My apologies as I seem to have deleted the original email that began this thread! However, I was at the Library on Saturday and printed off copies of the London Times articles covering the GEERING poisonings of Guestling. The last article is transcribed below, I will post the rest as time permits. Cheers, Joanne Joanne Mays Becker Sleepy Hollow, New York The (London) Times, 22 August 1849; pg 5; Issue 20261; Col. F "EXECUTION OF MARY ANN GEERING LEWES, August 21 At 12 o'clock this day Mary Ann GEERING, convicted at the last assizes of the murder of her husband at Guestling, underwent the extreme penalty of the law on a drop erected in front of the county gaol. On Monday evening she made a full confession of her guilt in having poisoned her husband and two sons, and attempted the life of her third son, Benjamin, who was the principal witness against her on the trial; and her penitence appeared to be so sincerely manifested that the chaplain did not hesitate to administer to her the holy sacrament. Having thus disburdened her mind, the culprit slept during the whole of Monday night. She awoke early in the morning and was at once attended by the Rev. B BURNETT, the chaplain of the gaol, who remained with her until the time of her execution. The spectators were not numerous; not more than between 3,000 and 4,000 made their appearance, and no feeling was manifested when she mounted the scaffold. In about two minutes the necessary arrangements were completed and the wretched criminal ceased to exist. The body, after hanging an hour, was cut down, very few persons remaining till that time. It was buried in the precincts of the gaol at 4 o'clock." **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

I couldn't help but feel /*horrified*/ reading that. Does anyone claim these people as relatives? What could have possessed that poor woman? What desperate straits she must have been in. What agony of mind. Surely, no one who does something like that can be in their right mind, and therefore cannot be criminally responsible for their actions. But the worst thing is the poor son who survived - he lost all his family, had to live with the fact that his mother tried to kill him, had to give evidence against his mother which sent her to the gallows, and had to live with all this. How could he live with all that and still be sane? Is there any information about what happened to him. I can't think that he had a happy life. Linda JMBecker@aol.com wrote: > My apologies as I seem to have deleted the original email that began this > thread! However, I was at the Library on Saturday and printed off copies of > the London Times articles covering the GEERING poisonings of Guestling. The > last article is transcribed below, I will post the rest as time permits. > Cheers, > Joanne > > Joanne Mays Becker > Sleepy Hollow, New York > > The (London) Times, 22 August 1849; pg 5; Issue 20261; Col. F > "EXECUTION OF MARY ANN GEERING > LEWES, August 21 > At 12 o'clock this day Mary Ann GEERING, convicted at the last assizes > of the murder of her husband at Guestling, underwent the extreme penalty of > the law on a drop erected in front of the county gaol. > On Monday evening she made a full confession of her guilt in having poisoned > her husband and two sons, and attempted the life of her third son, Benjamin, > who was the principal witness against her on the trial; and her penitence > appeared to be so sincerely manifested that the chaplain did not hesitate to > administer to her the holy sacrament. Having thus disburdened her mind, the > culprit slept during the whole of Monday night. She awoke early in the morning > and was at once attended by the Rev. B BURNETT, the chaplain of the gaol, > who remained with her until the time of her execution. > The spectators were not numerous; not more than between 3,000 and 4,000 made > their appearance, and no feeling was manifested when she mounted the > scaffold. In about two minutes the necessary arrangements were completed and the > wretched criminal ceased to exist. > The body, after hanging an hour, was cut down, very few persons remaining > till that time. It was buried in the precincts of the gaol at 4 o'clock." > > > > > **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. > http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SUSSEX-PLUS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >