The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-06 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH AT
CHELSEA.

The inquiry concerning the death of Lydia Porter,
alias Chapman, who was found dead in bed under
suspicious circumstances at her residence, 46, Maude.
grove, Chelsea, was resumed on Monday at the
"Weatherby Arms," King's-road, before Dr. Diplock,
the coroner for West Middlesex. Mr. Eldborough,
solicitor, appeared to watch the case on behalf of Mr.
Clift, the landlord; and Mr. Froggat, solicitor,
watched the case on behalf of the husband of the de-
ceased. Chief Inspector Druicovitch, of the detective
department of police; Mr. Fisher, superintendent of
police, and Inspector Fuller were also present to
watch the ease.—The following account of the proceed-
ings is from Tuesday's Daily Ifews :
Sophia Harvey; the servant, was recalled, and in reply to
the Coroner, said she did not go up to deceased's room for
some time after Mr. and Mrs. Wallace had gone. She was
in the room when the body was being laid out. She found a
letter on the bed, and one in the pocket or the deceased.
The next morning she gave them to Mrs. Mt. The letters
now produced by Ridewood, the Coroner's officer, were the •
same.

Where did she keep her boxes 7—One on the sidle of the
bed and one underneath the dressing table. The keys were
underneath her pillow.
Did you find the keys there 2—No ; the ke)a were gone
when we came to lay her out.

Then, when had you seen the keys?—When I was in the
room, about seven in the evenirg, and she gave rae 6d. to
buy a newspaper. I found the box by the side of the bed
unlocked. It was generally kept locked

Did Mr. and 'Airs. Wallace give you anything before they
went?—Mrs. Wallace gave us two bows and a silk pocket
handkerchief.

The doctor told us he sent some medicine; did you take
it in ?—No; Mrs. Wallace answered the door.
In answer to the coroner, Ridewood, the offieer, said the
keys had not been found.
Mr. Joseph Davis, of 270, Fulham-road, bookseller and
stationer, said he knew Mr. and Mrs. Wallace by sight very
well. They came to his shop on the Monday or Tuesday
before Good Friday, and asked to see some book on family
medicine. He showed them one called "The Family
Doctor," and Mrs. Wallace took it, and looked at it for five
or six minutes. She then said it did not contain just what
she wanted, and she did not take it. They then left. That
was the last time they were in his shop.
Dr. Thomas Stevenson, Fellow of the Royal College of
Physicians, London, and Lecturer on Chemistry at Guy's
Hospital, said—On April 21 I received from Mr. Whitelleld,
surgeon, the following articles, all sealed : 1 A glass bottle,
labelled "stomach and trans-colons." The contents were a
human stomach and a portion of the colon (larger intestine).
2, A j im-pot, labelled "contents of stomach" It eontained
a turbid fluid. 3 A marmalade pot labelled "liver." it
contained nearly six ounces of liver, apparently human. I
also received a brown paper parcel containing a basin and
desert spoon, with some remains of food. I have sub-
jected the above to a minute examination and analysis
with a view of detecting the presence of poison or poisons. I
sc
us. nblitoatn
cdeeitne cat 1
ityh eo f ptrhees evnicsec e or
af
nmoiruienr a
al
ny poisono f orthe stom noxiousstomach
contents, nor can I detect the preeence of any vegetable
poison or noxious substance. I made s,;ecial analysis for
the detection of chloroform and other volatile compounds
of a like nature, but could not find any. But seeing that
two days elapsed between the deatki of the deceased
woman and the post mortem examination,' and 1 that
durinc, six days more the viscera were retained du Vessels
which ° would permit the escape of such a volatile sub-..
stance as chloroform, the negative evidence respecting the
presence of these substances is by no means conolu,sive
as to their non-administration. I have myielf-dete3ted,
chloroform in the body . a person twenty-four 'hours .
after death from the administrmtion of that: suite 'thetic•
el
th
but I am not aware that it has ever
.been detegted We
dead body when many days were elapsed hetwe the
leath,of a person and the analysis. The basin suidl spoon.
titste
fromin e d ,
paoissmonaollusqusaunbtsittayncoefs. aaduhder
cenout
sifaotreedi ,
owt hbir,a4woras ,
ft
toast soaked with beef tea.- The viscera themselves pre-
sented
indubitable
hpiatorptpbaheleeaanvrtaecenadduc appearances
owof which
appearance
tcpmhhpe
enea
rna
deathataubnrlcae
el
of
causes.
soht t to
s.
distatenecei what was
sstpthetonermts
et
a:
:wadi
cii h b The
het hne • . '
opened, and its contents removed. On io"inntir aiska '
were a few fragments of food, containing 'inuseut 'll.bor:
and wheaten starch (probably from bread), alteard, sb
heat. The colon or large intestine • contained,' raeYL
con-
siderable quantity of peculiar matter, and was
The The portion of liver was healthy, hist decompqls . '
and mouldy. The liquor in the jar, labelled " coritents.p
tig,t,
stomach," was peculiar. The amount was five ounce,''oi
ft, _
a quarter of a pint. It consisted of a turbid' yeasty-looking
liquid of a very sour odour, with -oil-floating on-,this)
surface" This liquid contained broken up nvesmilaslibre
latiprobßb ~
'I
of a leguminous plant, probably pea or lentile, and
lyra thrte of Ihiaeiant; otfi mw
aia_.
l:e =& titee nT et pgrraorbtiub granules
sy in
the tissue of pepper. These are all articles of ordinary food.
The liquid also contained a large number of the peculiar
organisms known as sarcince ventriculi, an organism which
is occasionally met With In the human stomach and I,

cleath,
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