The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1864-08-06 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

ATTEMPT TO MURDER BY A SCHOOL MISTRESS.  On Friday Mrs. Martha Howell, a mistress of a school at Springthorpe, near Gainsboronkh, was brought up at the Lincoln as-izes, before Mr. Justice Keating, on a charge of having attempted to murder, by firin a pistol loaded with shot and powder, a young lady named Miss Johnson, a music teacher at Gainshorough, on the 17th Of JI11:10  The two ladies are well acquainted, and met at Gansborough on the day named, and in the evening they were alm.g wi h four young ladies, named Ada Wilson, Elizybeth UM, Elizabeth Rivett, and lemma Old. Miss 11111 and Miss Old were twenty yards In advatico of the prisoner and prosecutes, slid Miss Rivett and Miss Wilson were about the saute distance behind. When they arrived at a gate near the end of Sir Thomas Bickett's wood the prisoner pulled a pistol out of her pocket, saying, rit shot you," and immediately tired at Miss Johnson's head. The prosecutrlz fell on the ground, and remained insensth'e about a minute. She then got up and ran away followed by the prisoner, who called out to the other young ladies to hold her, and threatened to shoot Miss Wilson if she assisted the prosecutrix. - - - - - • ^•^ • • • •  At the conclusion of Mr. Sergeant O'Brien's address on her behalf, she exclaimed in an excited manner, "1 did not, my lord, I did not intend anything." The jury were absent from Court in deliberation rib ut half an hour, and upon their return found the prisoner Guilty of shooting at the prosecutrix, with intent to do her grievous bodily harm. When the prisoner, a slight woman, dressed in black, who had kept her handkerchief to her face during the whole if the trial, was asked what she had to say why sentence should not be passed upon her, the rose and exclaimed, with some vehemence, "I did not intend to hurt her. I turned the pistol on one side so that it should not hit her. Her falline down had nothing to do with the shot ; she had crossed the road before she fed. The pistol was loaded with powd, r, shot, and a bullet, hut the shot and bullet had fallen out, and were found in my pocket. I will swear there was no ball in the pistol when I fired it. Her face was opposite to mine. I heard her say. ` Don't shoot,' and my heart retracted. I could not shoot her, and turned the pi.tol suddenly from her. This is the truth and the whole truth, so help me God." " •• • - •  Ills lordship, in passing sentence, observed that her offence was one which was punishable with penal servitude for life Still, the circumstances of the cam induced him to look leniently upon it Ile could not sive credit to her assertion that ehe turned the pistol aside. That atserlion was inconsistent with the meek of fire on MiS4 Jvh forehead. [The prisoner ,interrupting).— We were so near together, my lord] Nor was the axe tr. ion that the pistol had no hall consistent with het etatement IMple at the time that she had h tiled it with slot and bullet. [The prisoner !again interrupting) —I had only two balls : one I put in the pistol, lint it must hove fallen out, for both were found in my pocket ] lie ehoulii believe the statement made at the time rather than that made then tier attorney bad not given chat idea to her counsel, or, if he had, her counsel, with that skill, ability, ano experience whlch him, hal rejected it as not likely to find favour with the jury One circumstance of mitiaation which had been weed was the inadequate motive of her act F.toerience, lowever. showed that the most atrocious crimes had often been committed from inadequate motives, and, indeed, it was by no means clear that her real motive had been discovered. be had been convicted of shooting at the prose.  cutrit with Intent to do her grievous bodily barns. The sentence of the Court upon her was that she he kept in penal servitude for four years.