On Monday the trial of Bywaters and Mrs. Thompson for
the murder of Mrs. Thompson's husband, which had attracted an extraordinary amount of public atten- tion, came to an end. Both prisoners were sentenced to death. Bywaters, a ship's steward, who was little more than a boy and was some eight years younger than the woman, had actually committed the murder, but had obviously behaved throughout under a general incitement from her. Her letters to him were indeed remarkable though horrible—well written in strong and expressive English. The only real doubt was whether the stabbing to death in a dark street had been definitely planned by the two prisoners together, or was the idea of Bywaters himself—the particular result of the general incitement. Even if Mrs. Thompson had not joined in planning the actual murder she had been throughout the dominant partner. The jury resolved the doubt by deciding that the actual murder of Mr. Thompson had been arranged by both prisoners. That being so the verdict was in- evitable. The ingenious defence for Mrs. Thompson was that she thought of life habitually in melodramatic terms and that her letters never meant what they literally seemed to mean. Both prisoners have decided to appeal.
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