doors at Aylesbury prison, where she spent more than fourteen years of her life It closed before the doors of the white convent of the Sisterho1d O. the Epiphany in this little town, with the black robbed sisters softly uttering their blessings and good wishes for her future.
 With two companions, Mrs. MaybricB entered the carriage of Miss Dalrymple, secretary of the Sisterhood and was driven rapidly to Stausstel, a small station fourteen miles away. There af- ter exchanging good byes with her companions, she boarded a train and started on her journey to France. She will not go to America until her pres ence there is considered impsrativeiy necessary.
 Secrecy was thrown about Mrs. May bricks departure. Neither Superior Ju- lian, of the convent, said to a repre- sentative of the Associated Press that under instructions. she must refer all inquiries to the home office. Others at the convent were equally ,uncommuni- cative. At the railroad station orders were issued forbidding employees to dis cuss Mrs. Maybrick.
 The little town has taken deep inter est in this international figure. Crowds daily stood at the gate of the grounds waiting for Mrs. Maybrick to appear They were rarely rewarded for she gen erally went out only when the road was reported clear. When Mrs. May brick first arrived here she was kept under strict surveillance. Susbequent- ly hse was allowed to walk in the quiet streets of the town and in the country lanes.
 The villagers soon got to recognize the black robed woman, with the black bonnet and flowing strings, and gave her kindly greetings, which ire" quently passed unnoticed, Mrs. May brick seeking as far as possible to avoid the attention of the curious. Her time at the convent was taken up by sewing, reading and chatting with the Sisters, endearing herself to them by many acts showing that even the many years of servitude at Aylesbury prison had been unable to stamp out her in-