Sarah Maria Jones †1886

[S M S 79yr.] [Reading Mercury Sat 23 Oct 1886. Alleged Murder of Grandmother. A man named Sidney Russell was charged at Wareham, Dorset with the murder of his grandmother Sarah Scutt. The prisoner gave himself up to the Police Station on Wednesday morning, and charged himself with murder. Mrs. Scutt was found lying dead at her house shot through head. The prisoner was stated to have purchased a revolver at Wareham on Tuesday. He was committed for trial Tuesday. The deceased woman was 71 years of age.] [The murder occurred in 1886 at Chamberlaynes in a cottage opposite the school, and was reported in the Dorset County Chronicle of 14 October, 1886 as follows, under the heading: Shocking Murder at Bere Regis - A YOUNG MAN SHOOTING HIS GRANDMOTHER. A young man named Sidney Russell, aged 21, on Tuesday night shot his grandmother, Sarah Scutt, aged 79, with a pistol. After committing the dreadful deed he went to the police station and gave himself into the custody of Pc. Bugby, to whom he confessed his crime, for which no motive has yet been assigned. When surrendering himself he said to the constable "I have shot my grandmother; you must go and look into it." This was at five o'clock in the morning. The young man lived with his grandmother, with whom, it is said, he was not on very friendly terms. The latter sentence appears to be something of an understatement as Russell had been about to leave his grandmother for good by emigrating to Australia. In fact his departure was so imminent that his luggage had already been taken to Wareham station, and he had spent the evening going around Bere Heath and Hyde making last farewells to various friends and acquaintances. No really clear motive emerged at his subsequent trial, but it was by some supposed that the number of farewell drinks he had taken with friends during the evening had been sufficient to unbalance him. The effect which this episode must have had on the neighbouring school can be imagined from the following relevant entries in the Heath School log book by the mistress, Miss Horth: Oct 15, "No school on Thursday afternoon as the room was required for the inquest up-on the body of Mrs Scutt who was murdered by her Grandson Sydney Russell in the cottage opposite the school on the previous Tuesday night". Nov 9th, "Compelled to close the school this afternoon as I have to go to Winchester to appear as a witness against Sydney Russell". Nov 16th, "Returned from Winchester & reopened school on Wednesday morning - was kept at Winchester 7 days waiting the trial which took place on Tuesday 16th & the unhappy young man was condemned to die, but with a recommendation to mercy on account of mental-weakness".] [Murdering a Grandmother. A Sentence of Death. At the Winchester Assizes on Tuesday, before Baron Huddleston, Sydney Richard Russell; 21, gardener, described as of imperfect education, was indicted for the wilful murder of Sarah Scutt, his grandmother, at Bere Regis, on October 12th. He was likewise charged on the Coroner's warrant. Mr. Bullen and Mr. Loveland prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury, and Mr. Mathews defended. From the opening statement of counsel it appears that for some years past the prisoner had lived with his grandfather and grandmother in a cottage at a place called Chamberlayne, two miles from Bere Rgis, in Dorsetshire, and at the time of the occurrence prisoner and his grandmother lived together, his grandfather having died some time previously. The first that was known of what had happened was owing to the prisoner calling at the house of P.C. Bugby, at Bere Regis, about 5.30 a.m on the morning of the 13th of October, whom he knocked up. The policeman looked out of window and asked what was the matter, and told him to step inside. Prisoner went into house, and on the constable coming downstairs he was informed by the prisoner that his grandmother was dead. The man made inquiries of the prisoner as to whether anyone was present at the time of death? and he replied "No." Bugby:I asked how long his grandmother had been ill, and then the prisoner said "The fact is, I shot her." The constable then went to the cottage, about two miles distant, and on arriving there examined the bed, but though it had been occupied the woman was not there. He looked about, and in a corner of the room, he found the deceased lying down perfectly dead. She at that time was in her night clothes, and there were marks of blood upon the pillowcase and on one of the sheets, and an examination showed that the unfortunate woman had been shot through the head, and that death, under the circumstances, must have been instantanteous. When asked to account for the murder the prisoner seems to have told the policeman that it was all through drink. He added that he and his grandmother had had supper together, and that she had retired to rest between nine and ten o'clock, that he had then gone down to where the spirit decanters were kept and consumed a large quantity of raw spirits which had overcome him, and beyond that he could give no further explanation. He pointed out to the police one decanter, which was empty. Inquiries had been made by the Treasury as to what motive the prisoner could have had, and absolutely none could be discovered, There was no suggestion that the deed had been committed for the purpose of theft, because the old woman, who was well off for her class of life, had a good deal of money on the premises. This cash was kept in the room occupied by the prisoner, in an unlocked drawer. The money remained untouched. Prisoner was to have started upon the morning of the 13th inst. for Australia, at 6.30, and he had been, upon the best and most intimate terms with his grandmother, so that there was an entire absence of motive, and none was suggested by the prosecution. The Treasury, too, had caused inquiries to be made as to the prisoner's state of mind, and he had been examined by several medical men, whose reports had been forwarded. Witnesses were then called to hear out the opening statement of counsel. Mary Cousins, sister-in-law of the deceased, said prisoner had been brought up by his grandparents and when at school he had been brought home more than once suffering from fits. Prisoner came to her house on the evening in question, and seemed depressed, but that was his usual condition. Mary Ann Sherring, a widow, living three quarters of a mile from the prisoner, said on the evening of the 12th the prisoner came to her house, and when about five yards off he said "Mind your eye," and fired in the direction of her as she stood at the door. She closed the door, and then heard another report; also two or three more after she got upstairs. Dr. Liss, who was called to see the deceased, deposed that there was a bullet wound in front of the right ear, and a post-mortem examination showed a corresponding wound on the left side, showing that the bullet had gone completely through the head. The right eyelid was stained with gunpowder so that the weapon must have been held close to the head when fired. Cross examined- Had known prisoner since he was about two years old, and he had always been taciturn. He thought his mental capacity was decidedly below the average. About two years ago prisoner was very violent, and had to be held by two men. Witness looked upon it as mental mania, and prisoner struck him as a person who drank to excess. By the Judge: He would not say that the prisoner was not sane. -Q. Is he a person who would know right from wrong? -A. I should say so, my Lord. -Q. I suppose you find people in all classes of society whose mental capacity is decidedly below the average? -A. Yes, my Lord. -Q. And so such people are in a very exalted position, are they not? -A. Yes, my Lord. (Laughter.). Mr. J. G. Symes, Medical Superintendent of the Dorset County Lunatic Asylum, said he examined the prisoner by direction of the Home Office, he looked upon him as a man of weak intellect, and though he could detect no insanity yet the prisoner was a mind which might be greatly disturbed by excitement. There was such a thing as homicidal mania, which often caused people on impulse to attack those to whom they were most fondly attached. Re-examined: At the time he examined the prisoner he was in a position to know right from wrong. By the Judge: He did not class the prisoner's case as one of homicidal mania. This concluded the case for the prosecution, and the Court adjourned for luncheon. On reassembling several witnesses were called to prove that the prisoner "was of a very nervous temperament", and the schoolmistress at Bere Regis said he appeared to be a man of but one idea, and when spoken to simply replied in monosyllables, "Yes," or "No". Dr. Day, who did duty for the prison surgeon at Dorchester, said he examined the prisoner and the various symptoms which he described pointed to epilepsy, which tended to weaken the intetllect. Prisoner struck him as being very indifferent, and apparently ignorant of the 'quality of the act' which he had committed. He believed the mind of the prisoner was not healthy. He believed there was some atrophy of the brain. Mr. Mathews, in an impassioned address for the defence, urged that the jury had a clear way of finding a verdict by looking at the way the prisoner had tried to frighten the witness Sherring without any intent to do any harm applying the same wanton act of carelessness in his pointing the revolver at his grandmother without any intent to murder. If they thought that would be so it would be manslaughter, but he went even further than that, and contended that prisoner at the time was not responsible for his action if they found that so they could bring in a verict that he committed this act, but without the slightest intention to do any mischief. He strongly urged that the excitement and grief at his approaching departure from England on a mind already weak caused it to give way to the strain, and prisoner was not cognisant. The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against the prisoner and recommended him to mercy on account of his weak intellect. The prisoner was sentenced to death but the Judge promised to forward the recommendation of the jury to the proper quarter.]