The Sun. — 1848-03-17 (London, England)

COLERIDGE.) Mary Sweetlove, 37, married woman, was indicted for the murder of her infant, Octavius George Sweetlove, by drowning him, at Sandwich. Mr. Rose prosecuted, and Mr. T. Chambers defended the prisoner. From the evidence of the witnesses for the prosecution, it appeared that the unfortunate prisoner was the wife of a baker at Sandwich, and that five children were the result of their union, the youngest of which was the unfortunate subject of the present inquiry. It would seem that they were in very bad circumstances, and on two or three occasions the whole family had been admitted to the Union workhouse. In the month of December last year, it appeared that the husband of the prisoner had left her, and she took up her abode at one of the small houses in Sandwich, with her children, and they were reduced to a state of great destitution and misery, the prisoner not having the means of paying for her lodging or procuring food for her family, and on the lath Dec. it appeared she was informed by the landlord that he could not allow her to remain in his house any longer, and that she must provide herself with another place of refuge. Upon this being intimated to the prisoner, it appeared that about the middle of the day she went out, taking with her the youngest child, and in a short time she returned to the public-house, but unaccompanied by the infant. About half-past one o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, a labouring man who was returning to Sandwich, having occasion to pass a small stream known as the Dyke, saw the body of an infant in the water, and he took it out, and conveyed it to the nearest cottage, where a medical man was sent for, who used the necessary remedies to restore animation in such cases, but without success. This infant was speedily identified as that of the prisoner, and some persons immediately proceeded to the public-house whore she was staying, and on her being asked what she had done with her baby, the prisoner replied that she had thrown it-into the Dyke, and gave as a reason for doing so, that the child cried as she was passing the place. The witnesses stated that at this time the prisoner appeared in a wild and excited state, and one of them said that for some time before the melancholy transaction, the prisoner presented the appearance of a lost woman, and she was of opinion that her mind was affected. Mr. Emmerson, the surgeon, who saw the prisoner immediately after the affair, also expressed an opinion, that on the day the child was found in the water, the prisoner was in such a state of mind as to be unconscious of her actions. It also appeared that after the prisoner had been committed to gaol, she sent for Mr. Aris, the Governor of the prison, and expressed a wish to make a communication to him, and after he had cautioned her that what she stated would be used as evidence against her, she made a statement, which he reduced to writing, to the effect that on the day in question her landlord had told her that he could not allow her to remain any longer in his house, as she had no money to give him, and that if she did not provide herself with another lodging in two hours, he should turn her and her family into the street. She said, that upon this threat she went out with her child, and having no home or friends, er any means of support, she was driven almost to desperation, and was not conscious of what she did, and could not tell how the child got into the water; whether she laid it on the bank and it rolled in, or whether she had herself placed it in the water. Mr. T. CHAMBERS made a very feeling address to the jury, on behalf of the prisoner, commenting in forcible terms upon the destitute and wretched condition to which she was reduced, and urging that she had been driven to despair and madness, and was in consequence not in such a state of mind as to render her criminally responsible for the dreadful act she had committed. Mr. Justice COLERIDGE summed up, and The Jury, after a very short deliberation, returned a verdict of Not Guilty, on the ground of insanity. The prisoner was ordered to be detained during her Majesty's pleasure.