CONSTANCE KENT'S CONFESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 647, 8 December 1865, Page 5

CONSTANCE KENT'S CONFESSION.

Dn. BucknatiH, of Rugby, the medical gentleman who visited Constance Kent to givo an opinion.on the sub'ect of her sanity, has published, at her particular desire, a confession which slio made t:> him of her crime. On the night of tho murder she undressed horself and went to bed, because she expected that her sisters vrould visit ber room. She lay awako watching until she thought the household were all asleep, and soon aftor midnight slio left linr bedroom and wont down stairs and opened the drawing-room door and window-shutters. She then went up into tho nursery, took tho child from his bed, and carried him downstairs through tho drawing-room. Having the child in one arm, she raised tho drawing-room window with tho other hand, wont round the house and into tho closot, lighted a caudle which she had secreted there, and placed it on tho seat of tho closet, tho child being wrapped in the blanket from his cot and still sleeping; and while tho child was in this position she inflicted tho wound in tho throat with a razor of her father's which she had procured a few days previously. She says that she thought tho blood would never come, and that tho child was not killed, and she thrust the razor into its loft side, and put the body with tho blanket round it into tho vault. Sho went back into her bedroom, examined her dross, and found only two spots of blood on it. These alio washed out in the basin, and throw tho water, which was but little discoloured, into the foot pan. She took another of her night-dre33ea and got into bod. In tho morning her night-dress had become dry whoro it had been washed, and she foldod it up and put it into the drawer. Her three nightdresses were examined by Mr. Foloy, the police superintendent, and shoboliaves also by Mr. Parsons, tho medical attondant of the family. She thought tho blood stains had boen effectually washed out, but on holding the dress up to tho light a day or two aftorwards sho found tho stains wero still visible. Sho therefore secreted the dress, moving it from placo to place, and she eventually burnt it in her own bedroom, and put the ashos or tinder into the kitchen grate. As regards tho motive of the crime, says Dr. Bucknili, it seems that although she entertained at one time a groat regard for the present 'Is Kent, yet if a remark waß at any timo mml* l >v'.i,-ii in her opinion was disparaging to any member ut tho first family, she treasured it up and determined to avongo it. Sho had no ill will against the little boy, except as one of tho children. Dr. Bucknili adds, " Slio told mo when tho nursemaid was accused she had fully made up her mind to confess if the nurse had boen convicted, and that she had felt horself to bo under the influoncc of the devil before slio committed the murder ; but that sho did not believe, and had not b'dioved, that the davil had more to do with her crime than lie had with any other wicked action. She had not said her prayers for a year beforo the murder, and not afterwards till sho came to rojide at Brighton. Sho said that tho circumstance whieh revived religious feelings in her mind was thinking :iV>ut receiving tho sacrament whon confirmed." 'In.- Wi-l.ur does mt bolievo Constance Kent is insane, but ho thinks from her peculiar temperament that solitary confinement would be very likely to make her eo. Of the above confession, tho Time* says : — " A more horrible story lias seldom been placed before tho world. A description given by o girl of 21 of tho way in which, when only 15, sho murdered her little brother from no motives but those of tho most trifling spito, the horrible deliberation which every turn in tho story displays, the indifference or the still inoro diabolical self-possession which it indicates—these things combined form a picture which may well make us shu'lder. H. is evident, however, that wo have not yet obtained a comploto accou.it of all the circumstances, who her from that obliquity of mind which seems to prevent every criminal from making a perfectly ncr.urato confession, or from mere imidvertonco or omission on tho part of tho narrator, it is impossible to Bay. There is some mystery about tho night-dresses, and al-o about the girl passing through the house at night without disturbing any ono, oven tho child. Lot us hope that the mystery which remains may soon be unravelled, and tho terriblo talo consigned to a quick oblivion."