The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1877-09-28 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

HARRIS. Later on the guilty quartette took lodgings at Penge, Mrs. LOUIS STAUNTON being then in a dying state. Her removal from the Woodlands was a necessary stop to cover the discovery of the hideous and criminal treatment to which the poor creature heal been subjected, which must be, and, notwithstanding the measures taken, eventually was exposed. It was nep,-,Q,try to get a medical certificate, and so a few hours before her death, and in the darkness of the night, the victim was removed to Penge, where she died on the morning .following. When a post-mortem was held upon her body the cause of death was only too apparent. She had been murdered by slow starvation and deliberate neglect. There was not, we are told, anywhere in the whole body it particle of fat, while the corpse was literally alive with vermin, and in a condition so filthy as irresistibly to suggest the inference that for months past the poor creature had not been allowed to wash herself, or even to change her linen. The medical man who was called in to see her did not notice these circtunstance,s, and he was for the time led away by the story which was told him. He accepted the account given him by the prisoners, which was to the efiect that the unfortunate woman had not been long ill; that she had been attended by a local medical man, whose stone was actually mentioned,  and that she had been brought to Penge so that she might have the advantage of better medical advice. Certain facts ultimately aroused the doctor's suspicions, and be withdrew his certificate of death, and communicated with the coroner. An inquest was held, and the prisoners were committed to take their trial for wilful murder. They have been condemned to death, but the women the jury recommended to mercy. There are grounds for supposing that the recommendation will be mercifully considered, and a reprieve granted. It may be suggested, perhaps, that they were coerced by their partners in crime to help in this cruel act, although it is difficult to understand the  motives Of PATRICK STAUNTON, beyond a fraternal desire to help and shield his brother. The motives appear to us glaring enough as against the whole of the other criminals. The scheme was revolting in all its sickening details, but retributive justice has speedily overtaken the perpetrators of the foul plot There is one matter in connection with the annals of crime at which we are confounded. We refer to the avidity shown by some people to drink in all the sickening details, which induces them to sit for hours in the court of justice, listening with absorbing and unabated interest to the evidence, scrutinising the prisoners, and behaving in a manner quite unfitting the solemnity of an mportent inquiry. Wkiat has occurred on previous occasions was repeated at the Old Bailey this week, when the STAUNTONS and Amex ERODES were on their trial. One d  he eye-wituesses writes :—" This is not the  place to comment on the form of callosity which prompts women to take a deep interest in such scenes as these, to come in their Sunday best, their bnicelets, and their bonnets, to gaze for hours on fellow creatures tremb hug between life and death. There may have been no worse fault than thoughtlessness ; but would it not have been well yesterday to hide away that number of Wednesday's Punch, to keep the opera glasses in the background, if they were necessary at all, and certainly to endeavour to support  exhausted nature without foaming glasses of champagne, which were actually consumed in open court at luncheon time." We think there is something more than mere thoughtlessness in the acts of these people which prompts them to spend their time in listening to such horrible details. There is a morbidness of conduct and a levity of feeling shown 'which cannot be too much discouraged.