The Sun. — 1856-03-22 (London, England)

CHARGE OF MIIRDER.—SENTENCE 01 DEATH. Mary Weeks, a young woman aged 28, was indicted for the wilful murder of her male child, a boy between three and fours years old, at Exeter, on the 3d of Jan. last.  Mr. Kingston and Mr. Phear appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Ring defended the prisoner. It appeared that on the 7th of Jan. the body of a male child, aged between three and four years, was discovered in the river Exe, near Hancross, by a fisherman named Lyddon. Its head was enveloped in a black apron, which covered the eyes and nese, and which was pinned under the right year. The medical gentleman who made an examination of the body, Mr. Pycroft, gave it as his opinion that death had been caused by drowning, there being no marks of violence or signs of disease upon the body. The evidence to connect the prisoner with the offence was that she became acquainted with a widower, named Warren, to whom she was engaged to be married ; but she represented that she had only one child, and that was at home with her mother, whereas she had two, and one day this little boy was brought to Warren's house. He accused the prisoner of deceiving him, and the intended marriage was broken off. The child still remained at Warren's house until the evening of the 3d of January, when Warren seat to the prisoner to take it away, as he (could not afford to maintain it any longer. She came and took up the child in a fit of anger, and carried it away. That night a female, resembling the prisoner, was seen near a mill-leat, in the Exeter Bonhay, which runs into the river Exe, and she was leaning against a tree, and crying. A child's frock and petticoat were picked up afterwards close by the lent, which were identified by several witnesses as those which the child wore on the night in question. The prisoner did not arrive home to her lodgings until nine o'clock, and then she appeared much distressed in mind. She stated in answer to inquiries, that she bad sent home her boy to her mother's house at South Lawton ; but the mother, an aged woman (who was much affected) was called, and stated that she brought the child, whose death the prisoner was charged with having caused by drowning, to Exeter a few weeks before, and she had never seen it since. The prisoner had left Exeter soon after the body was found, and suspicions were aroused against her, and she was apprehended at Ashburton, on her road to Plymouth. Whilst the prisoner was in gaol, it was alleged that she made a confession to another prisoner, who slept in the same cell, named Davey, and which statement was to the effect that Warren had refused to marry her on account of the child, that he said that many children were picked up drowned, and nobody found it out, and that she replied, " Good God ! you don't mean for me to do it ?" and it was upon this suggestion that she was induced to commit the crime. The apron which was pinned round the child's head was identified by several witnesses as the one which they had seen worn by the prisoner,  - Mr. King, for the defence, contended that the evidence was not conclusive as to death having been caused by drowning, and that Warren hal been actuated by a lust of gold i❑ giving information which led to the apprehension of prisoner—a reward of 501. having been offered by the Crown—and, that his testimony was not to be relied upon. His Lordship summed up with great care and ability, and the jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty, recommending the prisoner to mercy on account of the treatment she had received from Warren. His Lordship then paled sentence of death in the usual form, saying that he would forward the recommen• dation of the jury to the proper quarter, but desiring her to entertain no hope of mercy. Mr. King then prayed the court to stay execution, on the ground that the prisoner was "quick with child." A jury of matrons was then empanelled, who decided that such was the case, and his lordship thereupon ordered execution to be deferred until after the prisoner was delivered. The trial lasted the whole of the day, and did not conclude until 11 o'clock at night.