The Sun. — 1849-07-05 (London, England)

MAULE.) Mary Ann Hogden. 34, a married woman, was in• dieted for the murder or her female child by drowning it. The prisoner was arraigned before Mr. Bullock at the sitting of the Court, and a plea of Nut Guilty was recorded.  Mr. CLARKSON, upon the Judges taking their seats, applied to their Lordships to have the plea of Not Guilty erased from the indictment, upon the gr dind that the prisoner was not in a fit state of mind to plead, or to understand what she was called upon to answer. Tne Learned Counsel said that the trial was postponed from the last session in order to give an opporainity for the production of evidence of her insanity, and he had witnesses in attendance to prove that fact, but if their Lordships would hear the evidence of Mr. M'Murdo, the surgeon of Newgate, upon the subject of the prisoner's present condition, he apprehended that they would consider it unnecessary to proceed further with the inquiry at present. Mr. Justice Covrstex, having made some inquiries, and reformed to the Act of Parliament having relation to the subject, ordered the plea of Not Guilty to be erased, and directed that a jury should be impanelled to dispose of ttiv quesion of the prisoner's sanity or insanity. Mr. M•Murdo. the surgeon of Newgate, was then examined upon the voire doire, and in answer to questions put to him by the Court, he expressed his opinion that the prisoner was at the time insane, incapable of understanding what was going forward, and incomi,etent, therefore, to plead to the indictment against her. explained returned ainedthe ir naturehe of the Learned j inquiry D t Gthe having y , briefly th at o a verdict in accordance with the opinion of the surgeon, and Mr. Justice Coltman directed the prisoner should be kept in safe custody until she should be in a fit state of mind to take her trial.  Wm. Anstead, 32, clerk, was indi<•ted for feloniously forging and uttering a cheque tor 631. 135., with intent to defraud the London and Westminster Bank.  Mr. Bodkin and Mr. LAW prosecuted; Mr. Parry was for the prisoner.  The offence imputed to the prisoner appeared to have been committed in a very ingenious manner. It appeared that some years ago he had been known to Mr. Vokins, a coal-merchant at Pimlico, but he had been lost sight of since 1845, leaving an account unpaid. On the 21st November in last year the prisoner made his appearance at the counting-house of Mr. Vokins after banking hours, and having introduced himself to him, expressed his willingness to pay his debt, at the same time giving an order for coals to the amount of 2/., and he produced a cheque for 181., upon Messrs. Cox and Greenwood, and Mr. Vokins gave him the difference in gold arid a cheque upon the London and Westminster Bank for 3/. 13s. The cheque appeared to have been drawn in a very careless manner, the word.three being written at some distance from the margin, and the first letter being a small " t", instead of a capital, and the cheque being altered by the word sixty being placed before the thre,-, it was presented in that shape to the bankers, and was paid with four 10/. and four 5/. notes and cash. The cheque was presented by a woman, who was evidently acting in concert with the prisoner, for immediately after the cheque was paid the greater portion of the notes which were the produce of it were traced to his possession. Mr. Justice MAULE, in summing up the case to the jury, said that although the cheque in question had certainly originally been drawn in a very careless manner. yet if the jury should be of opinion that the prisoner had made the alteration in the amount, or had caus,al it to be presented, knowing that it had been altered, he would, both according to the letter and the spirit of the law, have rendered himself amenable to the charge of forgery. The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, and the prisoner was proved to have been on a previous occasion convicted of felony._ _ _  He was sehteneTed to be transported for ten years. (Before the