The distressed mother: or, sorrowful wife in tears: being a full and true account of a most horrid, barbarous and bloody murther, committed at Chatham, in the county of Kent, on Tuesday the 16th of this instant September, by one Mrs. Katherine Fox, a Gentlewoman, on the body of her own husband, and two children, by cutting their throats form ear to ear; with the manner of her apprehending and taking, examination and confession before the worshipful Justice Bourchier, and commitment to Maidstone goal for the same. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription B21276 of text R226661 in the English Short Title Catalog. Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 4KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 B21276 Wing D1703 Interim Tract Supplement Guide 515.l.2[12] ESTC R226661 ocm99886836

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 Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. B21276) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 189506) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books; Tract supplement ; C17:1[12]) The distressed mother: or, sorrowful wife in tears: being a full and true account of a most horrid, barbarous and bloody murther, committed at Chatham, in the county of Kent, on Tuesday the 16th of this instant September, by one Mrs. Katherine Fox, a Gentlewoman, on the body of her own husband, and two children, by cutting their throats form ear to ear; with the manner of her apprehending and taking, examination and confession before the worshipful Justice Bourchier, and commitment to Maidstone goal for the same. 1 sheet ([1] p.). Printed for J. Beuvet near Billingsgate, London : [1690?] Date of publication suggested by Wing. Reproduction of original in the British Library.

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 eng Murder -- England -- Early works to 1800. Filicide -- England -- Early works to 1800. eebo The distressed mother: or, sorrowful wife in tears: : being a full and true account of a most horrid, barbarous and bloody murther, committed at Chath n/a 1690 2 691 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2014-03 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2014-05 Sampled and proofread 2014-05 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2015-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
The distressed Mother : OR , Sorrowful WIFE in TEARS :

Being a full and true Account of a most horrid , barbarous and bloody MURTHER , committed at Chatham , in the County of Kent , on Tuesday the 16th of this instant September , by one Mrs. Katherine Fox , a Gentlewoman , on the Body of her own Husband , and two young Children , by cutting their Throats from Ear to Ear ; with the manner of her Apprehending and Taking , Examination and Confession before the Worshipful Justice Bourchier , and Commitment to Maidstone Goal for the same .

ONE Mr. Fox of a plentiful Estate formerly in Chatham in the County of Kent , but trhough riotous Living had consum'd it all in a few Years , insomuch that he was reduced to a very low Ebb of Fortune , but on Tuescay 6th of this instant September , he went to a Publick House to drink with his old Cronies that had Ruin'd him , where being most vehemently incensed by loss and mischief , in so bitter and terrible a manner , did he Beat his poor Wife , who came to seek Relief from his hands , for her , and her poor Children , in the fight of his drunken Companions , that as he thought , he had left her Dead , and past Recovery .

This desolate Wretch at last returning to her self , and repairing back again to her to her sad sorrowful House , behold , two her young Babes , grievously oppressed with Hunger , with Tears in their Eyes , taught not to Speak by Age , but Misery , required and desired Sustenance of her ; Mother , saith one , a little Food , or I die , Mam , saith the other , and with piercing Signs Speaks the rest , Alas ! poor Babes , saith the Mother with bitter Sighs , Where shall I get it ? Your Father hath lost his Patience , with his Wealth , and we our Hopes , with his Mishaps : Alas ! alas ! what shall become of me , or who shall succour you , my Children ? Better it is to Die with one Stroke , than to languish in a continual Famine . So pressed by these Miseries , and brought to this Despair , she took a Knife in her Hand , and cut her Childrens Throats from Ear to Ear , setting her self down purposely to Die , and perish in her Sorrows .

Now her Husband returning Home the same Evening , laden with Wine , and more fit to take rest than examine these Tragedies , cast himself on his Bed , neither dreaming on his Losses , nor her Miseries : Whereupon she being urged by her pressing Necessities , occasioned through his willful Extravagances , seeing him fast Asleep , who regarded not her Afflictions , with the same Knife wherewith she had Kill'd her Children , she cut his Throat , the cause of her Confusion ; speaking likewise thus boldly during the time of her Execution : Thou shalt Die , thou negligent Man , since thy ill Government hath been the Ruine of me and my Children .

But Day and Time discovering these Murders , Mrs. Katherine Fox , was on Wednesday Morning , being the 17th instant , Apprehended by some of her Neighbours , and being charged with a Constable , she was carried before the Worshipful Justice Bourchier , by whom being Examin'd , she confessed the bloody Fact ; upon which she was committed to Maidston Goal , in order to take her Tryal for the same the next Assizes ; and whither she went with much Constancy , giving all the way she was going to Prison wholesome Admonitions to the numerous Spectators , which tended , That Wives should beware of too much Fury , and Husbands to be more circumspect in their Families .

London : Printed for J. Beuvet near Billingsgate .