§ MR. CLOUGH (Yorkshire, W. R., Skipton)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the case of Hannah Smith, wife of Thomas Smith, who, on July 30th, 1894, was convicted of the murder of her child, Hannah May Smith, at Thornton-in-Craven, in the West Riding of York; is he aware that the child was born on May 1st, 1894, and its life taken three weeks afterwards; that it was deposed at the trial that in the opinion of the medical superintendent of the Wakefield Asylum Mrs. Smith was suffering at the time of the murder from homicidal frenzy as the result of puerperal insanity; that Mr. Justice Grantham remarked that every one who had heard the case must sympathise with the prisoner and hope that after a time
† See Col. 38.356 her mind would recover its power, and: that eventually she would be in such a state that she could return to her friends, and that Mrs. Smith is still confined in Broadmoor Asylum during His Majesty's pleasure; and if he will say whether Mrs. Smith's health of mind and body are now such as to warrant her removal from Broadmoor Asylum and her restoration to her friends.
§ † See Col. 38.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GLADSTONE, Leeds, W.)I should be glad if I could allow the patient's discharge without risk of relapse and of danger to herself and others, but taking into consideration her present condition and all the other circumstances of her case, I regret that I do not feel justified in authorising her discharge from the asylum.