The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1876-08-22 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

TERMAGANT.-A SCENE IN A DRAWING. ROOM.  At tho Middlesex Sessions, a day or two ago, before Mr. P. IL Edlin..d.C., Assistant-Judge, Mary Connell, 30, was ch with having unlawfully and maliciously committed age upon the personal property of Donald Macintosh, to the amount of £l5, and also with having unlawfully assaulted and occasioned actual bodily harm to that gentleman. Dr. Macintosh is a doctor of medicine lasi and carrying on his profession at 10, Lancaster-road, Belsise-park. Last June, being in need of a housemaid, ho made application to the Dudley Stuart Home, when Miss Thomson, the lady superintendent, recommended the prisoner to him. The prisoner accordingly entered into the doctor's service, where she continued until the leth of July, when, in consequence of her conduct not being satisfactory to the doctor, she wasdischarged. On that day she left, taking with her her wages and her luggage. The doctor saw nothing more of her until the 22nd. the evening of that day, while sitting in a back parlour, he was astonished at hearing a great noise proceeding from his dining-room. He consequently went there, and found the prisoner in the act of smashing all the glass, pictures, and other articles with the fire shovel. Much damage had already been done, some valuable pictures having been injured. Directly he entered the room she turned round upon him and aimed • blow with the fire shovel at his head. This blow he warded off from his head, but it took effect on his arm. A struggle then ensued between them, amid the shrieks of the woman-servants of the house, who had congregated at the doer of the dining-room upon hearing the uproar. The struggle lasted for some minutes, and the doctor, who is advanced in years, would hare been entirely overcome had it not been for the opportune arrival of a neighbour. to whom the prisoner applied for protection, saying "Save use ! save me! This man has drugged me, and now be wishes to murder me." This gentleman, however went to the doctor's aid, and the prisoner was retained t'll a police-constsble came, when she Rai taken into custody. A. 5 she was leaving the house she persuaded the constable to allow her to sit down for a few minutes on the door step, but while there on the doctor making his appearance at the door, she jumped up and aimed a blow at him with her fist, missed him, but sent her hand through the glass window in the door, breaking the glass and cutting her hand severely. She was then placed in a cab and taken to the police station. When there she stated that she wished shelled done more harm. After the evidence had been adduced to prove the above facts, the prosecution, in the interests of the prisoner, put the surgeon of the House of Detention into the box. He said that when she entered the house his attention was attracted to her, and he came to the conclusion from her appearance and from her repeated decimations about having been drugged by Dr. Macintosh, that she was suffering from insane delusions, lie would not say, however, that she was not conscious of right and wrong. When she committed the acts complained of he believed she must have known that she was doing wrong. The brother of the prisoner was also called as • witness to speak to her state of mind. He had only however, seen her once in the House of Detention. The jury returned • verdict of Guilty and the Assistant Judge said that he would take into consideration in the sentence which he should pass the circumstance that she was labouring under an entire delusion in entertaining the idea that she had suffered some wrong, and remarked that in prison she would have the advantage of constant medical supervision. Ile then sentenced her to nine months' imprisonment with such hard labour as her health would enable her to undergo.