The Sun. — 1856-04-14 (London, England)

DEATH IN NEWGATE.  The two unhappy women, Elizabeth Ann Harris and Celestina Somner, who were convicted on Wednesday and Thursday, the former of the murder oUter children by drowning, and the latter of the murder of her child by cutting its throat, and whose cases excited so painful an interest upon the trial, were removed immediately after tae sentence was pronounced to separate rooms on the female side of the orison, where they will remain until their ultimate fate is decided upon by the Government. A female turnkey is in the room with each prisoner the whole of the day, and at night two women sit up with them. It has been already stated that there is no condemned cell, as it was commonly termed, and mvicts who are under sentearce of death are now spared the misery of being confined in the gloomy receptacle formerly appropriated t, that purpose for the short period of their existence prior to the carrying out of the fatal sentence. They are now placed in a comfortable aitartn3ent, where they have the advantage of light and warmth; and no reasonable privilege likely to soothe them in their melancholy position is denied them. Both the unhappy women, although they were very much excited during their trial (particularly the woman Harrie), have since become much more composed; but the worean Harris appears more fully impressed with her awful position than the other prisoner. The Rev. Mr. Dav el, the chaplain of the gaol, has been in constant attendance upon theto, and Miss Frazer, a benevolent lady, who devotes her attention to the sr .lace of the wretched inmates of this place of woe, has also been frequently with the prisoners, i,nd her religious exhortations have apparently had effect upon Celestina Somner. She is stated to be only 24 years old in the calendar, but is it appears two year- older ; even according to this she must have brought the Unhappy child whose life she destroyed into Vie world when she was little more than 15 years old. She affects to believe that there is no intention of carrying out the sentence of death, and she has stated that she expects to be sent to a lunatic asylum, and that after she has been confined there a few months, she shall be set at liberty. But the authorities of the prison, as well as the medical officers, are of opinion that there is not the least ground for supposing that her mind is in any way disturbed. The prisoner appears to have received a good education, and it is said that she is respectably connected. A very fearful impression prevaris upo❑ the subject of the paterni-y of I a child, which is not necersary more particularly to allude to. The woman Harris is only 25 years old, and she appears to have received very little education, being scarcely able to read. It is now several years since a woman was executed at Newgate, the last being a girl named Browning, for the murder of an old woman in Westminster, with the object of getting possession of what she believed to be a Bank of England note, but which, after she had committed the dreadful crime, turned out to be a note of the Bank of "Elegance," and utterly worthless. It is understood that a petition for a commutation of the sentence is in course of preparation, and it is almost needless to add that the authorities of the prison earnestly hope it may have effect, and that they may all be spared from the performance of the distressing duty that will devolve upon ;them should they have to carry the law into effect.