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by a squint. "When le approached the bar...
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Ciuniisi Hall, 1, Tuiixaoaix-Laj-e.—The ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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By A Squint. "When Le Approached The Bar...
by a squint . "When le approached the bar he was -reiy pale , and looked anxious , but betrayed no -Bmiditv - or nervousness , and on being asked by the derk of the assize ( after the reading of the mdict--ment , which contained but one _wunt , clarging him with _ha-ving caused the death of Sarah Hart on the ll * ofJa _^ _JMnary _bygiving her poison ) How say jOtt , areyouguaty -with respect to that murder or m _<* _pfltj ? ne replied m a firm and audible tone , Havmg _sdso pleaded "Not euilty" to the same charge upon the coroner ' s inquisition , The jury was sworn , after a challenge b y Mr . 0 " * Malleyon behalf ofthe prisoner of thirteen names .
Mr . Serjeant _Btles , addressing the gentlemen of _flie jury , began by saying , —Tou have heard from the derk of ihe assize that the prisoner at the bar stands indicted for the most serious crime known tothe law —the crime of wilful murder . I rejoice that upon the present occasion Ihe prisoner , as the law now stands , may have the benefit of being defended by counsel , and that he will have the assistance of my learned friend , than whom the bar of Europe could not give him greater . In cases of this kind you are not to expert direct and positive evidence . No man who meditates the crime of assassination by poison fails to take some precaution so that , at all events , direct or demonstrative evidence of the fact shall be inaccessible . No eye sees death poured Into the cup ,
save that which is All-seeing , and in everyplace . All that a human tribunal can do is to gather together the circumstances of the case , and from those circumstances io form as just and conscientious a judgment as is possible for fallible mortals to do . Theprisoner at the bar formerly carried on the business of a chymist and druggist . He had the misfortune several _ytiars ago to lose his first wife . Shortly before her death the deceased , Sarah Hart , " then a young woman somewhere about thirty years of age , entered into his " _^ service , and I shall show you by evidence , which I need not open in detail , the nature of the acquaintance wliich subsisted between her and the prisoner , and that when she left his service she was in the family , way . She lived first
after quitting his service at a place called Crawfordstreet , London , where I shall show you thatthe prisoner was in the habit of visiting her . She lived afterwards at Paddington-green , thence removed to Slough , and for some time previous to her death was _Hving at Bath-place , which consists _offoUT small eottages , forming one detached building . Bath-place stands npon the Great Western-road , about a quarter of a mile beyond the Windmill public-house , which is kept by a person named Botkam . In tiie end house , towards London , lived Mrs . Ashley ; in the next-the deceased , Sarah Hart , the mother of two children , who was living there with them , and who , as it will appear to you in the course of the case , was entirely dependent on the prisoner for her support ,
and whom he was in the habit of visiting at Bathplace , and supplying with money . The prisoner himself has recently resided at Berkhampstead in _arcumstances of apparent ease and affluence . He -married no long time since a second wife—a lady to whose deep misfortune no man can allude without feelings of commiseration . I shall show you that , notwithstanding the apparent ease and respecta bility of his circumstances , he was at the time this occurrence took place by no means in such circumstances . I shall call his banker ' s clerk to sho w yon that at this moment he had overdrawn his
account Tou will f nd that he was m the constant habit of visiting Sarah Hart , that she was dependent upon him for money , and thathe found himself in _disposition , —that money must be supplied , or that what would otherwise beseeret must become apparent , namely , the nature of his connexion with this person . Onthe 1 st of January , in the present year , I shall thowyou that the prisoner was at the Jerusalem Conee-hoase , Cornhill , London , the waiter of which he told , about the middle of the day , that he was going to dine at the west end ot the town , and desired that his great-coat should be left for him on his return about nine o clock . He did
not proceed to the west end of the town , but to the station of the Great Western Railway , by tho four o'clock train of which railway he proceeded io Slough . On arriving at Slough , he went to the residence of Sarah Hart , at Bath-place ; and it will appear that after he had been a short time with her she went b y his direction to the _Wmdmill publichouse for a bottle of porter . It is important to bear is mind that she was at that moment perfectly well and in very good spirits . Having bought the porter ,
she borrowed a corkscrew , and brought both home with her to Bath-place . I shall call a person who spoke to her on her way back , from whose _testimony vou will learn that she was then perfectly well . Very shortly after her return Mrs . Ashley , the person who resided in the next house , being seated at work before a candle , heard a noise in thc room of Sarah Hart . I should observe to yon that these cottages consist each of two very small rooms on the ground floor . Mrs . Ashley heard in her neighbour ' s apartment a moan or stifled scream . She laid down her
"work ; the noise continued ; she became veiy much alarmed , and , taking np ihe candle went to the door , and procecdeddown tkepath leading from the cottage to the road ; but before she reached the gate she saw ihe prisoner approaching the gate which terminated a similar path from the cottage of Sarah Hart . Mrs . Ashley will tell you that at this , moment the moans of the deceased were distinctly audible . The prisoner went to the gate ; he trembled , appeared greatly agitated , and had much difficulty in opening the gate , which , I believe , Mrs . Ashley , who had reached it by this time , assisted him in opening , saying " "What is the matter with my neighbour ; 1 am afraid she is ill ? " the moans of Sarah Bart being distinctly audible . The prisoner
made no answer , but passed out of the gate and proceeded towards Slough . Mrs- Ashley , in consequence of thc noise , went up to Sarah Harf s house , and turning round , saw the prisoner going down the road . She then went into the house , and observed in Sarah Hart ' s room just before the -fire-place a small table and on it a bottle of porter open , and partly drunk , also two tumblers , one of which was next the window and towards the chair upon whieh Sarah Hart had apparently been sitting . In one of these tumble ** - - there was some froth , in the other there was porter or porter and water , it is not quite certain which . The deceased , Sarah Hart , was lying on the floor ; her cap was ofij and her hair hanging down . Her clothes were up to her knees ; one stocking was down ,
and one shoe off . She was still continuing the moaning noise which I have described to you . Mrs . Ashky went un to her and asked her what was the matter , and raised her head up , but the deceased was nnable to speak . Mrs . Ashley called in two neighbours , and some water was brought . Eventually Mr . Champneys , a surgeon , was sent for . He felt her poise and said he thought he could discover one or two beats . She moved her tongue or jaw a little . Mr . Champneys put his hand under her clothes to feel her heart , but he conld discover no pulsation . She was clearly dead . In the meantime , I shall show yon , gentlemen , that the prisoner , who- had gone out of the house , was going on quickly towards the railway station . Hecame that day from
London , am was about to return , and did return ; but instead of staying at the station then , he got into an omnibus to go to Eton , Eton being ¦ 1 a direction away from the station . He was asked by the driver where he desired to be set down in Eton . He replied , "AtHerschell-honse . " "Oh , "" said the driver , "Herschell-house is along way this side of Eton . " It appears that it is in Slough , a few hundred yards from the station . He , however , rode a short distance , and was set down at Herschell-house , where it appeared lie had no _business , for on getting up to the door he proceeded to walk on towards Eton . The omnibus went on in the same direction . What became of him in the interval we do not know , but he certainly went hack to the
station , and took a place in a first-class carriage for London . At that time suspicion became attached to the prisoner . Another gentleman of the name of Champneys—the Rev . Mr . Champneys—was there , and suffered him to depart . But as soon as he was gOHS Mr . Champneys communicated his suspicions to the person who conducts the electric telegraph . A signal was made to the station in London that a person was in the first-class carriages who ought to be watched . Quick as the train went , the signal was there long before tho train arrived at the London _ienniflus . A policeman was on the platform , and as soon as the prisoner got out of the carriage the policeman saw him get into an omnibus , and , putting On a plain coat over his police dress , he stepped up
behind the omnibus with the conductor . The omnibus proceeded to the Bank , where the prisoner got out , the policeman taking- 6 d . from him . He went forward to _"iheWellingtonstotue , turned round , looked back , and then went tothe Jerusalem _Ckiffee-house , in Cornhill , _andiflquir _^ forthecoatwhi chlhave mentionedin th e early part of mv statement . The waiter gave him the coat , and he then went from Cornhill down _Grfieediiireh-street to London-bridge , and over that to another coffee-house in the Borough , the policeman still watching him , and -taking care , of course , that he should not be observed . The prisoner stayed there about half an hour . He then came out , and retraced his steps over London-bridge , and wentdown Cannon-street , to a . lodging-house in Scotfs-yard , kept by a person of the name of Hughes , who is , I believe , a member ofthe Society of Friends . The palieeman having waited half-an-hour , and finding
that the prisoner did not come out of the lodging honse , went away . The nest morning further inwlli genoe was -received from Slough , and the _poliee-^*^ . taking anotier officer with him , proceeded to the Lo ose in Scott's-Tard . He found that the pri onerhad left the house ; and he then went to the Jerusalem Coffee-house , in Ckfrnhill , where he found _«» e prisoner , and said to hhn , " I believe you were down at Slongh yesterday ? " lie prisoner dem - ¦ _£ , He said he knew -nobody at Slough , and aaa a- * been there . "Ton must be mistaken , " said kL mtie identit y ; my station in life places me _ahore _8-ajspicion » The officer , however , took the P _^ nermto _eustodv _. andtookhim down to Salt-hill , where he wag _hantfa 0 Yer to _^ custody of Perkins , toe supermtendent ofthe Eton police . He slept that night in P « kWs house . On the next day , _sLrTL f _^ _ersatien took place about w » a Hart ; and to that wnveffation , gentleMen _, I
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invite yonr attention . It was in the presence of two witnesses , who wiU be called to establish it . The prisoner said , "That wretched and unfortunate woman once lived in my Bervice for nearly two years and a half . I suppose yon did not know that , Perkins ? " Perkins said he had heard so , but was not certain about it . The prisoner added— " She left me about five years ago . She was a good servant when sho lived with me . She has often sent to me for money . " Theprisoner was cautioned to mind what _hejsaid , as it would be taken down and used against him as evidence . He replied , that he had no objection to that . He was asked if he had the deceased's
letters . He said he did not keep letters of that sort . "Iwas . pestered , "he said , " with letters from her when I was in London , and I determined to give her no more money . She was a bad woman—a very bad woman . She sent me a letter , threatening to do something . She said she would make away with herself if I did not give her any money . I went down to her house and told her I would not give her any more money . She then asked me to give her a drop of porter . She had a glass , and I had a glass . She held in her hand over the glass of stout a very smaU phial , not bigger than her finger , and said , I will , "Twill 1 ' She poured something out of the phial into the stout , and drank part of it and did so— " and then the prisoner described her manner by signs .
He continued , " She then lay down on the rug * , and I walked out . I should not have gone out , if I thought she had been in earnest ; I certainly should not have left her . " Now , gentlemen , you Avill observe , that in this conversation the prisoner expressly states that she took something out of a small phial at that time in his presence . Gentlemen , this conversation took place at Perkins's house . We will now revert , if you please , to the scene at Salt-hill . By direction of the coroner a post mortem examination took place the next day , I believe , after the death of the woman . You wifl hear what was the nature of tbatposi ; mortem examination more in detail from the surgeons . But it is necessary for me to tell you , in the first place , that the surgeons could not discover any external
injury to accountfor death . They examined the brain ; there was no appearance of anything in the brain which could have produced death . In the same manner they examined ihe lungs , and found nothing but an old adiiesion , which , " they will tell you , is quite consistent with perfect health , and is very common . It had nothing to do with the death of the deceased . They examined her heart , aud found it perfectly healthy ; and so were the intestines . There was nothing , so far as they could form an opinion , to show that death had resulted from external injury or from internal causes . In opening the body one of the surgeons thought he smelt prussic acid , but the other could not discover anything ofthe kind . Either it did or it did not exist ; I will not pretend to say which .
Probably the surgeons will not . But certainly when they came to examine the stomach they could discover no smell of prussic acid ; but inasmuch as it appeared to them clearly that deceased had not died from either external injury or internal causes , they came to the conclusion that she had died by poison of some kind or other ; and in order that the contents of the stomach should be known , they took them to a scientific chemist in London , who submitted them to a chemical examination . At the time the ' surgeons conjectured that the woman had died through swallowing oxalic acid . Tests for that poison were applied , and none wore discovered . Tests were also applied for sulphuric acid , for opium , for various mineral poisons , and for
prussic acid . Sulphate of copper and nitrate of suver were used . -1 am not competent to describe fully the nature of all the tests that werc applied ; butthe surgeons satisfied themselves upon tbat occasion that prussic acid hadbeenthe cause of death . They found prussic acid in the stomach , and that it produced what they will tell you is an infallible test of its presence , the "Prussian blue . " Gentlemen , at this time it was not known , and it will be very important for you to bear this in mind , that theprisoner had had any prussic acid at all . There was no reason at that time to attribute death to the influence of prussic acid , exoept what had been found in the stomach . Subsequently the remainder of the stomach was taken to Mr . Cooper , and it was tried by sulphate of iron ;
nitrate of silver , and cyanide of silver , and prussic acid was clearly proved to exist . Mr . Cooper was now able to say , observing the contents of the two portions of the stomach , that in the stomach there were not fewer than fifty grains of prussic acid , according to the strength of the prussic acid of the "London Pharmacopoeia . " But , gentlemen , of all poisons , this is the most volatile , being subject to evaporate most rapidly , inhaled while living- and absorbed by the tissues after death . The quantity is equal to one grain of pure prussic avid , which is quite enough to cause death . This poison is so subtle and so energetic , that a single drop ofthe pure acid placeduponthetip of a rod and put into the mouth of any small creature—a bird or a dog , would cause
almost instant death . About two-thmU of a graina grain and a drop I am told are nearly synonymous terms—of pure prussic acid , has been known to kill as many as seven adults one after the other . Before the residue of the contents of the stomach had been brought out the knowledge o f the fact I am about to state was acquired , though it was not known when the first prussic acid was found in the stomach . Owing to the publicity which things ' of this Idnd naturally obtain , it was discovered that , on the _Wcdnesday'when the alleged murder was committed , the prisoner had been to the shop of a chemist in Bishopsgate-street and asked for two draclims of Scheele ' s prussic acid . Butthat strengthens the case I have described . He said he wanted it for an
external injury . He brought a bottle with him with a glass stopper , but the shopmeto gave Mm another bottle , "" which was labelled for him , and he took it away with him on the day he left London . I shall show you that he was again at the chemist ' s shop on the Thursday , the day after he slept at the lodginghouse ; and thathe then saidhehad lost the bottle he had before , and obtained the bottle which he had originally brought and left there . Now , gentlemen , that is an outline ofthe material facts -whicli will be laid before you with respect to this attempt on the life of the deceased . But _^ there is other evidence , whichlthinkaadfearwillinduceyouto believe that this is not the first attempt whieh has been made by the prisoner upon the life of the
deceased . It will appear te you that , towards the end of September , or the beginning of October last —the witness will fix the date—that a person of thc name of Charlotte Hoard , who is , I believe , in service with a family in this neighbourhood , was staying with Sarah Hart . It was late in the evening , about seven o ' clock , that the prisoner then visited the deceased . It will be proved to you that Mrs . Hart , upon that occasion , was perfectly well , and that the prisoner requested Mrs . Hoard _togotoBotham'shouse , the Wmdmill , at Salt-hill , to purchase a bottle of porter . She did so ; and took it home , and left it on the table . Not very long afterwards the prisoner went away ]; Mrs . Hoard heard thefrontdoor of Mrs . Hart's house shut as he went out . She then saw the
deceased ; her cap was untied , and she looked dreadfully ill . She complained of beingvlolently sick , of a Bevere pain in the head ; and she retched and vomited very much . Upon the table thirteen sovereigns were lying ; and it is a circumstance which ought not to escape attention , that she was too ill to see after that money . It was left loose on the table , she bein" so ill as to be compelled at once to go to bed . She was dreadfully sick in the night . The witness Hoard will declare that she threw up above a hand-basin full , and was obliged to keep her bed all day . She complained of great giddiness , and heat in the throat . She
attributed these sensations , a _* s did the woman whom I shall call before you ,, to the porter ; there being no suspicion at that time , as I am bound to tell you , that these effects were caused by anything deleterious being introduced into the porter . She recovered from that attack in the course of a short time , and was as well as usual . Such , then , is the case against the prisoner . rhe address ofthe learned Serjeant was listened to with breathless interest throughout . Mr . F . _Kellt requested thatthe prisoner might be accommodated with a seat . Mr . Bahox Parke : Prisoner , do you wish to sit down ?
Prisoner : Tes ; I should he much obliged , as I have long had avaricose affection . A chair was then placed in the doek for his accommodation . [ Evidence in support ofthe statements made in the Learned Sergeant ' s speech was adduced . _^ Nearly every witness was cross-examined by Mr . Kelly , but no material variation from , or addition to , their direct testimony was obtained , except it be in the following , which was the cross-examination of Mrs . Ann Ashley , who had deposed to the facts set forth for her bvMr . Serjeant Byles : 1—" Mrs . Ashley cross-examined by Mr , F . Kelly : Before I heard the stifled scream , I had heard the voice ofthe deceased in rather a loud tone . I can't
say whether there was any quarrelling . I heard only a few words , not loud talking , for some minutes . — Did you not think they were quarrelling about money matters ?—I did not hear enough to make me think they were quarrelling . When I first heard her scream I thought she might be in hysterics , as I knew there were money matters between them . She was not hysterical , nor violent in her conduct . I never knew her subject to fits of passion , or of her quarrelling with Mr . Tawell about the children . I have heard her say she had been advised to put them out and go te service ; but she never told me that she had differences with the prisoner about them . I heard no that
voice but hers on the night in question , so I could not have supposed that they were quarrelling . The screams I heard before leaving my house were repeated several times . I cannot say whether or not Mr . Tawell heard the observation I made about my neighbour being ill . The surgeon , Mr . Chamnneys , on _bemg sent for put his hand under the clothes of Sarah Hart , and felt her heart . He then bled her . I held the basin for him . Blood flowed from herabout as much as would cover a plate . I be lieve she was dead before she was bled , at peast I heard the surgeon say so . ThatiB my own belief also . I do not recollect having been asked the question when I was before the coroner , or having said that the * deoeased
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died almost immediately after she had been bled . I do not think I could have said so , as my belief always was she had died before Bhe was bled . " I am aware that the deceased had received a present of a box of apples some time before her death . She gave me some of them ; when I saw the box it was not full . It would hold about a peck , but I did not see it when she first received it , [ We pass the evidence of tho other parties , wliich relates to the departure , and watching , and apprehensionof the prisoner , as it would be merely repeating what is full y set forth in the opening , speech of the counsel for the prosecution . We give at full length the examination and cross-examination ofthe surgeons , as it is likely that on that evidence the
defence will be mainly grounded . ] Mr . Champneys , examined by Serjeant Btles . —I am a surgeon at Salt-hill . I was sent for to attend Mrs . Hart a tew minutes before seven o ' clock on the 1 st of January . I ran all the way . I saw Sarah Hart lying on the floor . I felt her pulse at the wriBt . I was not certain there wis any pulsation . I put my hand under her clothes to feel her heart , and I perceived _, at that moment a slight convulsion of the lower jaw . There was no pulsation of her heart . I considered her dead then . Nevertheless , I opened a vein in her arm . 1 did so not to leave the usual means untried . About an ounce of blood flowed , I still think that she was dead before I opened the vein . I saw the bottle , glasses , and beer on the table . I
put them m the recess by the fireplace . About nine o ' clock the same evening I returned and took possession of them , and earned them all away home with me , and looked them up . On the following day I inspected the body , assisted by Mr . Norblad , Mr . Pickering , and another surgeon . By direction of the coroner I afterwards made a post mortcnt examination . I dissected the body in the presence of { Mr . Norblad and Mi * . Pickering . I smelt the odour of prussic acid the moment I opened the body . I made a remark . I examined the heart . It was perfectly healthy . I examined the lungs . The lung itself was healthy , but the coverings had the remains of old inflammation , old standing adhesion . There was nothing to account for death in the nines . The
abdominal viscera were healthy . I examined the stomach . The internal surface had more mucus than usual . I removed tlm stomach and its contents for the purpose of analysis . I placed them in a bottle , which I took home and kept until I took it to London next day ( Friday , the 3 rd ) , I went to London accompanied by Mr . Norblad , and Mr . Pickering joined us in London . We went to Mr . Cooper , whose Bon also waB present . Theeontents were tested for oxalic and for sulphuric acid , and I don't remember the other poisons that were sought for . Nothing could be discovered bf them . An experiment was then tried for prussic acid . Mr . Cooper tried first the proto-sulphate of iron . He distilled a portion of the contents of the stomach . I saw the result of the two experiments
for prussic acid . The second was with nitrate of surer , Prussic acid was found . During the experiments we found no smell of prussic acid . I am of opinion the deceased died from the effects of prussic acid . I have no doubt about it . I saw Mr . Cooper after the adjourned inquest , between Saturday and Wednesday . I saw hhn on Sunday . Mr . Cooper analysed the porter in the bottle , in the _glaaB , and the bun . No prussic acid was discovered . They were not tested for any other poison . I went to Mr . Cooper again on the 8 th of February , when I Baid I thought the deceased had been poisoned by prussic acid . I had not heard that the prisoner had purchased any . I know the strength ot the prussic acid ofthe London Pharmacopeia . Its strength is
two per cent , to ninety-eight of water . Scheele's prussic acid contains five per cent , to ninety-five of water . I would begin with three drops ofthe London Pharmacopeian acid as a dose . I might give four . Of the undiluted prussic and pure hy drocyanic acid less than a grain could only be taken with safety . Two drachms of Scheele ' s solution would contain six grains of pure hydrocyanic acid . "When persons die from prussic acid there are cases on record where the smell is not discovered in the stomach . In my opinion there is no importance in the absence of odour as a proof that prussic acid was not taken . There is a case where a boy took three and a half drachms of one ofthe solutions , I do not knowwhich , and there was no odour from any part of the body after it . A person died in an hospital in Paris , after having taken seven-tenths of a grain of pure acid .
Ihe acid is veiy voluble , and may be carried off by the lungs , or absorbed by the tissues . I never heard of a person taking an ounce . If fifty grains ofthe London _Pharmacnpeian acid were found in the stomach , that is one grain of real , it would be impossible to ascertain how much had been taken , and it would be impossible to say how soon death might ensue . There is a case where a lady took twelve drops of Scheele ' s acid , and she died in twelve minutes and a half ; but no deduction can be drawn thence to other cases . I put some prussic acid in porter on the evening of the Thursday . I put half a drachm in a tumbler , and the tumbler was filled up with Guinness ' s stout . The smell of the acid was then scarcely perceptible . I don't think a person , after taking enough to cause death , would walk more than a few yards from the house .
Cross-examined by Mr . Kelly . —I have been four years in practice . 1 never examined a person before who had died from prussic acid . During my _apprentieeship 1 have killed some of the lower animals , cats and dogs , with it . I experimented on four dogs , and dissected them . Except thatpracticalexperienee , and some I saw tried on rabbits , all the rest of my knowledge on the subject is theoretical . I attended the case of a man who had taken some prussic acid , which didnot produoe death . I have read " Taylor ' s Medical Jurisprudence , " and from . that , as well as my other knowledge , I should expect always to find the odour of prussic acid . It is laid down by Taylor , that the stomach and all the cavities present the odour after death . My authority for the case I have cited , in which no odour was perceptible , is in Taylor . The body was examined thirty hours after death . I apprehend that in that case the contents of the stomach were tested by the smell . I have read that case 1
think elsewhere at greater length . The odour may have passed into the blood after thirty hours . —Mr . Kelly : D p you , sir , really believe that enough of prussic acid to _eausedeath may be swallowed , diluted in porter or otherwise , without leaving any odour from'the mouth ? —Witness : I should certainly always expect to find the odour , but I cannot say that it would be impossible that it would be absent . I smelled the mouth of the deceased woman when I was called to her , and again subscijuently , but I perceived no smell of prussic acid . On the subsequent examination by Mr . Norblad , Mr . Pickering , and myself , I remarked the smell of prussic acid . Mr . _l-jfelad said he perceived none , but I was positive thafi did . Prussic acid is excessively volatile , and it is this volatility which produces the smell . It has » veiy peculiar odour . —Mr . Kelly : Did you not boil down the contents ofthe stomach ?
Mr . Serjeant Byles objected , as he was about to call Mr . Cooper . . After some discussion , Mr . Baron _Pauke decided that Serjeant Byles should resume the direct examination . Witness examined by Mr . Serjeant Btles . —The contents ofthe stomach were first exposed to evaporation . The retort was placed in a sand bath , and the sulphate of iron was applied to the distilled portion of what came off , and the sulphate of potassum and muriatic acid were subsequently added , and the
result _u _* as Prussian blue . The production of Prussian blue is considered an infallible test of the presence of hydrocyanic acid . Mr . Cooper then placed the retort in a water-bath to obtain a lower temperature . The distillation was again tested . Mi * . Cooper regulated the temperature by a thermometer . It would be impossible , in my opinion , to produce prussic acid from the decomposed contents of the stomach . The nitrate of silver was applied to the second distillation , and cyanide of silver was thc result deposited on the glass . All the tests for prussic _acSi produced it .
Cross-examination resumed by Mr . IvELiT . —PrusBic icid is highly volatile , and of peculiar odour . Whilst it is volatilising a strong odour perceptible to anyone is emitted . The contents of Sarah Hart ' s stomach were exposed to a . boiling heat of 212 for several minutes . During that time we all tried to catch the odour , without discovering it . I don't know that I ever saw prussic acid distilled before . There was no odour from the few drops of blood I drew from the deceased . I don't feel competent to say that epileptic patients would be more easily acted on by prussic acid than others not so afflicted . The case to which I have alluded , in which 7-10 ths of a grain was fatal in Paris , was that of seven epileptic patients , to whom by mistake a . dose containing 7-10 thsofa grain was
administered to each , and they all died , some within a few minutes , others after three quarters of an hour . [ A debate here arose as to this case , it being reported differently in different books . Mr . Baron Parke referred to the original book , in which it was found that one died within fifteen minutes , and the rest at different periods to the last , who lived threequarters of an hour . ] / Cross-examination resumed . The odour was , in some cases , found eight days after death . After the froth had subsided from the porter I poured on the drachin of acid , I perceived the smell strong ly . Hydrocyanic acid exists in many substances . In apples , and many fruits , for instance . I agree with Cliristison , who says , at page 756 , that hydrocyanic acid is found in numerous substances , where it was
not previously supposed to exist . The prussic acid of commerce is ODtained from the blood and horns of animals . The chief components of prussic acid are 62 . 12 carbon , _' . 12 of nitrogen , and 1 of hydrogen . It is said to exiist in the human saliva ; but not as prussic acid . It ib called the _sulph _, cyanide . It exists as hydrocyanic in cherry stones and other fruit kernels . There was no smell at all during the tests ofthe deceased ' s stomach for the other poisons , and we then came to the conclusion that there must be prussic acid . The process through which the stomach and contents were then put , would produce prussic acid from apple pips or other fruit kernels . Wen we obtainea the prussic acid it had no smell . D ° wn to the last , experiment , in which we obtained a certain large quantity of prussic acid , I perceived no smell at all after the first odour I perceived on open-
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ing the body . We did not bum any of the substances produced . By Mr . Baron Pares , —We did not try to burn the cyanide of silver . Cross-examinatien continued . —The first thing I did when called in to Sarah Hart was to feel her milse . I thought at . first I perceived a slight pulsation—a throb or two ; but now I imagine I did not * _u _*? _" _^ i _" nen I my hand upon the region of the heart there was no pulsation at all . I have never seen a positive case before where death ensued from prussic a « id . The analogy between man and the inferior _ann-nabs h * very doubtful . I should say that Sarah Hart ' s lungs were slightly congested . They were ma natural and healthy state , but they contained more blood than usual . That is , not a perfectly healthy state , but there was no symptom of disease
productive of death in them . That appearance might arise from many sorts of sudden death . The pericardium was empty . I don't think the quantity of blood contained in the lungs , although more than ordinary , could be properly called congestion , but it might be callod slightly congested . I did not examine the spinal marrow . The gall bladder was of a natural colour . I examined the glottis particularly in-order to find if any foreign substance liad got down into it . I did not open the bronchial tubes ; so that ifthere was water in them I don't know . I did not examine so low down . 1 felt satisfied the deceased was dead when I triod to bleed her . I thought it better to do so as one of the usual means , merely in
order to leave no means untried , as in cases Of congestion oi the head . —Mr . Kelly : Do you mean to say that you did not open the vein for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of death ?—Witness : I may have tried to see whether the blood contained anything to account for death , ahd I wished to satisfy the persons present that nothing was left undone . I took out the contents of the stomaeh eighteen hours after death . The vessel into which I put them was perfectly clean . It was a broad-mouthed pickle bottle . I didnot wash it out , but I held it up and looked through it , and saw it was clean and quite clear . That is the bottle ( produced ) . The witness was re-examined by Mr . Serjeant Byles , at very considerable length , npon the subject ofthe qualities , & c , of prussic acid , and with regard to the cases ofthe seven epileptic patients in Paris . The Court adjourned at seven o ' clock .
SECOND DAY-Thursday . , The Court resumed this morning at a few minutes before nine o ' clock . The entrance to the Courthouse _was crowded to a dense degree , and it was with considerable difficulty an entrance could be effected . The prisoner when placed in the dook seemed particularly nervous . He paid marked attention to the evidence , and particularly to the cross-examination of the witnesses by Mr . Fitzroy Kelly . ' Mr . Cooper , the chemist of London , was the first witness called , and he was examined at considerable length by Mr . _Seijeant Byles , with reference to his experiments on the contents of the deceased ' s stomach , which fcad been submitted to him in order to test the existence of poison . He found in the stomach of deceased the pips of some apples . He discovered in the seeds of those apples a quantity of prussic
acid . He was not enabled to say how much prussic acid had been originally introduced into the stomach before the contents were removed . A variety of circumstances might tend to decrease this quantity , as absorption by the system , < fec . Cross-examined by Mr . Kellt . —He had never before that time examined the contents of the human stomach where a person had been killed , or where prussic acid had been taken . He had had a good deal of experience of the chemical properties of prussic acid . It had a peculiar swell , whether in its strongest state as concentrated acid , or hi its weakest form . It affected the back of the throat in a peculiar manner . He had met it more frequently iu a diluted form , when combinod with water , than in its concentrated state . He began his investigation with the view of ascertaining the presence ef oxalic acid . When lie tested the contents of the stomach he took
various portions for the purpose of discovering the presence of various poisons . ( The witness then detailed his mode of testing it . ) He did not discover the smell of prussic acid on first testing the contents of the stomach . The smell of beor was the most predominant . When 'his experiments had failed to discover the other forms of poison , he directed alibis skill to discover the existence of prussic acid . On the second examination , on tho 8 th of February , he took a great deal more care than on the
previous examination . This was a test of quantity , not of quality . The _quantity actually obtained was one grain and forty-three hundredths of a grain of prussic acid . One hundred and thirty-six grains of cyanite of silver was equivalent to twenty-seven grains of hydrocyanic acid . The stomach of deceased contained some undigested flesh , the apples he had already mentioned , and a pulpy mass , of wliich he could make nothing . He did not soe the applo pips , but knowing that toat tribe would yield prussic acid , he afterwards tested them . He was not aware that
sweet almonds would yield prussic acid _thebitteialmonds certainly would . He _» iade an experiment , on two separate occasions , on different kinds of apples , and extracted a little prussic acid from [ both . The tost was simply placing the pips in a retort with water , and distilling it . He then added to the distilled liquor a little sulphate of iron , and the contents of the other phial on the table was the result . He did not think it necessary to crush the pips ; thc distillation was the only teBt . He thought that no substance contained . pure prussic
acid . Prussic acid was so extremely volatile , that if it existed in a free state it must be continually evaporating , and it could not therefore exist Unless combined with some other substances . Animal substances contained prussic acid . He would not say that it was likely to be produced by a change in organic matter . As far as he was aware o _£ he was himself thc first discoverer of prussic acid in applepips . He was not aware that if apple-pips were macerated , that they would yield more hydrocyanic acid .
Mr . Kelly , quoted from " Taylor on Poisons , " to the effect thatthe odour of prussic acid was present when the poison itself was not existent . Did Mr . Cooper agree in that opinion ? Witness—I do not . By Mr . Baron Parke . —After all thc experiments he had made , he had no doubt of the presence of prussic acid in the stomach . The absence of sniell might be accounted for by its dilution , or by its odour being covered by that of other substances . It did not follow that the _pruwic acid should be hi the form of salt . He had never stated that it was in the form of salt . In his opinion it could not exist iu the stomach as a cyanite of potassium , where another and more powerful acid , _aamuriatic acid , was present in the stomach in considerable quantities . He was not of opinion that prussic acid could be formed ill the contents ofthe stomach by putrefaction .
Joseph Cooper , jun ., was son of last witness , and had been his _^ assistant for four years . He smelt the prussic acid in the course of these experiments at the time his father did . " Edward Weston Norblad , surgeon at Stroud . —He had practised for ten years . On Thursday , the 2 nd of January , he went with Mr . Champneys to Mrs . Hart ' s house . He saw the body of the deceased there . He had heard the evidence of Mr . Champneys , and he would infer the existence of poison if death had suddenly followed the matter taken into the stomach . He would attribute tho very sudden death of this person to one of two poisons—cither prussic acid or oxalic acid . He was present at the two first examinations ofthe contents ofthe stomach .
Mr . " Cooper had correctly stated the tests he had applied , and he ( witness ) agreed with him in the inference he drew therefrom . Oxalic acid must have been detected if it contained that acid . He had no doubt that prussic acid was in the stomach , and he _attributod-me death of deceased to that cause . He had beam flhe account of the last witness of what took place in October , and the symptoms were such as would be on the whole of the animal creation . It destroys life in the same manner in all . He had himself tried experiments upon animals . He had seen goats , cats , and dogs poisoned . He had especially tried experiments upon dogs . He had administered to two dogs , some hours after feeding them—to one of them beer containing half an ounce of Scheele ' s and tothe other one drachm of prussic acid . He gave it them at seven in the evening , and thc effect was , that in fifty seconds the dog which had received the
smaller dose fell , and in ten minutes he died . Thc second died in half the time . He opened the bodies ol the dogs eighteen hours after death , tho same period . at which the deceased was opened , and he could aaoertain no smell of prussic acid . On openin " the stomachs ofthe dogs the prevalent smell was that ° l , 1 r , beer * -The food was but half digested . He should have expected a smell of prussic acid in the case of a person who had died in ft ( luartor of an hour alter its being administered . He attributed the absence of smell to the admixture with the stout _, lie had examined the body of Mrs . Hart , and he would on opening the body have expected to find the cause ol death , and if prussic acid had not existed in the stomach he had no doubt be could have traced some other cause . The body was perfectly healthy . He was much in the habit of opening bodies , and he was satisfied that less than one grain would cause death .
Cross-examined by Mr . "K eixt . —He had never attended any one who had taken prussic acid . When token as a medicine , the ordinary quantity was , of bcheees , fiye minims , or drops . Prussic acid , he _thought , might with advantage be used in varicose SS _i _^ n " _^ f _ithBr ' homson , of London , that , externally applied , prussic acid might be found useful in cancerous _dise _& a . He had the sense of smeU very acutely , and he could not detect the smell ot the acid in the stomach ** of the dogs . The dogs were Kept m an outhouse after tbey were dead , and Deiore they were opened . He tried these experiments on . the dogs on the 18 th Feb . succeeding the death of the deceased . Headache and vomiting _frequency followed a disorder of the stomaeh occasioned by something being taken into it . The quantity Yomited bore ho proportion to the quantity _tauen into the stomach . He had given medicinal doses of pruBsie ' acid to allay irritation of the stomach . _'
By A Squint. "When Le Approached The Bar...
Mr . Kelly . —In the " whole course of your experience did you evor find vomiting produced by prussio acid ?—I have seen dogs affected to vomiting . . Mr . Kelly . — I speak ofthe human being . Witness ( emphatically ) . —The stomach ofthe dog is exactly similar to that of tho human being . Mr . Kelly . — You speak very dogmatically , but I would wish a plain answer to a direct _question . Have you , sir , in the course of your experience , seen vomiting from the stomach of a human being induced by prussic acid ?—No ; I have not . Henry Thomas , chemist , Bishopsgate-Btreet . —Heremembered Wednesday , the 1 st of January , perfectly well . He saw the prisoner on that day between twelve and two , at his shop . He asked tor two
drachms of Scheele ' s prussic acid . He brought a half-ounce phial , labelled " Scheele ' s prussic acid . " He gave that bottle to put the prussic acid in . The phial had a glass stopper . Witness could not get the stopper out , and was in consequence obliged to give hun a stopper of his own . He thought the prisoner said , " "You need not put a label on ; " but the circumstance was so common that he did not pay any attention to it . He said he wanted to apply the acia externally to a varicose vein . ( The book in wliich the entry was marked was produced . ) Witness saw the prisoner on the following day , between thc hours' of ten and twelve , and he asked for two drachms more . He said he had had a misfortune , he had broke the bottle . He had the same quantity as formerly in the bottle he had originally _brought . He had been frequently to the shop before that time . Cross-examinedby Mr . Kelly . —H he covered the phial at all , it was with leather , and not with paper .
He had no doubt that the prisoner was at that tunc affected , as he stated , with varicose veins . He did not believe that Scheele's prussic acid could be taken into thestoniach and yet not ascertained by the sniell . He had mixed thirty drops of Scheele's with eleven ounces , or nearly a tumbler full , of porter , and the smell was slightly perceptible . The bottle does not contain the quantity of eleven ounces . It is the property of this acid while it is volatilising to give out a sniell . He was aware that apple-pips contained pmssic acid . He saw fifteen small appleB tested by distillation , and then with sulphuric acid and sulphate of iron . The quantity of prussic- acid that resulted was one grain and one-fifth . Mr . — _. Smythe , clerk to Barn < itt , Hoare , and Co ., examined . —Tho prisoner had been in the habit of banking with them . On Wednesday , the 1 st of January , he came between two and three o ' clock , and drew a cheque for £ li . Paid him in gold . His account was overdrawn at that date . He believed the
paper shown him to be his handwriting . ( The paper referred to was a prescription for varicose veins . ) Cross-examined . —There was not the slightest objection to his overdrawing his account . Mary Ann Moss was next examined . She was aware of the intimacy between the prisoner and the deceased . Knew that he _yisited her at regular periods—once in six weeks , and that the prisoner was father of one of the children at Slough . Sarah Bateman know the deceased before she went into the p risoner ' s service ; when engaged by the prisoner it was to nurse the first Mrs . Tawell ,
who shortly after died . In April , 1839 , knew that the deceased was in the family way by the prisoner . Grace Hadler . —The deceased was my daughter . 1 saw her last when she was living at Mr . Tawell's , in Bridge-street , in the Borough . I never saw her or heard ofher afterwards until after her death . Mr . Cooper recalled . —I tested the contents ofthe Shial found ll tho cupboard in the deceased ' s parlour _, t contained some liniment . Not a particle of prussic acid was in it . This being the close ofthe case for the prosecution , the Court adjourned at half-past one o ' clock , for afew minutes , for refreshment .
Mr . _Fiizuoy Kelly proceeded to address the jury on behalf of the prisoner . He should perhaps havo contented liimself with a brief narrative of the facts of the case , but he could not forget that the circumstances connected with this case had , no doubt , come before them through the usual channels of public information , and he therefore felt it his duty to advert to another matter . It was stated that the unfortunate prisoner at the bar had many years ago been sent from his countiy for the commission of a certain act of which he was found guilty by a jury ot * Ms fellow men : but it was likewise known that he had cleared his character , and re-established himself as an honest Christian and charitable man . It must first , in order to convict the prisoner , be proved tliat the
woman died in consequence of taking a dose of poison —that , in point of fact , prussic acid was administered to her by Mr . Tawell . These facts had not been proved ; the _* , evi ( lcnce witkvegard to them was perfectly illusory . If they believed that the woman died of poison , it was necessarv for the purposes of the prosecution to prove beyond , the smallest doubt that the poison was administered to her by the prisoner . The jury must be made aware of that fact by certain aud irresistible evidence before they could convict . With regard to poisoning by prussic acid , there were ' _oiuy eight or nine and thirty cases on record , and only two of those were found to be committed by design , the others were all accidental . Little , therefore , had been the experience of medical men in questions of this
nature , and not one single person had been brought forward who could speak practically of the appearance of a body wheiiunder the influence ot prussic acid . The opinions given by the medical men werc framed upon what thoy had read in certain books , wliich were merely the opinions of the persons who wrote the books , and which could be no evidence at all . They were bound to prove , in the first instance , tliat one grain of prussic acid was _suffieienfc to destroy life , and that one grain was found in the woman's body ; and they had no such proof before them founded on practical experience . Mr . Champneys , who it could not be denied was the principal witness , when asked respecting the result of his own experiment , said that when he put the true quantity of prussic acid into the true quantity of
porter " he could scarcely perceive the smell" until the froth had gone away . Now , if Mr . Champneys had written the result of tliat experiment in a book in the terms in which he gave it in evU dence , and that his opinion was brought forward in a similar case to __ the present in a year to eome , would it form evidence upon which to convict ? So little did the medical men know ofthe appearance caused by prussic acid , with which they state the woman was poisoned , that they tested the stomach for oxalic and Other acids , and because they could not satisfy themselves with tlieir experiments , they at once jumped to the conclusion that the woman was poisoned with prussic acid ; but their judgment was founded upon a more theory , which could not be admitted .
Mr . Baron Parke suggested to Mr . Kelly that he made a mistake in asserting that in cases of death from natural causes Mr . Champneys had said there was an odour of prussic acid observable . Mr . Kelly begged pardon if he was wrong in making the quotation from Mr . Champneys , but they had it from other sources that such was nevertheless the fact . But Mr . Champneys quoted another case . He ( Mr . KeUy ) asked him was it thc case of the boy , and Mr . Champneys thought there were two more caseB . That was another inaccuracy . There was only that one case quoted by Taylor , where the body was examined thirty hours after death , thc boy having taken 3 J- grains of the prussic acid . But this very case , as quoted by Taylor , was not correct
itself , for it was to be found in _Christicon , who , very probably , took it from the original report , and there he states that there was no odour perceptible in the body or blood , " although it was strong in the stomach . " Thus they saw the awful degree of danger they ran in taking thc evidence of books , or of witnesses whose evidence was founded only on cases recorded in books . They had Mr . Champneys himself first wrong in making two cases out of one , and they had next the very case he had so duplicated reported , or at least quoted wrongfully by Taylor . Mr . Kelly then went on to the consideration ofthe facts regarding the actual death of tho deceased _, lt had been proved that prussic acid was found in her stomach after death ; how much would be another question . Whence it came and how produced they would also have to consider . These were questions
ho would come to presently . But the smell was acknowledged on all hands to exist where prussic acid existed in a free state . It was alleged on the part of the Crown that the woman had swallowed down a quantity of prussic acid in its free state , and yet there was no odour at thc mouth , in the blood , or in the stomach . He ( Mr . Kelly ) said it boldly—no man dare to take away the life of his fellow-man on such evidence as this _. j | But prussic acid had been found in the stomach of the deceased woman . He would show that she had at the time of death in her stomaeh substances containing or capable of yielding an actually greater quantity of prussic acid than had been produced by Mr . Cooper from the contents of the stomach . He would show that she had eaten a quantity _| of apples , and most probably pips and all , _* from which it would have been easv to obtain ns much
prussie acid as had been found , 'lhcy had heard the witness who told them of the deceased having received a basket of apples about Christmas , the entire , or nearly the entire of which were consumed by her by the beginning of the year . Now , itwas known that , with thc exception of almonds , there was no substance fron * which prussic acid could be so readily obtained as pips of apples . Mr . Thomas , the chemist ' s assistant , who had under taken to experiment upon pips of apples , did not wish to trust to his own limited experience , and he therefore went to the London Hospital , and there , under the able directions of Mr . Lievesley , the lecturer , he
obtained from the pips of fifteen apples , not an inappreciable quantity , " as Mr . Cooper called the result of his very incomplete and loose experiments , but no less than two-thirds of a grain of pure acid ; more , actually a greater quantity of prussic acid , than Mr . Cooper had extracted from the whole contents of the deceased woman ' s stomach . He contended , he would put it to the jury , that upon such evidence he would be entitled to their verdict ; but in a case where it waa only necessary to raise a doubt , he would say he had shown the case most eminently doubtful . He contended there wasnoproofatalladdueed thatthe woman had died from the effects of prussic acid . Mr . Kelly next addressed himself to the evidence regarding the
By A Squint. "When Le Approached The Bar...
stifled screams heard-by Mrs . Ashley in the aiyo . iung house , and asked where the surgeon had found tho proofs that stifled screaming was an evidence of death by pruBsic acid . A succession of : stifled _sc *« amB _v as the description given by Mrs ; Ashley of tie noise she heard . Now where , he Vfoild ask , did Mr . Champneys learn that death _frtimprwsic acid was accompanied b y a succession of ' stifled fcreaming « The description given in the boobs was , that _doath approached by paralysis and _gasping , and finished with one convulsive scream ; but-where aia Mr . Champneys hear of a succession of stifled screams ? He should next observe iipon a portion ofthe evidence , wliich he confessed lie remarked with pain , ami that was tho evidence of Mr . Champneys with
regard to the state of the limes . He did not give that portion of his evidence as he should . He fenced with the question as to their congestion . Having commented upon that portion ofthe evidenco and drawn a comparison between Mr . Champneys and the other medical witnesses , thc learned counsel said it might be asked if the deceased woman did not die from thft effects of prussic acid , of what did she die ? He submitted he was not bound to answer that question . That was an investigation that did not belong to him . They had heard one of the female witnesses who had told them that she poured a little water down tho deceased ' s throat , and foam immediately appeared at the corner , and she fancied or feared that she would be suffocated if the application were
repeated , how , what was there to show she had not been actually suffocated by that very di-ausht of water ? ( Here there was a murmur mingled with laughter , _throughthc court . ) Mr . Kelly paused a little , and when it had subsided he proceeded— It should be observed that the surgeons had not examined the bronchial tubes . There was , therefore , no evidence that she did not die of suffocation j and although it might be objected that such a mode of death would be a very remarkable coincidence , yet they had frequent opportunities of observing the occurrence of most extraordinary coincidences . He would mention a very curious and remarkable coincidence which recently occurred in the case of a gentleman of his own profession , one well known to
the members of the legal profession—he meant the late Mr . Serjeant Andrews . In that _unfortuuate _gentleman ' s case , in a moment of delirium , he had made an attempt upon his life , and had cut his own throat . Assistance was at hand , and in good time . The wound was sewn up and dressed , and tho unfor tunate gentleman was in a fair way of recovery , when he was found dead in his bed , the bandages torn offmost probably in the death struggle—and the wound re-opened . But the flow of blood from it was not sufficient to produce death , and on further examination it was discovered that a blood-vessel had burst ,
and from the bursting of that blood-vessel he had died . Now , had not that case been thoroughly investigated , the most natural and obvious supposition would have been tbat he had died from having wilfully torn off the bandages from his throat . Yet , investigation had established the contrarv . Here was an extraordinary coincidence . Tho learned counsel then read a letter from the prisoner ' s wife to him , which waa written in most affectionate terms . It "* - was dated on the 1 st of January , the day on which the murder was committed , lt was , proceeded Mr . Kelly , impossible that a man could receive such a letter and bo a bad man . He went down to see tho
unfortunate woman on the Wednesday . He saw her and remained with her an hour or two . Some porter was sent for , and then it was alleged that he tried to poison her . The woman in the house said she heard high words , and that she thought they were about money matters , and that he soon afterwards left thc house . What was more natural than that after quarrelling he should leave the house , and her annoyance or passion at his not perhaps yielding to her yishes might have caused a tit , and that fit have caused her death . lie did not mean to say that this was the case ; the matter was a mystery , but it was not an unlikely state of things . He did not call upon them , notwithstanding the evidence ofthe policeman as to what the prisoner
told him , to say that the woman poisoned herself , nor did lie believe that she died of poison at all . _Witfli regard to the prisoner ' s being seen running on the night of the death , and to liis going to see Herschell's telescope , because he kid time to do so before thc train left , they were matters of little consequence . Thc night was a cold one , and he might run to warm himself ; and curiosity might induce him to go to see the tele-cope . Well , he went - to town , and called at various places . He was closely followed , and taken into custody at the Jerusalem Coffee-house . When charged with the crime it was said he denied it . He might have done so it was true , and he certainly could not bo excused for denying that he had been at Slough ; but was it not natural for a man who was so circumstanced with a woman as he was with Mrs . Hart to deny any knowledge of her , fearing that the circumstance might reach thc ears of his affectionate wife ,
and perhaps break her heart ? In common chanty they ought to take these feelings and circumstances into consideration . With respect to his purchasing the two phials of prussic acid , he contended that that was no evidence whatever cf guilt . Was it likely that a man of common sonso an lie was , would go to a shop and purchase a certain quantity of prussio acid , and administer it to a fellow-creature , aud then after violating the laws of his country , and rendering himself liable to the highest penalty they could inllict , go to the same shop , the next day , for the purpose of buying a similar quantity of the poison . Seeing how the ease was surrounded with difficulties , that tho evidence was not direct , and could not , thcrefonvbe satisfactory , he trusted that thejury would not break that beautiful and blessed principle of the English law , which gave to those accused of crime thc benefit of any doubt which might exist as to their guilt , and that a verdict would be recorded iii the prisoner ' s favour .
Mr . Henry Lane , churchwarden of Berkhampstead ; Mr . Joseph Gfomm , master builder , Berkhampstead ; Mr . Tomkins , coal-merchant , j _lerkhamps ' ead ; Mr Joseph Baldwin , of the same place ; My . II . Castle , timber-merchant , MillbanC , London ; Mr . John Richards , of Dover ; Mr . Abel Salter Trow , who had known the prisoner in Sydney ; the Chevalier Dillon , and Mr . John Gower , gave evidence in favour of the excellent character in general borne by tho prisoner , and to his especially kind and benevolent disposition . At thc conclusion ofthe evidence to character , thc Court adjourned to eight o ' clock on _Friday-worning .
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Ciuniisi Hall, 1, Tuiixaoaix-Laj-E.—The ...
_Ciuniisi Hall , 1 , _Tuiixaoaix-Laj-e . —The adjourned discussion will be resumed on Sunday morning next , March ICtli , at half-past ten o ' clock . The Metropolitan District Council will meet at three in the afternoon . In the evening a discussion will take place on the question , "Will the ensuing Trades ' Conference be of advantage to thc working classes ?" Hammersmith . —A meeting will be held at tho Dun-Cow , Brook-green-lane , on Tuesday evening next , at eight o ' clock precisely . Camberwell axd Walworth . —A meeting will be held at the Montpelier Tavern , Walworth , on Monday evening next , at eight o ' clock precisely . Emmett Brigade . —A meeting of this body will take place on Sunday evening next , at thc Rock Tavern , Lisson-grove , Marylebone , at eight o ' clock precisely .
Miuvleiiose . —A members' meeting will take place on Sunday evening , March 20 th , at thc Coach Painters' Anns , Circus-street , New-road , at half-past seven o ' clock . Freedom and Tempebaxce . —A festival and public meeting will be held on Monday evening next , March 17 th , in the Temperance-rooms , Paradisestreet , Rotherhithe . United Patriots . —The adjourned publie meeting of the above body will be resumed on Wednesday evening next , March 19 th , at eight o clock , in Tillman ' s Assenibly-rooms , _Tottenham-court-road . Chelsea . —Mr . Wheeler will , on Sunday next , at the Cheshire-Cheese , Grosveuor-iw , deliver a funeral oration , ou the fate of thc Bandicni and other Italian patriots , who have fallen victims to British treachery —as developed in Mr . Duncombe ' s motions on the infamous Post-office spy system—chair to be taken at eight o ' clock .
Westminster . —Cloce-House . —The members i the above named locality are requested to attcud on Sunday next , March 16 th , at eight o ' clock . .. _Turnaoain-Lane . —On Tuesday next _tlie'iiwnibew ofthe City locality will meet at the hall , Turnagainlane , on business of importance connected . with the approaching Conference , and to elect a General Council for this locality . Babssley . —A Chartist Tea-Party '' and Ball Will take place in thc Odd Fellows' Hall , " _iiarnsley _, on Easter Tuesday , for thc benefit of the Jtxe _' cuuve . _Susderlakd . —• Tho . members ' ' . of the . . Nation Charter Association resident iii .-this district , wi meet on Sunday afternoon next , ' . ' ai half-past . o'clock , atthe Royal Oak , High-street .... - Bkadfobd . —On Sunday tha . members of ¦• ¦ .: General Council will meet in tlieir -room , ' Butter-. _, worth's-buildings , at two o'clook in _ciie . _aftiriioon . _% . _BANKRUPTS .
( FremFriday ' _sGazette , Atarchli . ) , . ' ¦ '; _. \ ¦ Frederic Lindsay Cole , _Fenchurch-stre ' ct ,, City , ; wins -, merchant —Mary Conway Painter , , . Great . Peter-Street , V "Westminster , grocer—John Green , , PaU-mall , ' wine-nier . chant-Thomas Nelson Deaton Howard , _Fenchurcfcstreet-, City , merchant— William Henry Mills , Mark-lane , ' ' City , _wine-merchant- George Wagner , _Blooinsbm-y-siuarvt _drapev-WilliamMeek _, Southampton , ivoumonger-Julius > Thompson , _Wigmore-street , Cavendish-square , cheese . monger-Samuel Kurd , Rochester , china-dealer—WiUiam _Detaeyj-Mistley , Essex , victualler-John Botcherby , Dar . hngton , Durham , _coal-owner-James Kewley , Li / erpool . tador-Thomas Dix , Liverpool , shoe- dealer-SamuelMari ' shall , _Kingston-upon _. null , builder _ Charles DourfasS , R 3 _? Stafford _^ efWd * c _^ - _^ _rehaSohf & ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 15, 1845, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_15031845/page/5/
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