The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1880-08-07 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SENTENCED TO DEATH.  At the Central Criminal Court, Emma Pleasance, 26, was indicted for the wilful murder of her two children, William and Laura Constance Pleasance, the former on the Bth and the latter on the 26th of May. Mr. Poland and Mr. Montagu Williams were counsel for the prosecution, Mr. Warner Sleigh and Mr. Fulton defended.—We take the following report of the case from The Times:—  Mr. Poland, in opening the case on the first indictment, said the prisoner was charged with the wilful murder of her child, Laura Constance Pleasance, and when he told the jury that they would at once feel that the case was one of considerable importance and one which would require their most anxious attention. The prisoner was 26 years of age, and had for some time been living with a man named John Poole. He had adopted the prisoner's name, and they lived together as Mr. and Mrs. Pleasance. For some considerable time up to the 4th of May they were living at Trevor-square, Knightsbridge, with the two children in question, the girl into whose death they were inquiring being about four years of age. The man appeared to have acted entirely as the prisoner's husband, supporting her and the children by his work. Up to Christmas last he was in reasonably good work, but was not so after that period, and there was no doubt that they were very much pressed for means. On the Ist of May the man Poole became deranged in his mind. The parish authorities intervened, and he was first sent to the infirmary of the workhouse and afterwards to a lunatic asylum. On the 4th of May the prisoner appeared to have left the lodgings in Trevor-square for the purpose of reducing the expenditure, and she took some cheaper lodgings in 60, Walton-street, Chelsea. She was unable to obtain work, and on the bth of May she took the little boy out, but when she returned she did not bring him. They were not then inquiring into the boy's death. The prisoner continued living at this house with her little girl. The police made inquiries with reference to the little boy, and on the afternoon of the 26th of May an inspector spoke to the prisoner on the subject, and he then noticed that the little girl was in perfect health playing by her mother's side. The prisoner on that day took the little girl out, and at half-past twelve o'clock that night she was seen by a policeconstable named Leeson outside her lodgings without the child. Some conversation took place between them, and when asked about the child she said the little girl was dead in the ornamental water at Battersea-park, and that she died in her arms without a struggle. The. prisoner was taken to the police station, where the inspector spoke to her, and she reiterated her statement, admitting that she had drowned her child. and saying the body would be found near the boats in the ornamental water at Battersea-park. Her clothes were noticed to be wet, and she presented the appearance of having been in the water. The inspector at once went to Battersea-park and found the body of the child, dressed as usual, about eight yards from the shore, and in the vicinity of the boats. It was found that she had been dead six or seven hours and was past medical aid. The cause of death was suffocation, but the body did not present the usual appearance of drowned persons, and the medical gentlemen were of opinion that the child had been held under water and kept there until she was dead. Witnesss in support of Mr. Poland's statement were called, and they spoke in detail to the facts to which the learned counsel had referred.  Mr. Warner Sleigh addressed the Court for the defence, urging that at the time of the commission of the crime the prisoner was not aware of the nature and quality of the act she was committing. At the time the prisoner was pregnant, and had passed thgough great trouble, and he contended that it had caused insanity. The account of the matter was that she intended to commit suicide by drowning herself. She went to the Battersea-park and threw herself into the water, which was not deep enough to carry out her object; she stumbled, and the child, which was asleep in her arms, fell into the water and became suffocated. _  , Mr. Justice Hawkins having summed up the case, The jury, after considering for some time, returned a verdict of Guilty against the prisoner, but strongly recommended her to mercy. ' - -  Mr. Justice Hawkins, without assuming the black cap, said that, after having listened to a very sad and distressing tale, the jury had found it to be their duty to convict the prisoner of the crime of wilful murder. He confessed that having carefully considered the evidence, he could not see how they could have come to any other conclusion. He was glad they had appended to their verdict the strong recommendation to mercy, which he should take care to forward to Her Majesty's Secretary of State, who had power to deal with it. His lordship then passed sentence of death in the usual form.  The prisoner pleaded in stay of judgment that she was pregnant. A jury of matrons were then empanelled to try this issue, and they came to the conclusion that it was so. Mr. Justice Hawkins said upon that verdict he ordered sentence to be respited until the prisoner be delivered of a child or when it was no longer possible in the course of nature that she should be so delivered.  The following telegram, dated August 2, from the Viceroy of India, has been received at the India Office : "Master of ship Cedric the Saxon reports: Sighted inaccessible island, 23 miles S.W. Tristan d Acunha, 19th June. Liuge fire burning in N.W. side, apparently on shore; time, eight evening; heavy gale, unable to lay ship to for daylight. I suggest probable shipwrecked crew."