Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette 17 November 1838.

MARRIAGE.

Nov. 3, at Sandwich, Mr. Snell, of the Coast Guard Service, to Sophia, second daughter of Mr. Wood, landlord of the "Admiral Owen."

Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette, Saturday 18 March 1848.

MURDER AT SANDWICH.

Mary Sweetlove, 37, was indicted for the wilful murder of her son, Octavius George Sweetlove, in the borough of Sandwich.

William Prescott deposed that he kept the "Admiral Owen" public house in December last, and knew James Sweetlove, who, with a woman and five children, lodged in his house at that period; could not say if the prisoner was the woman. They stayed a fortnight and two days, during which time he saw her only two or three times; the youngest child was a boy; Sweetlove left his house on a Wednesday, and returned on Saturday evening before the 18th December. On May 18th, the woman left about one o'clock with a child in her arms, and came back in half an hour without it.

Cross-examined:- Sweetlove had work during some part of the time; the eldest child was about eleven years, and the youngest five months old; they had been in the Union; did not see the woman for a fortnight; they had one room upstairs; went to the room on the 17th to get the woman to ask for relief for the children, as they were in great distress; he had not had any rent, and he has given the man notice to leave a week before; did not tell the woman that she must leave; she was in bed when he went in, which was 10 o'clock in the morning, the child was not weaned.

Re-examined:- Was in the room quarter of an hour; she talked sensibly, and said she did not know what to do; she said she was going to her father to know what she was to do.

By the judge:- The prisoner was very much like the woman who was lodging with him; he had no doubt of it.

Elizabeth Eastes, who lived on the Old Deal Road, on the 18th December, a short distance from the Mill Wall, saw a woman pass her house a little before 1 o'clock with a child in her arms, going towards the bridge; she had on a blue gown and shawl turned inside out; seeing her person distinctly, she was enabled to say the prisoner was the woman.

Henry Powell was at sandwich on the 18th December, on the Old Deal Road, and left between one and two o'clock; knew the house of last witness; and the bridge was about twenty rods from the cottage; he looked over the bridge and saw a bundle in the dyke; it was called the town dyke; which ran into the river; there was a bank between the dyke and the road; went down to see what the bundle contained, and found a male child about five months old; the water was about a foot in depth and six feet wide; the water was clean at the time; having laid the child on the bank, he left it in the care of his brother, who was with him, while he (witness) went for the Constable, to whom he delivered it; the child foamed out of its nose and mouth, and appeared quite dead; it lay on its side, with its head quite under the water.

John Mannings, town wardsman of Sandwich, was sent for on the 18th December, to see the child, which he found on the bank, about a quarter before two o'clock; the child was warm, and he took it to the cottage of Mrs East's, and with her assistance put it into a warm bath, it opens and shut its eyes twice while in the water; sent for Mr Emmerson, the surgery, immediately, who came in about ten minutes; the surgeon could not perceive any signs of life; on the same day, at three o'clock, witness took the prisoner into custody at the "Admiral Owen" public house, where there were four other children crying around her; prisoner was sitting down, and seems very much depressed in spirits.

Elizabeth Elger, widow, living in Sandwich, had known the prisoner from her infancy; she was the wife of James Sweetlove; in December last they had five children, the youngest of whom was five months old; they lived at the "Admiral Owen" at the time; had often dressed and undressed the youngest child; prisoner was not in her right intellect; there was a dark mark on the body of the child; on the 18th December witness went to the "Admiral Owen" about half-past two, where she saw the prisoner and the other children, except the baby; she asked prisoner if she had been out, and she replied that she had; asked where the baby was, and she replied in the ditch, near the Mill-wall, and she put it there because it cried; the child witness saw at Mrs. Eastes cottage was the youngest of the prisoner; prisoner had never been confined in a mad house; after she came from the Union, she appeared incapable of doing anything; when asked questions, she made no answer; prisoner used to have good spirits, and was a good mother to her children; witness kept the house of prisoners father.

Cross-examined:- Had heard prisoners say that the name of the child was Octavius George.

By the Judge:- Did not say anything about the prisoner having lost her intellect when she (witness) was before the Coroner.

Richard Emerson, surgeon, at Sandwich, deposed that he went to the cottage of Mrs. Eastes between 2 and 3 o'clock on the 18th December, where he saw the child which had been taken out of the water half an hour; he found it cold, pale, and there was no perceptible action of the heart; witness endeavoured to inflate the lungs, and in this, as in most cases when the heart has ceased to act, all means to restore respiration failed; there were no external marks of violence on the child; he had no doubt it's death was caused by drowning.

Cross-examined:- He saw the prisoner at the inquest, when she seemed to be under great excitement; saw her two or three times in gaol before she was removed to Maidstone; he found her labouring under distress of mind, bordering on delirium; he thought that she was not at all times conscious of her own acts, nor at the time she put the child in the water.

Re-examined:- Had not attended the prisoner as a patient for some years, but might have occasionally giving her advice, though not lately; he did not remember noticing any appearance of weakness of mind when he attended her; the circumstance of having put her child in the water might produce distress of mind, and he thought it most likely did; remorse might have produced the appearance he saw.

Mr. Aris, the governor of Sandwich gaol, deposed that he received the prisoner into custody on the 18th December, and on 20th she sent a request with him to take down a statement to be given to the Coroner's jury; he endeavoured for two hours to dissuade her from it, but she persisted in her determination to do so; he then took it down in her own words.

[The statement was produced and read by Mr. Straight, in which she stated that her landlord came to her on the 18th December, and threatened to turn her and her children out of doors if she did not leave in two hours; she then took her child intending to go to Mr. Lewin's, but mistook the road; she could not recollect whether she threw her child over the bridge or put it into the dyke.]

Mr. Aris stated that the prisoner was unable to answer the most simple questions; he had great difficulty in ascertaining the name of her husband and connexions.

Mr. Chambers made a powerful appeal to the jury for the prisoner, in which he did not attempt to deny the facts, but contended that she was at the time in such a state of mind, from her distressed circumstances, as not to be a responsible agent.

His lordship recapitated the whole of the evidence, leaving to the jury the decision of the question whether, at the time she committed the act, she was in such a diseased state of mind as not know what she was doing.

The jury retired at 20 minutes before 3 to consider the verdict, and after an absence of 10 minutes returned a verdict of not guilty, on the grounds that she was not sane when she committed the act.

The Prisoner was ordered to be detained during her Majesty's pleasure.