The Sun. — 1853-03-21 (London, England)

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.-COVENTRY, MARCH 18. CROWN COURT.  Mary Minn, aged 26, was indicted for the wilful murder of William Barnes, at Atherstone, on the 9th of August last.  Mr. O'Brien prosecuted, and Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., defended the prisoner.  From the evidence adduced orl, the part of the prosecution, it appeared that the deceased was a child of two years old, and that on the day in question he was in the arms of his brother, a boy about 12 years of age, when the prisoner, who lived with her father and mother in the same street, came into the house and asked the little boy to go and fetch her mother, at the same time taking the child from him. When the prisoner's mother returned with the little boy they found the door of the house fastened ; an alarm was immediately given, and the boy was put in at the window. The prisoner was then discovered standing by a tub of water, in which was the body of the child, with its head under the water. Means were used to restore animation, but in vain ; and the medical man who was in attendance then turned to the prisoner and inquired how she came to do it. She appeared quite pleased at what she had done, and replied that she wished to die ; that she should have time to repent, and should go to heaven, and that the child, not having committed any sin, would certainly go to heaven. She was in a very wild and excited state, and the doctor was clearly of opinion that she did not know that she had done a wrong thing. On the part of the prisoner still further evidence was given to show that she was insai,e when she committed the offence. Her father and aunt were examined for this purpose, as well as Dr. Parsey, the superintendent of the county lunatic asylum, and from their statements it appeared that the prisoner had been a very well-behaved girl up to the age of 18, and had been out in service, but at that age she began to complain of her head, to be subject to extraordinary delusions, and to be unable to do her ordinary work. She sometimes fancied that her clothes were covered with worms, and required them to be shaken off ; at others she insisted upon wiping the faces of her father or aunt, asserting that there was something upon them which would injure them. She would get up in the middle of the night with scarcely anything on, and wish to run out of the house. At one time she complained to Dr. Parsey, who was requested by some friends to visit her, of her head being drawn down by the ends of her nerves, of the ends of her nerves starting from her brain, and of her inability to walk, because her head was drawn forward by her nerves. She also felt as if everything she did would injure some insect or dumb animal ; and even after she was in gaol she continued subject to such delusions. She once insisted upon wiping the pump, upon which she said she had put some soap, for fear it should poison the other prisoners. Under these circumstances Dr. Parsey's opinion was that at the time of the commission of the offence the prisoner was labouring under a delusion, which would render her incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.  The learned Judge then put it to the jury whether they were satisfied with that evidence of the prisoner's insanity. The jury immediately found a verdict of not guilty, on the ground of insanity ; upon which the prisoner was ordered to be detained during her Majesty's pleasure.  George *Milton, Thomas Buckler, George Ridgway, and William Lepton, were indicted for the manslaughter of John Neale, at Nuneaton, on the 19th of November last.  Mr. Adams prosecuted, and Mr. O'Brien defended. The deceased and George Shilton were the principals in a prizefight which took place at Nuneaton on the 10th of November last, and the other three prisoners were the seconds upon that occasion. After fighting 41 rounds Neale was carried off the field very much beaten, and he died in nine days afterwards ; but upon the post mortem examination of the brain the surgeon was unable to say that death was occasioned either by blows or falls during the fight. The vessels all over the brain were very much congested, but none of them were ruptured ; it was impossible therefore to say that the death was not produced by the mere excitement and exertion of the conflict.  The prisoners were consequently acquitted.