The Sun. — 1863-07-29 (London, England)

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.  - The prisoner was found guilty, and was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, Elizabeth Thomas was indicted for the wilful murder of her female child, not named, at Devonport, on the 2d of July.  Mr. Cox prosecuted, and Mr. Lopez defended the prisoner.  This was one of those painful cases of which we had one at Dorchester last week. The facts were very simple and were not disputed, and the only question was the state of mind of the prisoner at the time the unhappy act was committed. The prisoner was a married woman, having a husband and four children, the youngest of whom was only three weeks old. On the Ist of July the prisoner, who always evinced great affection for her children, was observed suckling her infant, and performing for it a mother's offices. The prisoner's brother, named Dyer, lodged in the prisoner's house. He came down early in the morning of the 2d of July and went into the prisoner's room. Th 3 husband was in bed asleep. The prisoner was not there, but her brother saw the baby lying on the rug on the floor with its throat cut.  James Dyer was called. He said—l went into the prisoner's room before 6 o'clock that morning. The husband was in bed asleep. I saw the body on the rug. I looked at it, and saw that its throat was cut. My sister was not there. I went to the door, and saw my sister coming up stairs with a pitcher of water. I said, "Oh, Elizabeth, what have you done to the baby ?" She looked at me very innocently, and said, "I have cut its throat." She went into the room and sat down on a chair, and seemed like some one lost. I said, " Oh, Elizabeth, what did you do this for ?" She said, " I dont know." I said, " What did you do it with ?" She said, "A razor;" and she reached it from the table. She said she had been working hard all night, and thought she should kill all in the house. I then went for a surgeon. When I came back the child was just dying. The prisoner said, " The Lord has forsaken me, and the Devil has gained the mastery over me. Oh, why did he order me to wean the child ? I tried to do it two or three times. I got out of bed in the night, and first I thought I would do it, and then I thought I would not do it, but some one said She must do it.' I thought I was going to die, and that the child had better die first." I remained, and she told me to put everything out of her reach, for fear she might kill some one else. Some time before this she said she thought she and her husband were going to die, and that the children would come to the workhouse.  Cross-examined—Mr. Cole, the surgeon, had told her if she did not wean the child it would wean her. She had always been a good and affectionate mother to her ehildren, and a good wife. She had lost her mother and two children within the year. There had been insanity in the family. Other witnesses were called, who spoke of the prisoner as having been a particularly good and affectionate mother. They had observed a great change in her manner of late. The Judge said it was perfectly clear that this poor woman bad acted under fl, delusion that she was doing something for her child's good by sending it to a better world. The jury acquitted the prisoner on the ground of insanity, and she was ordered to be detained during her Majesty's pleasure.  -----_ ...