Glasgow Courier. — 1847-09-09 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THE MA.RYI.EBONE MURDER-CONFESSION.  The unfortunate woman, Mary Anne Bunt, who was convicted at the last session of the Central Criminal Court of murdering an old woman named Stowell, still remains In Newgate, awaiting , the decision of Government, as to whether the sentence ot death passed upon her is to be carried into effect or not. It was proved at the trial that the wretched criminal would eventually become , a mother, and the sentence, of course, cannot be carried into effect for some time. The unhappy culprit has, within the last few days, in clear and undisguised terms, admitted her guilt. Immediately that she retired from the duck, after sentence had been pronounced, she appeared to recover her self-possession, and said to one of the officials who was accompanying her, 'They don't know yet how it was done." For some days after the trial she was very taciturn, but at length she detailed the circumstances under which the act was committed. She denies that the act was premeditated. It will be remembered that, upon the trial, it was proved that, on the Monday previous to the fatal occurrence, the culprit and the deceased had a violent quarrel, and that the forms; made use of such terms towards the old woman as to induce the other lodgers to send for the landlord of the house, and this was adduced as a proof that the crime was premeditated by the prisoner. She, however, declares that at this time she had no Intention to hurt her, and that her threatening to "do for her, merely referred to her intention to prevent her from continuing to receive assistance from the family of Colonel Wyi.dham, by informing them that she was not a worthy object of charity. The prisoner states that at this time she was in great distress of mind, osing to her pecuniary difficulties, and her inability, from want of funds, to get to Brighton, where, as she was well known, she expected to have been able immediately to obtain a situation, and for several days before the fatal occurrence she states that she was hardly aware of what she was doing. It transpired I accidentally in the course of the trial that the prisoner had been connected with a police-constable of the detective force, and who, it appears, is the father of the child of which she is Enceinte, and lie it seemed had promised to send her some money, but failing to do so, it increased her distress, and as she says, almost drove her beside herself. It was evident, from the contents of letters that were produced at the trial, but which Mr. Justice Erie, who tried the ease, considered were not legally admissible as evid •tice, that the prisoner was in very great pecuniary distress, and the repeated demands of the poor old woman for the trill ng amount of rent, about 95., which she owed her, created great excitement in her mind, and in all probability occasioned the fatal result. On the day of the murder the prisoner states that she was again pressed by the deceased for payment, and in the rouse via violent quarrel the deceased attempted to strike her. Tabs excited her, and induced her to strike the old woman in return; she fell to the ground insensible, and she then threw herself upon her, and did not desist from violence until the deceased Was no more. It then occurred to her that the deceased had 13 hoard of money in her drawers, and she opened the one in which she believed it was kept, and was surprised to find that there was no more than one or two and twenty shillings, which she possessed herself of, and then went out to make her way to Brighton, but, finding that the last train had started, she returned to the house, and stayed in the room with the deceased until the follosing morning, when, on her attempting to depart, she was arrested in the extraordinary manner detailed at the trial. It is ulagined by the medical officers of the prison that the unhappy prisoner will become a mother in about four or five months, ss that no decision can be come to in reference to the sentence till the end of that time.—Sunday Times.