The Sun. — 1864-07-30 (London, England)

THE CORRINGHAIS CASE.  Martha Howell was indicted for shooting at Emma Johnson, at Corringham, on the 17th of Juno, with intent to murder her. Mr Fitzjames Stephen conducted the prosecution ; and Mr Sergeant O'Brien defended the prisoner. The case presented very peculiar circumstances. The prisoner is a schoolmistress, living at Springthorpe, and the prosecutrix lived at Gaimborough, but was in the habit of going over to Springthorpe and other places in the neighbourhood to give music lessons. She had been accustomed to give lessons to the prisoner's pupils, and at such times had usually slept in the prisoner's house with her. Some time back some little dispato had arisen between prisoner and the prosecutrix, the origin of which was not very clear. It either arose from the prosecutrix having given lessons at another school at Springthorpe which the prisoner regarded as having been set up in opposition to her, or because the prosecutrix had refused to side with the prisoner in some quarrel the latter had had with some relatives, and had attempted to remain on friendly terms with both parties. Whatever may have been the cause, the visits of the prosecutrix to the prisoner had become less frequent, and on the last occasion or two when the prosecutrix had slept at the prisoner's house, the prosecutrix had come to her in the dead of night with a pistol and had threatened to shoot her unless their former intimacy was thoroughly re-established; In consequence of these occurrences the prosecutrix had refused to visit the house of the prisoner again,and,alth ough they were not entirely estranged the relations between them were far less cordial than they had been. On the day in question the prisoner had gone with two of her pupils to Gainsborough, and, having seen the prosecutrix, had induced her to accompany them part of the way back to Springthorpe. On arriving at a field gate near Corringham the prisoner had again pressed the prosecutrix to return to her house, and, on being refused, said, "I'll shoot you." The prosecutrix said, " No, don't ;" but the prisoner pulled a pistol from her pocket and fired it in the face of her friend. The latter fell down, bat, recovering soon after, got up, and, seeing the pistol in her hand feeling in her pocket, ran away. The prisoner went home and sent for a neighbur, who found her very excited. She told this neighbour that she had shot Miss Johnson, but was sorry she had not killed her. Her intention was. she said, to shoot her friend first and then herself, and to die at her feet. These statements she repeated to the constables, when she was apprehended, adding that the pistol was loaded with a thimbleful and a half of powder, some shot. and a ball. The forehead of the prosecutrix was scorched by the powder, but she had suffered no further in jury. Mr Sergeant O'Brien, for the defence, commented on the peculiarity of the case and the absence of any sufficient motive for the offence. Ho ccntended the prisoner had no intention of taking her friend's life, and that the statement that the pistol was loaded with shut and ball could not be relied upon. No trace had been found of any shot or ball. It was more probable that the whole thing was a pretence and a sham—a strange, wild device to bring back the wandering affections of her friend, and that no injury was intended. Tho jury were absent from court in deliberation about half an hour, and upon their return found the prisoner Guilty of shooting at the prosecutris with intent to do her grievous bodily harm. When the prisoner, a slight woman, dressed in blaek,who had kept her handketchief to her face during the whole of the trial, was asked what she had to esy why- sentence