Star. — 1827-08-11 (London, England)

ALLEGED MURDER. Miry Brooks, a mauled woman, aged 26, was in• dieted for the murder of her infant child, Maria, aged six months, by cluing its throat with a razor, at the parish of St. Mary, Newington, on the 18th April last. It appeared that on the evening of the 18th of April, the prisoner and her husband to .k lodgings in the house of a Mis. Golding, in Dean's-buildings, Newington, the prisoner bringing with her the infant child in question. Next morning, Mis. Golding hearing the prisoner's husband making an outcry as if something very dreadful had happened, she ran up stairs and endeavoured to open the room door ; but finding it locked, she burst it open, and on entering she saw the child lying across the bed, with its throat cut, quite dead. The prisoner also had a cut across her throat, from e ir to ear; and,the husband was in the act of taking something from the floor, which turned out to be a razor. Mrs. Golding asked her why she di.l the dreadful act? She replied that s e did it because the infant should not be upbraided for her mis conduct. A surgeon was immediately seut tor, and in the meantime Mrs. Got. ing held the prisoner's head on her lap. The p ironer a,ked twi:e if her child was dead? —Nu answer was given to her the first time; but being answered in the affirmative the second, she said, «The child will not be upbraided for my misconduct now."— She said she had intended to finish herself, hut she had not done it. After the vogem ye t, she appeared very sorrowful, and kissed the chill, saying, " Hot' could I do it ?—I have killed the ()Ay comfort I had!" On her cross examination, Mrs. Golding said that the evening before the prisoner appeated to net to be out of humour, and trlked somewhat iiic here.,tly about some policeofficers being after her. Mr. H well, a surgeon, proved that the wound (11 the prisoner's throat was very superficial. The prisoner, a well-looking y oman, and who was bathed in tears whilst she remained at the bar, being called upon for her defence, simply said, that she had seven children, and that she had stabbed the child only once.  Witnesses were then called to prove that the prisoner had, for some time previous to the transaction in question, laboured under mental derangement. Mr. Swift, a su'geon, stated that he attended the prisoner in her confinement with the deceased child. On that occasion there was a strangeness in her demeapour which he could not account for. He had not  known her before. H• did not attend her after the third day of her illness. About six weeks afterwards she came to his shop with another Lady, who appeared to be in. tosicat:d with liquor, and insisted upon his bleeding her ft lend, who, she said, had been bitten by a mad dog. Her manner was very wild and incohetent. He looked at her companion's hand, and saw no appearance of any injury on it, and he refused to bleed her. The prisoner flew into a passion, and insisted upon his perfot ming the operation. Her conduct was so violent, that he was obliged to send for a constable to give her in charge. Mr. Daniel Boast, a surgeon, of New Kent Road, said, he,h d known the prisoner about nine or ten years. During that time, she was subject to violent fits of rasp 'ion ; sometimes her conduct in this respect bordered on insanity ; slight causes would throw her into a passion ; about five years ago he thought her in a state of derangement ; at times he considered her as labouring under mental aberration.  Nlrs. Elizabeth Edwards had known the prisrner about 11 years. She had been in a low and deponcling state for a long while prior to the transaction in question. A short time before then she had told witness  that she and her child were very unhappy; and that her child blushed at looking at her. The prisoner went away talking incoherently of police officers being after her, and that they meant to stone her to death. After the prisoner was sent to prison, it was aece.sary to put on a strait waistcoat; she frequently calleJ after her child, and would not believe it was dead; she had lost seven children, and her mind was much affccted on that account.  The Jury interfered, and expressed themselves satisfied. They acquitted the prisoner on the ground of insanity ; and she was ordered to be detained until his Majesty's pleasure should be known.