The Warrington Examiner. — 1872-06-29 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

TWO CHILDREN DROWNED  BY THEIR MOTHER.  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF TIIE MUPDERESS.  At the Warrington Borough Court, ycsterday  morning, a woman apparently about 40 years of age, Was placed in the dock charged with the wilful murder  Of Margaret Ann Davenport, and Elizabeth Jane Davenport, her daughters, aged four years and two Years respectively, "by placing their heads downwards, in a tub of water thereby drowning them." The prisoner is the wife of Joseph Davenport, of 50, Scotland-road, who is in the employ of Mr. Cragg (late Fairhurst and Cragg) soda'water manufacturer, Horsemarket-street, Warrington. When placed in the dock she had a wildness and bewilderment of aspect about her quite in accordance With her alleged insanity. The Chief Constable, in addressing the magistrates  Said :—The prisoner is the wife of Joseph Davenport, Of Scotland-road, who left his home on Thursday Morning between seven and eight o'clock to attend to his work, but who did not notice anything wrong with 118 wife or children. He retunsed home on Thursday flight ht eleven o'clock, and on entering the house he flaT that his wife had prepared his supper, and he also observed that her wrists were cut. He asked her What she had been doing, when she replied that she had been trying to kill herself, and added—" The children are upstairs ; they are all right, and in heaven." Mr. Davenport at once proceeded upstairs, and found his two daughters dead, and laid out in a Way that any sane person would have laid them out. Ile immediately gave information to P. C. Bowen and Sergeant Johnson, who, on going upstairs, observed a pall-mug, with about a gallon of water in it, on the floor, corn eof which had been upset. The wash-hand • stand, and a basin also contained water, which was quite thick. They afterwards brought the woman to the police-station, where she had been examined by 114. T. S. Smith, surgeon, who is of opinion that she is insane. The Chief Constable therefore formally +.+Pplied for a remand until Monday, in order that the inquest might be held in the meantime. Sergeant Johnson, sworn, said :—Last (Thursday) night about 11 o'clock I was on duty in Winwickstreet, when I heard a whistle. On going towards Scotland-road, I found P.C. Bowen in company with r• Davenport, and I accompanied them to No. 50, Scotland-road. When I went inside, I found Mrs. P,avenport in the kitchen, and on going upstairs, I saw ..te two children laid out in bed, covered with a white I at once went down stairs, and charged the t'A-"oner with wilfully murdering her two children. In • 'el'l3, she said—" It is quite right ; they are both in heaven; let me sit here till morning by the fire ; I Won't run away, and I shall lee dead by then." I said ane must go down to the Police-station, where we " acceded to her request to let her sit by the fire. She then said—. Yesterday (Wednesday), Margaret Ann 'silt out to play with her little cousin, and she came 1,113, and afterwards wanted to go a second time, and because she was not allowed to go she said she would go and drown herself. I then took her a pan mi'v, full of water upstairs and she put her head in. She then 843;1"—‘ I do not like it; it goes up my nose.' To-day (Thursday) I took another pan snug full of warm water upstairs, and I put baby in first and held it in until it was dead. I then put Margaret Ann's head in, and held her there until File was dead. I thou tried to strangle myself, t but failed. I then got a razor and cut veins near my wrist, thinking I should bleed to , death." Sergeant Johnson continued—l found as a zor in the house, which looked as if it had been used. I als° found a baby's frock, on which were several spots of bleed. The baby's clothing was also wet. The Bench remanded the prisoner until Monday, Land ordered her to be kept in the Workhouse m the meantime. „ The prisoner has several injuries on her wrist, but there are no marks, as of attempted strangulation, on her neck. , Since the unhappy woman has been in custody she has not tasted food, and she has repeatedly expressed a wish that she might die. The statenvnt made to the Officer respecting her girl playing with a cousin is Perfectly correct, hut as to whether the child wanted to drown herself there was no evidence to prove the veracity of the ass,..rtion. The prisoner was removed. to the Woskhouse yesterd,y, where She will remain tUitil Monday, in the custody of ass officer.