The Northern Daily Times. — 1857-01-09 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE DOUBLE MURDER IN LONDON.  Mrs. Martha Bacon, the unfortunate woman charged with the wilful murder of her two children, named Edwin Fuller Bacon, aged 21 years, and Sarah Ann Bacon, aged 11 months, has again been before the London magistrates for further examination. The prisoner, whose general health seemed somewhat improved since her last e xamination, was accommodated with a seat at the end of the solicitor's table, and fronting the bench. While each of the witnesses were giving their evidence, she kept her eyes steadily fixed on them, but did not utter a word, and even when the horrible scene which her house exhibited when the murders were discovered, and the shocking state in which the poor children were found, were being described, she did not evince the slightest emotion. Her husband, who was seated near to her, on the contrary, seemed deeply affected, particularly at some portion of the evidence. Mr. Woodward of the firm of Messrs. Taylor, Collisson, and Wood. ward, solicitors, of John Street, Bedford Row, said he was present to watch the case at the request of the friends of Mis Bacon, who were respectable persons at Stamford in Lincoldshit e. Since the last examination the case had assumed a still more serious character; in the first place, from the fact of Mr. Bacon's, the prisoner's husband's assertion, that between the time of his leaving home at a very early hour on the morning of Moaday, to proceed to Reigate, and returning to his house on the Wednesday morning, it had been robbed of a suit of clothes, a watch, and seven pounds is cash ; and in the next place, from circumstances that had occurred at Stamford, from which it appears that the poor children who have unfortunately become the victims of the insanity of their unhappy mether, have had a narrow escape from being burnt to death. The witness, Harriet Payne, examined on the former day, was recalled, and her former deposition having been read over to her, she was further examined by the magistrate as to the execs expressions male use of by the prisoner when she first saw her on the Tacsday morning before, and subsequently on her way is the statio!, house, and to this court, and she could not recollect anything beyond her saying that it was not she that did it, bat that a man had entered the house by a back window, aid had murdered bsth 'her chiliiren and endeavoured to cut her throat, The witness further seid that the prisoner had not enjoyed good health since the birth of her youngest child • and in Jane last she was sent up from St imford to St. Luke's Hospital, and she (witness) aceompanied her there. She also frequently visited her while at St. Luke's, and on each occasion she used to inquire most affectionately for her children. She (the prisoner) was in the hospital from Jane to the 17th Oct. last, when she lef ; and, after leaving, accompanied her husband into Lincolnshire. and brought her children to town. Police constable W. H. Cook was again examined, and still maintained that from his careful examination of the premises, be was satisfied that no one had surreptitiously obtained admission to them Mr. John Bushell, the surgeon, of Kennington laae, was next called, and the evidence he gave on the Tuesday before, having been read over to him, in addition to it he said, that since the last exa.adeation, he examined the two knives produced by the constable, with a powerful rniscroscope, and on one of them he could clearly discern small globules of human blood, while the other was perfectly free from any such sell is. He also expressed the opinion that the wound in the prisonea's throat was produced by her own act. Some further, but unimportant evidence having been received, the case was again adjoarced.