The Times 1841 - 1850 Feb 06, 1845 The Lammonby Murder

Feb 06, 1845 The Lammonby Murder

The Times - 1841 - 1850

Article Index Feb 06, 1845 The Lammonby Murder Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 4 of 4 The Times, 7 August 1845 (page 8, column C) NORTHERN CIRCUIT. CARLISLE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 5. The assizes for the county of Cumberland commenced here to-day. Their Lordships sat for the despatch of business at 10 o’clock, Mr. Justice CRESSWELL presiding on the civil and Mr. Baron ROLFE on the criminal side. The calendar contains 12 cases, the greater number being offences of the less serious kind. There are, however, two cases of murder, – John GRAHAM, whose case has caused great excitement in this neighbourhood, and who stands charged with poisoning two members of his own family, and Jane CROSBY, who stands charged with the murder of her child by burning it. This case, it will be remembered, was postponed from the last assizes, in consequence of the principal witness, a daughter of the prisoner, being from her youth and extreme ignorance unfit to take an oath. On the civil side there are seven causes entered for trial, four of which are special juries. Of these two are cross-causes, in which the question respects a watercourse, and has been tried more than once before. The real value of the matter in dispute is understood to be very trifling. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here follows a civil case. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the criminal side no case of public interest had been taken before our report came away. The Times, Monday 11 August 1845 (page 6, column A) SUMMER ASSIZES. NORTHERN CIRCUIT. CARLISLE, AUG. 6 The trial of Jane CROSBY, whose acquittal was stated in our short report sent by to-night’s post, occupied the whole of this day. The court was throughout crowded most densely, and the heat became excessive, so much so, that the learned Judge commanded several large panes of thick glass in the windows to be broken out, to let in more fresh air. The prisoner was defended by Mr. WILKINS, who called upon the jury to doubt the evidence of the one child of the prisoner, but 11 years old, whose evidence was required to convict her mother of the crime of burning to death the younger child. Although she had been under the care of the chaplain since last assizes, that her oath might not be taken in ignorance, the child hesitated very much in giving her account; and it appeared after all exceedingly doubtful whether she were, for some cause, in terror of her mother, or might have before given an account not strictly true. She stated that the deceased child first caught fire by the clothes, accidentally, in sitting upon the fender, and that her mother, who had been drinking, then put out the fire, and in an instant afterwards put the unfortunate child upon the fire which was then burning in the kitchen. For the defence, one supposition was that the woman might have acted with the idea of drawing the fire out, by exposing the child to the fire in the kitchen; and what she actually did with the body of the child, how nearly she placed it to the coals, or for how long a time, appeared a matter not certain, as there was no witness of the fact but the other child. This case, tried before Mr. Baron ROLFE, and that of John GRAHAM, who is to be tried to-morrow, for poisoning his wife and father, have excited the greatest curiosity and interest. The town appears to-night as if there were a fair in it, or something agitating the whole public mind. The avenues of the court were crowded all the day, and there are now, late at night, hundreds of people collected together around the gaol and court-house. Tomorrow will be the commission-day at Appleby, and there still remain two cases to try here, that of GRAHAM, and another of comparatively little importance. These, it is expected, will be finished to-morrow, the judges both remaining to dispose of the business. << Prev - Next

 

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