The Sun. — 1854-07-06 (London, England)

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)  OLD COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Creswell.) BRUTAL MURDER OF A CHILD,  Mary Anne Alice Seago, 30, was indicted for the wilful murder of William Seago. Mr. Payne conducted the prosecution. The prisoner was defended by Mr. Parry. The circumstances of this case were of a very distressing character. It appeared that the prisoner had been married to her present husband about twelve months, and that the unfortunate deceased was a child five years old, the son of the husband by a former wife. It would seem that the prisoner aud her husband were in the habit of getting drunk, and that they frequently quarrelled, and lived very unhappily together. On Sunday, the 21st of May, the prisoner and her husband had been out together, and the former came home about four o'clock, and she commenced preparing tea for herself and family. While she was so engaged, one of the children, named Thomas, told the pi isoner that his brother Billy had got him into "such a row," and that his father had struck him. Immediately upon this it appeared that the prisoner seized the poor little child, and threw it with great violence upon the floor, and then put him into a tub of water. At this moment the husband of the prisoner came in, and when she saw him she made use of a filthy expression towards him, the effect of which was that he said he would not stop in the house any longer, and as he was going out the prisoner exclaimed to him, "Go, you -, and take your -- children with you." The moment the husband was gone the prisoner commenced another most brutal attack upon the child, and continued to beat it and ill-use it until it actually died under her hands. When the child was seen to be motionless and speechless, one of the other children called out to the prisoner, "Oh mother, you have killed Billy, and you will be hung." The prisoner upon this told the child not to say anything of what had happened, or else she should be hung. She then sent out for some brandy and tried to administer it to the deceased child, but she found he was unable to swallow, and she then wrapped him up in a cloth and carried him to the London Hospital, where he was found to be quite dead. When the prisoner overheard that the child was dead, she expressed great sorrow for what she had done, and said that she had loved the child. Upon her being taken into custody, she again expressed her regret for what had happened, but said that the occurrence was the result of accident, and that the child fell forward while she was washing it, and that its head struck against a tin box that was in the room.  Mr. Parry made a most earnest and feeling address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and after observing that it was clear she had caused the death of this poor child, he submitted that they might, under the circumstances, come to the charitable conclusion that she was not actuated by malice aforethought, and that she might, therefore, be convicted of the offence of manslaughter only. The Learned Judge having summoned up, the jury, after a short deliberation, found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter, and she was sentenced to be transported for life.