Broadside entitled 'Trial & Sentence'

Transcription

Trial & Sentence.

Account of the Trial and Sentence of Mrs. COCKER, who
travelled the country with a show, accused of the Murder
of her own Daughter, a girl about 9 years of age, in the
parish of Kilbarchan, on the 20th of September last, by
wounding her in various parts of the body, and afterwards
throwing her into the Cart; she was tried at Edinburgh on
Monday last, the 7th of June, 1824.

Edinburgh, June 7th, 1891.?This day, came on before the High Court of Jus-
ticiary here, the trial of Isabella Blinkborn or Cocker, accused of having, on the
evening of Saturday the 19th, or the morning of Sunday the 20th September, 1824,
barbaroualy murdered her own daughter, by wounding her in several parts of the
body, stripping her naked, and throwing her body into a river, called Black Cart,
which runs through the town of Johnstone, at a short, distance from which the body
was found, by a men who was fishing in the Dam of the Mill of Carl,in the parish
of Kilbarchan.                                                                  

The body was immediately taken out of the river, and carried to a house in the
neighbourhood. The circumstance was soon made public, and numbers flocked to
view the deceased, who soon discovered that it was the same girl they had seen
performing at Johnstone along with the woman mentioned above, which was the
cause of her being so soon apprehended, every one being eager to bring to justice
the perpetrator of so foul a deed.

To the above charges, the prisoner pled' Not Guilty. After the examination of
a number of witnesses, which continued to a late hour, the Jury were most ably
addressed by the Solicitor General, who summed up the evidence in a clear and
impartial manner, when the Jury were enclosed and returned a verdict next day
at one o'clock, of Not Proven, and she was dismissed from the bar.

Mrs. Cocker had been exhibiting at Johnstone a short time previous to this sad
event, about which time her son aged six years, and her daughter, about 9 years,
disappeared, which led to an enquiry about the business ; the boy ran away to the.
country, where he was aided by some humane individuals, who, on hearing his
reasons for leaving his mother, provided him with goods to help him on his way
back to Johnstone, where he arrived in a few days, and heard of the melancholy
event which had befallen his sister.                               '

The mother was, on the Friday following the.business, apprehended at Neilston,
and Jodged in Paisley jail, to await a full investigation of this sad and horrible
transaction.

Mrs Cocker is well known in every market town in the kingdom, having attend-
ed the various fairs for a number of years past, with an exhibition in which they
performed " Punch's Opera," intermixed with singing, dancing, and a variety of
other nonsense.    She was at one time batter known as Mrs. Wood, by whom she
had Isabella, the unfortunate girl mentioned above.

                                                             W. Carse, Printer, Glasgow.

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