The Sun. — 1830-11-06 (London, England)

UNNATURAL MURDER.  (From the Plymouth Journal)  An inquest was held at-the workhouse last Monday, before Mr. A. Bone, Coroner, on view of the bodies of John Powell, aged six, and William Powell, aged nine years,-who; it was strongly suspected, bad been murdered by their mother, Mary Powell, wife of a sawyer in the Dock-yard, who resides in William-street, Morice-town.  Wm. Morrish, a child of the age of ten years and six months, was the first witness examined. He lived with his father, in the same house with Mrs. Powell. On Fri. day evening last, deponent went into Mrs. Fowell'i room, to play cards with the deceased. Their mother was in the room at the time. She was occupied in reading the Bible, and at intervals talked to herself. At the time they were at cards, drpotient's brother and two little boys came. into the room. Mrs. Fowell went to a cupboard, and, taking out a hatchet, threatened to chop them down if they did not go out. When he left the room to go home. Mrs. Fowell desired her children to bid him "good night," or " good by," a circumstance which, to his recollection,_ never occurred before. •  William Honeycomb is a sawyer in his Majesty's Dockyard, and works with the father 6f the deceased. One of the two children used generally to bring their father his breakfast, but on the Saturday morning Mrs: Fowell, whom deponent had nut seen in,the yard for months, came in with it herself. After exchanging a few words, Mrs. Fowell sail that both her children were dead. Her husband asked what nonsense she was talking about? She again repeated they were. If they were, Mr. Fowell said, she must have killed them: She replied that never a woman killed children. During all this time Mrs. Powell's countenance kept altering; her lips chsaged from a pale to a " besotn " colour ; she seemed extremely agitated. On Friday night Fowell kept watch with the deponent in the Dock-yard. Mary Willcocka lives in the same house with Mrs. Fowell. Saw her on Friday morning, as well as the children, who appeared in good health. Dues not think that Mrs. Fowell has been in her right mind during the time she has known her. On Saturday morning Mr. and Mrs. Powell called at I.er shop. Mr. Fowell asked her whether she had seen the children ; stie replying in the negative, he desired her to go up stairs with him. Mrs. Fowell did not say any thing until she was asked to go up first ; she then said, in a perfectly unconcerned manner, " Well, I'll go with you." On entering the room did not see the sheet (described by William Morrish) on the large bed; the usual bedding was on it. When the covering of the bed was taken down, deponent saw the two children lying dead, on their backs, with their heads on different pillows. They seemed to have been dead for hours. She saw no other signs of violence upon them but the mark of a finger-nail on John Fowell'e neck ; she was however too much " hurried" at the sight to take exact notice. All seemed regular in the room. She asked Mrs. Fowell why she did not call her when the children were about to die? Mrs. Fowell replied that it would have been of no use. Deponent then inquired when they died ? and Mrs. Fowell answered " at four o'clock." She added that thye had groaned almost all night, and at four o'clock the Almighty had taken the breath out of them. The room, she said, had been surrounded by angels all night. In her treatment of the children, Mrs. Fowell was sometimes kind, and sometimes, without any assignable cause, the contrary.  Thomas Crossing, surgeon, was next sworn, and de• tailed, at considerable length, the external app, arance of the children, and the corroborative conclusions drawn from the dissection of the bodies. He had no doubt that John Fowell died from suffocation. We then described the symptoms presented by William, who must have suffered a severe and cruel struggle. He had no doubt that William Fowell also died from suffocation by strangling. Ambrose Nosworthy, constable, went to Mrs. Fowell's house; saw her on a chest talking about measuring the children for coffins : she appesred to him out of her mind. Here the examination of witnesses closed ; the Coro. tier then summed up, and the Jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder against Mary Fowell." The inquisition lasted nearly eight hours. The unfortunate woman has been conveyed to the county gaol.