AN EXTRAORINARY STORY OF CRIME.

Southland Times, Issue 1696, 31 January 1873, Page 3

AN EXTRAORINARY STORY OF CRIME.

♦ An almost incredible story is told in the Manchester Guardian. It is in the form of an official report as to the antecedents of the woman Cotton, who is in custody in Durham Gaol, charged with | poiooning. The report has been forwarded by Police-superintendent Henderson to the Home Secretary, to support the application for an order for future exhumations. It says : — Mary Anne Cotton wan born in the year 1832, at Murton Colliery, near Seahatn harbor. She married a man named William Mowbray, a laborer, and went to reside at various places in the south of England. They returned to South Hetton, after an absence of fire years from that part of the country On their return prisoner stated that she had had four children while away, but they had all died. On the 24th of June, 1860, they had a child die, named Mary Ann, four years of age. Mr Broadbent, surgeon at South Hetton, saya she died of gastric fever. Shortly after this Mowbray and the prisoner, with their children, went to Jlive at Hendon. On the 22nd of September, 1864, a son, named John Robert William, about one year old, died, and on the 2nd of May, 1865, a daughter named Mary Jane died. The two last-named were attended in their illness by Mr Grammage, surgeon, Sunderland, and he states that both died of gastric fever. The deceased William Mowbray and his family were all insured in the British and Prudential Insurance office, and on the death of her husband the prisoner got £35, and some smaller amounts on the death of the children. She then obtained a situation in the old infirmary at Sunderland, and remained there about six months, when she became acquainted with an inmate named George Ward. He married her, and they went to reside in Grey-street, Sunderland, where he died on the 21st of October, 1860, aged thirty-three. The prisoner then obtained a situation as housekeeper to James Robinson, a foreman in a shipbuilding yard at Pallion. In June, 1867, he married her, and they continued to reside at Pallion. When Robinson married the prisoner he was a widower with five children, and the prisoner had one little girl about three years of age. She lived with Robinson until the latter part of December, 1867, and during that time there died in his house — John Robinson, ten months old, the 4tb of January, 1867 ; James Robinson, six years old, the 7th of April, 1867 ; Elizabeth Robinson, eight years old, the 13th April, 1867 ; Elizabeth Mowbray, nine years old, the 2nd of May, 1867 ; and Margaret Robinson, three years old, December, 1867. It is stated above that the prisoner lived witk Robinson until the latter part of December, 1867. About this time he had found out that she had involved him in about £60 debt, besides pledging big clothe* and disposing of his household linen and goods. She had also charge of his bank book and building society book, and he also found that she had wasted upwards of £50, and entered sums in the building society book which she never paid in. Robinson's sisters also began to talk about the deaths of the children, and told him they had been poisoned. Robinson taxed her with her dishonesty, and said what he had heard about the children's deaths was going to be true.

After Robinson left the house that day she dressed herself and took one of the children, about eighteen months old, and went out, and never returned. She left the child in the street with a peraon till she went to post a letter, but she never returned, and Robinson did not recover bis child for some time, when he found it in a wretched state. He states that he now feels convinced that his children were poisoned. After the prisoner's father's death her mother was married to a man named Robert Scott, who is now living at Seaton colliery. Mrs Scott, the prisoner's mother, died 9th June, 1866, aged fifty-four years, and waa buried at Old Saham. She died rery suddenly after the prisoner came. The prisoner, after absconding from her husband's house, is found wandering about Sunderland, Seaham harbor, Tynemouth, and Newcastle, until 7th July, 1870, when she obtained a situation as housekeeper to Frederick Cotton, a pitman, residing at Waibottle, Northumberland. In October of the same year he married her at St. Andrew's Church, Newcastle, in the name of Mary Ann Mowbray. When she was reiiding at Waibottle a number of pigs died, and for some reason she was suspected, and the place became bo hot that they were obliged to leave it, and they came to reside at West Auckland. At that time the family consisted of herself, Frederick Cotton, her husband ; Frederick Cotton, stepson, nine years ; Charles Edward Cotton, stepson, six years ; Robert Robson Cotton, son, fourteen months, who have all died, as well as a lodger named Joseph Natrass. The prisoner herself states that while she was in the south of England she had four children bj Mowbray, all of whom have died.