The Sun. — 1854-09-23 (London, England)

OLD COURT.  Trophy Knight, 37, was indicted for the wilful murder of Henry Grove. Mr. Payne and Mr. Mew conducted the prosecution ; Mr. Sleigh defended the prisoner. Mr. Laurance Ormerod, house-surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital, deposed, that about 11 o'clock at night, on the 29th Aug., the prisoner came with a child to the hospital, and he observed that it was just dead, and he noticed that there was a large bruise on the forehead, and blood was issuing from the nose and mouth. He made a post ntortent examination, and discovered a great many bruises on the bead, and there were also scratches on the face. Upon examining the interior of the head, he found that the outer plate (of the skull had been fractured, and this injury corresponded with the principal external bruise. A quantity of blood was suffused on the brain, and he had no doubt that the death was occasioned by external violence operating upon a very emaciated frame. The body of the child was very much emaciated, and in his opinion the emaciation was produced by the want of proper food, as all the integral organs, and particularly those referring to the digestive powers, were remarkably healthy. Cross-examined--The injury upon the heal, which was the most serious, he did not think likely to have been inflicted by the hand of a woman. For a snort time, when the prisoner brought the child to the hospi• tal, she cried and appeared to be very much distressed, and she told him that the child had fallen accidentally from the bed, and that its head struck against a Lux that was by the bedside. Aim Grove, the mother of the deceased child, depo,:ed that she placed it with the prisoner to nurse. She was to pay her ss. a week. The deceased was about eleven months old at the time of its death. .Tulia Barnes and Mrs Rock, lodgers in the house in which the prisoner resided, having been examined, Mr. Sleigh made a very able speech to the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and after observing upon the utter absence of any motive on the part of the accused to commit so serious a crime, he urged the probability that the fatal injury had in reality been occasioned in the manner stated by the prisoner, namely, by the child having fallen from the bed during her absence, and struck its head against the box by the bed-side. Mr. Justice Erle having summed up, the jury, after deliberating about a quarter of an hour, returned their verdict, finding. the prisoner guilty of manslaughter, but they at the same time recommended her to the merciful consideration of the court. The learned judge inquired of the jury whether they were of opinion that from the balance of evidence it appeared that the prisoner had behaved kindly to the child, up to the time of the unfortunate transaction ? The jury said they were unanimously of opinion tha she had.  His lordship then said, that taking into consideration the recommendation of the jury, and the other facts of the case, he was about to pass a sentence which might be considered a very lenient one. He believed, however, that the prisoner had, while under the influence of drink, struck the child without any intention to do it any serious mischief, and he hoped the present proceeding would be a warning to her for the rest of her life. He then sentenced her to be kept to hard labour for one month.  William Lye surrendered to take his trial for the man. slaughter of William Davis. ._..  The jury found the prisoner guilty, but recommended him to mercy, and he was sentenced to be imprisoned, without hard labour, for one month.