Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1889-08-24 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

COMMUTATION OF THE SENTEINCE.  THE OFFICI AI. AN NOUNCR Al r.  It wee ann n ell on Thuralay night, that Mr. Matthew. the Home Secretary, had reprieved Florence Maybrick, convicted of poi-oning her huaband at Aigburth, nod that the ....fence had been commuted to penal uervitnde for life.  The following is official We are given to understand that the Home Seemtary, after the fullest consideration mid after taking the he legal and medical advice that could Ire ob mined, has advised her Mnjes, y to revile the capitsl genetic. on Florence Maybrick, and to commute tile punishment Lo penal Nei vitmle for life inasmuch as although the evidence leads clearly to the ooncluMon that the prisoner ationiniseered or attempt.sil to adminimter arsenic to her husband with intent to murder, yet it does not wholly exclude a reasonable doubt whether Lie death was in fact caused by the administration of arenic. This decision is undertreed not to imply the slightest reflection on the she and experience I praciti.mera who gave evidence, or on the tribunal before which the prisoner was tried. We understand that. the course adopted has the concorreooe of the learned Judge.  A correspon lent writes :—Ther.. is reavoit to believe that the groan. on which the Home Secretary decided to eaminute the sentence on Mrs Way brick was exclusively connected with the medical evidence as to the cause of death. That ti.e prisoner adminiatered ars nic to her iusband with the intent to kill him is, in Mr. Matthew'a opii.i in. clear beyond a shadow of doubt Bat whether she actually succeeded in her porptue or whether Mr Maybrick although suffering from the effects of the arsenic. might not, having regard to the general condition of his health, postdbly have auccumbed to natural causes, is not no clearly proved. The conflict of medical testimony on the point is important, and so is the fact that so small a quantity of arsenic was found in the body. The attempt at murder is actually proved, accorditig to the Home Secretary, but the murder itself is open to the shadow of a question. Of this very attenuated doubt Mr Matthews has given the prisoner the benefit.. Among members of the House of Commons generally there *wars to be a prevailing feeling t.f relief that the woman is not to be hung, though moatuf them think that she thoroughly deserved it. I believe that wane of the members who signed the pAition in favour of commutation afterwards declared that had the Home Secretary on a fuller consideration of the case decided that the smiles ce should be carried out they would not have bad a word to day against his decision.  The "Central News '' says : Mr. Matthews finds from a .eardul review of the • widence taken at the trial and sulwequently from the scientific testtuony of int dica• esperta, that while Mrs. Maybriek odminhtered poison to her husba..d with intent to kill. Mr. Mayhrick ilied bunt other .uses. in making known the gracious clemency of the Crown the Mecret..ry oi Sta e adds that tauter no circumstances will ouch sentence of t,nol servitude be mitigated. But in Widest circles it is ou li,ently stated that Mrs. Maybrick will be at large in five years at the very least, and a frovh agitation with this object has already been started by sympathisers with the woman. Immediately after questions in the House of Commotis on Thursday afternoon a °lnference took place ii the private room of the F1,..1 Lord of the Treasury between Mr. Smith, Mr. Matthews, and Lord Salisbury The Prime Minister attended at the request of ti e First ,Lord of the Treasury, who sent for him from the 'Lament Lords Lord C.anburue acted as the messenger. It is un•lerstiost that the case of Mrs. May brick wan the cause of the conference, and that as a so sequence Olin the Secretary of State despatched his communication to the High Sheriff of Lancashire.