The Sun. — 1860-03-22 (London, England)

CROWN COURT. (Before Lord Chief Justice Erle.) Caroline Martin, 28, an unmarried woman, was charged with the wilful murder of her female illegitimate child. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of manslaughter only against the prisoner, but she was subsequently committed by the magistrates upon the charge of wilful murder, and the grand jury having returned a true bill, she was put upon her trial for the more serious offence.  Mr. Attree and Mr. Hurst conducted the prosecution ; Mr. Roupell was counsel for the defence. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner was in the service of a lady, named Payne, residing at Carlisle-parade, Hastings and in the beginning of February last she was discovered to be in the family way, and her mistress made an arrangement that she should go home to her friends at Hawkhurst, to lie in, on the 10th of that month. During the night of the 9th the prisoner was taken very ill, and in consequence of what was observed by a fellow-servant, she made a communication to the prisoner's mistress on the following morning, and she put some questions to the prisoner, who admitted that she had been delivered of a child during the night, but said that it was dead. A medical gentleman, named Savery, was then sent for, and he asked the prisoner what had become of the child, and she told him it was in a box at the foot of her bed, and he there found a newly-born female child, apparently of full growth. The child was at this time alive, but in a very weakly state, and notwithstanding every endeavour was made to restore it, the child died in the course of the same day. Upon a post-mortem examination all the vital organs were discovered to be healthy, and there were appearances of slight wounds upon the neck and cheek of the child. These injuries were suggested to have been caused by a broken steel petticoat-hoop, which was found in a drawer in the prisoner's bedroom, with blood upon it, but there was considerable doubt upon this point, and it also appeared that they were not of a natare likely to have caused death, and the evidence appeared rather to show that the fatal result was the consequence of the neglect the child had sustained after its birth, through the prisoner not having made any attempt to obtain assistance. Mr. Roupell made a very feeling address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and he urged that she really believed the child was dead when she placed it in the box, and that in ber distress and agony at the moment she could hardly be held responsible for her actions.  - The learned judge having summed up, The jury retired to consider their verdict, and in about half an hour they returned into court and found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter. Harriet Moore, 20, a diminutive girl, was placed at the bar to plead to an indictment, which charged her with the wilful murder of her illegitimate child, Alfred James Moore. There was a second indictment against the prisoner, which charged her with the capital offence of feloniously administering to the same child a large quantity of deadly poison, called white precipitate, with intent to murder it. When the prisoner was first called upon to say whether she was guilty or not guilty, she replied in a low voice, " Guilty." Lord Chief Justice Erie told the prisoner that if she would take his advice, she would plead not guilty, and he gave her the advice, because he thought it probable that she did not understand the precise nature Theprisonerotf thehen pc lhe areadge ds notn i adagainst guilty iltyt to her.et h the charges. The indictment for murder was not proceeded with, but the prisoner was given in charge to the jury for the offence of feloniously administering poison to the deceased child with intent to murder. _ _  Sergeant Ballantine was specially retained, with the Hon. G. Denman, to conduct the prosecution. The prisoner had no counsel, but upon an intima