The Sun. — 1848-09-18 (London, England)

MURDER OF TWO CHILDREN. WILLENHALL, FRIDAY.—This afternoon an inquest was held before Mr. T. M. Phillips, coroner for this district of Staff,rdshire, upon the bodies of two children, named Edwin Jones, aged 18 months, and Sarah Spencer, aged 12 years, who were murdered lute on Wednesday night by a woman named Maria Jones, mother of the first and aunt to the second unf4tutite victim of her undoubted insanity. The facts of this horrible case may be told shortly. The woman charged with the murders is the wife of a working man named Enoch Jones, in apparently comfortable circumstances. She is a remarkably interesting-looking young woman, and appears from her conversation when in a right state of mind to have received an education superior to those moving in her sphere of life. About three months since her husband noticed a change in her usual behaviour; she negheted her household affairs, and seemed absorbed i❑ religious speculations. Her manlier became so strange, that ultimately it was deemed advisable to place her i❑ the lunatic ward of the Wolverhampton Union Workhouse. She was, however, discharged on Wednesday last, at the instance of two of her relatives, named Maria Hadley and Martha Jones. She then appeared to be in a rational state.  e h Di Ida rwi nags ahterthshort ssetaoyf aats i sttheer.niloanw,wsonrile oonu;eer her child was at the house of a sister.in-law, on her re• turn she took it home with her, being accompanied the little girl, Sarah Spencer. About nine woman's cries night the neighbours were alarmed by had murdered the from a window, d, Glaring that o'clock bu t children;she o lad ryi d succeededshe t h e n in attemptedinflictingths einfant with its head neighbours entered, and foundbd toacsulttghhetrwoowunndt.hrToahte, and lying a few inches entirely severed from its appeared to was body, u l cut, but et from' it. The l halt' severed was only ha 'om the • considerably. At the time parties to have struggled conhsei woman was threatenint, to kill sgeivrerrsed throatit tyte, w B;rbke h owuassi; entered the house layta ken handsha back on her. ohtehre. on secured, however, co about twelve at night. It was said at Wolverhampton any person who shtouldand necessary to place her under particular restraint. that during her stay at the workhouse it was not deemed "man, and necessarily at some periods works Her husband is what in this country is termed a "whimsey at the pit all night. The next morning the woman entered into conversation with Mr. Abbot, the governor of the workhouse, and in the presence of Colonel llogg, deputy chief constable of Satfordshire, earrated the manner in which she committed the crimes. She stated that she sent the little girl to bed with the child before eight o'clock, and then walked down the lane wtth a ntighbour, named Mrs. Cave. She returned, bolted the door, and went to bed herself, hut did not sleep. She then get up and searched for a razor with which to cut the child's throat, as she believed it would he damned owing to its having beanchristentd by a Catholic priest. Not being able to find a razor, sh:, got a black-handled knife, which she sharpened against a steel, went up steins, then cut the throat of her niece, but did not cut the head quite off. She then declared she ought to suffer fur spilling the poor baby's blood. At times the unfortunate woman appeared calm  and collected, and repres.e3Nl iierself bitterly for the crime, but at etb.z,rs sbn was exceedingly vi°lent' thteatenei to 1:;11 those around her, and had she not b in prevent,,d by tho rarties watching, would 113" stran.c,l,2,l  irgacst stw)ds adjourned, but no person seems to en:el-tall. a doubt as to the prisoner's insanity.