A Revolting Crime

The trial of four persons for niurder in England, in allowing the wife of one of them to die of starvation and neglect, bas resulted in the conviction of all four. In this extraordinarv case, Louis Staunton, an artist, his brother Patrick, Mrs. Patrick Staunton, and her sister, Alioe Rhodës, were the parties accused. The murdered woman, Mrs. Louis Staunton, was somewhat underwitted, prospeotiveheir to L4,000, and in possession of L1,800. Her mother endeavored to prevent her marriage, and asked the Chancery Court to be appointed her guardián, but the court deemed her compos mentís. Her mother made her one visit after her marriage, but was never permitted to see her again. She was secluded and kept in confinement in ;he family of Patrick Staunton, while aer husband lived with Alice Bhodes as :iis wife. A child was born to Mrs. Staunton, was sent to a hospital to die, and its mother was reduced in the same week to the point of death, when she was removed to another town. This, of oourse, resulted in her rleath, when tne burial authorities found her remains iii a very emaciated and neglected condition. It was a necessary peculiarity of such a case that there would be very little direct evidence, and that guilt would have to be inferred from the moral probabilities. The only evidence was that of a servant girl as to the neglect and abuse to which Mrs. Staunton was subject at Patrick Staunton's, and as to the existence of a letter from Louis to the Rhodes girl, expressing hia atfection for her, and a desire to have " Harriet out of the way." The letter had been destroyed, and the testimony of the servant as to its contents was tho only evidence of its existence. The circumstances of the marriage, the seclusion of the murdered woman, the amour of her husband with Alice Rhodes, and the removal and neglect of Mrs. Staunton at a time when such removal put her life in peril, were the chief grounds of the conviction. Baron Hawkins summed up severely against the prisoners, and, in passing sentence, said he had no doubt the infant was murdered also. The jury recommended the two women to mercy. All the parties were comparatively young, and the murdered woman wt.s well-connected. Altogether, it was a very revolting crime. His Majbsty the Sultan recently sent for the two children of Osman Paslm to be brought to him at the paluee, and presented each of them with the surn ot 8,000 piasters as a token of esteem for their father. He also presented the nurse who brought them with 8,00C piasters, and sent to Muslum QAnJgB iV further sum cf 10,000 piasters.