Mary Ann Cotton--Dark Angel by Martin Connolly

Author:Martin Connolly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRUE CRIME / Murder / General
ISBN: 9781473876224
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2016-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

…was all that Mary Ann said in response.

Jane Hedley was recalled so that the testimony she had given in the Nattrass hearing could also be recorded into the Frederick Cotton junior hearing: that she had gone to Mary Ann’s house to get the pot of arsenic soap.

To reinforce the motive for murder, Trotter now called James Young. He confirmed that he was from Shildon, near West Auckland, and represented the Prudential Insurance Company. He said he knew the prisoner and that Frederick Cotton senior, Frederick Cotton junior, Robert Robson Cotton and Charles Edward Cotton were all insured in his office. He had received notice of the death of Frederick Cotton junior and had paid out £5 15s, for which he received a receipt. Again no questions were asked of Young about how these policies were taken out. It was common practice for men like Young to go from door to door in working communities to sign up new business. For a small weekly amount, mothers and fathers could take out insurances to cover the cost of deaths in the house. If he had been asked, he would have testified that almost everybody else along Mary Ann’s street had taken out similar polices.

The chairman of the Bench then asked Mary Ann if she wished to call any witnesses, to which she replied, ‘No sir. Not at present’. The clerk then read out the charge of the wilful murder of Frederick Cotton junior and Mary Ann was asked if she wished to say anything. After a simple ‘No sir’ from Mary Ann, she was committed to trial at Durham assizes and the hearing was adjourned.

The next hearing was opened immediately. It was to enquire into the death of Robert Robson Cotton, Mary Ann’s own child to Frederick Cotton, who died on 28 March 1872. Jane Hedley had already testified that the child was ill for about a week before his death. It was therefore Sarah Smith who was called first. She began with the usual statements of who she was and then spoke of the young child’s illness. She had seen him frequently during his illness.

He appeared to be very poorly – he was sick and purged, and, as I thought, getting some teeth. During the fore-part of the week he was very poorly, and on the Thursday morning, when I went in he seemed to be a good deal better, and I thought he was all right. I saw him again at dinner time the same day. I thought at dinner time he was all right and I said to Mrs Cotton ‘Robbie is all right now’ He had a piece of bread in his hand which he was dipping into some kind of syrup. Prisoner said she thought he was all right.

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