Northern Times. — 1859-12-12 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER OF TWO CILII.I)4EN BY A, MOTHER,  Martha Ann Lewis, 24, wife of a bootmaker, was 0; dieted for the' wilful murder of her infant son and daughter, at Fiaedon, on the 17th of -August last. Mr. litaunsell. prosecuted ; Mr. O'Brien defended the prisoner. The' prisoner was., the wife of a shoemaker at Finedon, and up to a short time before this ocourj rence, she was an affectionate mother and a caret' wife. But. about July last . a great change was ntr ticecl both. in her manners and appearance?. she ,beil at times low and dejected, -and at " others she wool be laughing. On the 17th of Angust last the prisoner, being, missing from her home,-her brother, Joseph Nall" ington; and another man Went to look for her. They found her standing =tear "some -rails, about 150 yards from_ from a pond in-the grounds of7Mackworth Dolben, -r-As`l; She refused. to go home, and Wallington asked her Were her children iwere. - She said, "Down lower," pointtj towards the pond. She seemed. dull and strand. Shortly afterwards her father-in-law, Ephraim LeTe arrived, and on his asking her where her baby was, She 'said, " They are both in the water. Lthrew them.lll,l The children, one a buy of two and a half years ow, and the other a girl•Of four 'Months old, were foundto the pond quite dead, and on, further que,stioning, he prisoner said she, put them in about three o'clock, 7., ~ that more than-three hours elapsed before they 08' found: • • • FOr the defence, it was shown that a month prior the :17th of August many peopre 'in -the village' observed -the change in the prisoner, who frequentil complained Of pains in the head. She was elpecialli strange on the' preceding-daY'and :the -Saturdayhef°,; After remaining kw the, county. ;gaol for some dayF k.c prisoner was removed to the NOrthampton "Luu?,tl Asylhm, the medical Superitittnderit of which establish, .ment, and the surgeon of-the.gaol,:both were of opilll'of that at the time she , committed this act she was unsound mind. - • The Jury acquitted the prisoner on the ground Of insanity. 'She was-ordered to be detained during her 1119,j01P pleasure. • • . .  k.,`14  ~~ ~ ~,. .. .  - J MR.MACREADY'S SON ON THE AustiLALIA.N STAOP:., We extract the following from field's Life in Victoria •,,t, "_ At 'the_ Theatre . Royal; Ballarat, on- Monday nif,g; Mr. Edward Macready, a son of the eminent trageali made his debut' as- Claude Ifelnotte, in the " Lac') d -Lyons." The manner in which_the character was sustaillej evidenced considerable attention and study, bat fan t to convince us that the' de'bidant is yet tialrfiell to' 7777:"'''" r"'"'"7777,"—• .1 • •• 1,1( sp-qc at pie corielusioh of tolae piece, 'however, 0. 'lliatreadY simply made' his firstappearante'-' as prof 00 -sional-aeterinot as an experienced performer,' and is these grOunds; if only but of resifect to his father, he sure to meet with an encouraging reception." 'wog A WILD Gint.-44.. ,Avfiss.jogrnal has the follo strange story :Iz--kirdollinnti-of'Saint Margaretben,e the canton of Saint-Gal--on entering a wood near i. 5 I affewidays;:ago, perceived some branches '.49'1:08 had been placed against a fir-tree move, as if spriteaed "Were beneath'iliem.- He, though licit -without feat, rvle-ti, then; and ,to ;his Attonishmedt folind ealy clad, and benumbed with cold. :He took her to house, and sent for 'the' inthbrities: of the vilLs/01 4nd ;they placed' .hat 'in th 9 :Workhouse, The the then made a statement, to this. effect :—She isodaughter of what are' Called- lieimailidie,'pateri atols sort of pariahs who belong to no particular C,3,00 —and neither :they f. nor tAierserj layer lived be"oref a roof. She.,knew not their name, and they had 110er, cailedler anything else than Ofttre one); .0 of age is eightetrr,)ltt she has_not the slightest :110%,thef religion. One. day a *dent quarrel between her Ditter, ana Mother took -idde,'-'-atial 'the fcithier killed *NI a knife. On-that she.(the girl) took to ffigrt"-t9,io had ever since wandered about the woodk and Inc:Mao:4; living on wild fruits aMl44gbiables pilfered fronl Pe", sall To explain how she- waVnot-discovered sooner, fi"' rce and,toP tbo that her custom wits to hideduring the day, about at night. -SwlB4-journals, in relatratod strange affair, call-to-mind-that Buffon in his afir History speaks of:4;gittvrhof,ltyktpentury was fowl ,n a forest in Champagne. tY STUDY' or