The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-24 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MURDER BY A WIFE.
At the Worcester Assizes, Fanny Frances Maud Oliver was
Indicted for the wilful !minter of her husband, Joseph Oliver,
at Dudley, on the Nth of May last.

The facts of the case, Which involved a considerable
amount of evidence, may be summed up as follows
The prisoneris a milliner, and also in the course of her
business cleaned bonnets, for which purpose she used
poisonous drugs. The death of the husband was
attributed to arsenical poisoning, and theotivss
by which it was presumed the prisoner was
actuated in committing the alleged crime were
said to be twofold—first, that she had oontracted
an improper intimacy with a man named Brice;
and, secondly, that her husband had money in a
building fund, and that she without his knowledge had
been drawing it out, and had exhaustA the fund.
The suspicion. excited against the prisoner arose
under the following circumstances :—ln the month of
April Mrs. Oliver went to a chemist's shop and pur-
chased a shilling's worth of arsenic, stating that she
required it for c'eaning bonnets. The chemist toll
her to be careful how she us.:cl it, and suggested
oxalic acid as preferable. He required a witness to
the sale, according to the requirements of the Act of
Parliament, and she fetched a witness named White-
house, who signed her name. The prisoner, how-
ever, did not sign her own name, but "Fanny
Burgess," and gave her address as Park-lane.
Dudley-port," instead of "Harts-hill, Dudley,"
where she actually resided. The woman Whitehouse
asked why she had signed in the name of Burgess,
and she replied, "Oh, for nothing." Whitehouse,
however, having given her real name and address, a,
ready tni;cle was furnished of finding out who bought the
poison. It appeared that the prisoner cleaned bonnets
for people, but there was no evidence that she used
arsenic in the process. The prisoner also bought
some vermin powder, used for kill ng mice, and mixed
part of it with some tapioca pudding, which re-
mained in the house for three weeks until it became
mouldy. A servant girl ate some of the pudding
and became ill afterwards, when the prisoner blamed
her for taking it, and said she had put the
i vermin powder n it to kill the mice. Accoiding to
the evidence of Maria Cartwright, she (Cartwright)
gave deceased his food during his illness, but the prisoner
gave him his medicine. The doctor was called in on
the 27th April, and for six weeks the prisoner re-
mained ill, with occasional illness until he died. The
medical attendant did not suspect that the deceased
had taken poison, but treated him for disordered
digestion. On one occasion sour milk was boiled, and
given to the deceased, after which he was sick.
Deceased's mother also tasted the milk, and was simi-
larly affected.
Dr. Hill, who made a careful post-mortem examina-
tion, discovered arsenic in a small quantity, and came
to the conclusion that the deceased had died from ar-
senical poisoning.
On the Thursday before the death of the deceased,
prisoner said to a witness, "If a little extra drop (or
dose) would take Lim off, I'd give it him."
At the conclusion of the evidence, the Judge
summed up, and the jury having found the prisoner
(;uilty,
The Clerk of Arraigns then, in 'the usual form,
asked the prisoner if she had any reason to urge why
the sentence of death should not be passed upon her.
Prisoner I am not guilty, by my great God ! May I be
allowed to explain the 113•8011 why that letter a communica-
tion that hail been used in the course of the trial as evidence
against the prisoner) was sent to him? If I may be per-
mitted to state for myself the reason, my lord .d gentle-
men, as my great God witnesses for me, if I speak an
untruth, Oh, God ! (here the prisoner clasped her bands
sclemnly. and cast her eyes upwards) take my breath from
me, and let me die before my enemies. The prisoner then
made an incoherent statement, which, so far as could be
gathered from her imperfectly articulated expressions, and
front the confusion which prevailed in court, waste theeffe3
that Burgess had been put into the county court at Wolver-
hampton for sonic money that he had received some money
from his mistress unknown to his master, who had latterly
found it sot, and was going to send him to gaol ; that to
raise £2. to sine him from being sent to gaol prisoner had
pawned a black silk dress, alai raised LI upon it, .d so
made up the money which she gave to him; and Mrs. White-
house could testify to the truth of this statement. Burgess
hail sent to her husband to say that there was to be an exhi-
bition to be opened at Wolverhampton, sad if they were
going over lie would go with them; but she had writ-
ten to him as well as she could to say that her hus-
band was dead. The prisoner continued But as f or
administering poison to my husband !here she robed her
mime, and audit clasped her hands), great God, answer for
me Thou knowest I am innocent, Heavenly Father A' the
charge they have brought against me. And why dos Titus
leave me in this terrible ht 'or of steed! My God, I have
trusted In Thee. I have been wild anti wicked, I know; but,
Heavenly Father, Rive me strength. I never possessed such
strength as I have possessed since I have been cast
into prison. I never knew the power of my Saviour
until then and although death is to be passed upon an
Innocent woman, La... 1, receive my spirit ; and although lam
found guilty by an earthly judge and jury 'here she raised
her voice defiantly—my Great Judge and Jury who are in
Heaven—they will receive me, to their home. lam innocent
in the sight of my God, and I fear not what man can do
unto me. What even though you should put me to death
to-morrow, I would receive it cheerfully, my God, as it has
conm from flee; for now I antleft alone: my home is eons'
my friends are far; I have but one, and that is He (pointing
upwards . Lord, do not leave me In this terrible hour.
Lord, prepare me to meet Ws trial. Thou knowest I ani
hinomint. Monier! I loved my husband. God, Thon
knowest I loved hini. Yes' and he loved me. Call his friends:
call them who were with him when he died. W bat is
the reason this has been brought scan et me, 0 God ? :The
prisoner here made another rambling statement about her
husband's mother having accused her of puisoilihg her hus-
band, because she could imt get some money that b longed
to hint'. My sister sent me a letter to say that the best
tbiog I couid do would be to leave my house, for his
mother intended to take half that 1 had. After that I
left and writ to my fathei's Out the day the in•pector
came to me, it en, at night. The girl came to me and
said there had been three persons after me. • sergeant

asked me, 'is your name Mrs. Olives?" and I said it wet
Ile said, 'Are you the widow of the late Mr. Oliver?"—
here the prieoner burst into tears). I said I was. " Well,"
he said, "I want to speak to you' I Bald, "Then go into
my father's Immo" He said, •' I want you to be at an in-
quest on the body of your husband, for there is a doubt
about his death." " What ! a doubt about my husband s
death?" I said, "Yes," he said, "there is a doubt, and
there Is to be an inquest, and they want you to be there." I
said, "If you will rind me a bed I will go with you to-night,
for I have done nothing." And as I fiat a sister there I
went at once; but if it were now to save rey life to any that
I had poisoned toy ittothat,l, God forbid These last Mar
years I have had nothing but affliction. I have had three
doctors with me for nine months tog.-thee ; one doct! rt paid
th., and my husband paid .2 to Dr. Birt Davies, of Birming-
ham. within the last 12 months. We bed a deal to pay to
put some windows is, and we have had one expense aft,
another. My husband had an uncle., Mr. James Oliver, of
Dudley Port. He was recoiling the rent:, and could not get
them; and when I went to gather them there were 25 weeks
due, but the people said they owed only three. The mosey is
gone, and my husband ba.l been ill a long time. Although he
has been stated here to have been a furor g man, he was ud a
strong man, and was under the doctor—him that is dead and
gone now—up to the time that he died, lie has been under
, Dr. Cochrane and two or three doctors in Birmingham, and
! under Dr. Freer or Dr. Stewart, of Wolverhampton. lie was
not a strong man, and used to take medicine, and his mother
knows it. Now, if my lord is pleased to pass a sentence of
death upon an innocent woman, I shall receive it as a
blessing from God. I have no friend here to care for
me but a dear father—,here the prisoner burst into tears,
which prevented her from continuing her remarks further
Ills Lordship having assumed the black cap, addressing
the prisoner said: Fanny Frances Oliver, you have been con-
victed of the crime of wilful murder. It is at any time a
very bad crime. The murder of your husband is the crime of
which you have been found guilty, and it is a dreadful Crime
In the sight of God and man.
The Prisoner : I am innocent in the sight of Gad and
man.
Ills Lordship: Your act was not seen by any human rye:
God's eye alone has seen it. Man has done his best to Mid
out the extent of your guilt, by his skill arid by c ireful inves-
tigation. It was the duty of the jury to cou•ider whether
your guilt was brotudit home to you. It was their duty mid
theirs alone. They have attended very ca.efully to your
ewe, and they have found you guilty. Your sin is not
agaiust man alone, but against God also. It remains with
you, therefore, to make your peace with your God and
Saviour. You have spoken about having experienced the
power of your Saviour since you were in prison.
The Priaoner Never before.

Ills Lordship I hope and pray It is the cane.
The Prisoner: Never before, my lord.
His Lordship If you have found the Saviour, and will
make your heart penitent for the offence of which you have
been found guilty, and if you wil, pray with deep contrition
all your sins will be 1 orgivenhere the prisoner burst into
tears—and if you do so in a penitent spirit you have a
wiour who will forgive you, and who has shed His
blood to wash away your sins as much as the sins of others.
Do not, I beseech VOU, lose the precious opportunity of mak-
ing tour peace With God. Turn your attention to getting a
perfect faith in the atonement which your Saviour has made
for your sin ; and whatever may come you will have made your
peace with God. The verdict of the jury is accompanied with
a " recommet.dation to mercy" I shall forward the recom-
mendation to the proper quarter, but I cannot tell you what
effect it may have. I would, therefore, hold out no hope to you;
and I will not say anything further upon the subject to you,
but that I will forward the recommendation to the proper
quarter. It only remains for me to pronounce upon you the
dreadful sentence of the law. It is not my sentence, and I
have no power to tied to it or to diminish rum it. His lord-
ship then pronounced sentence of death upon the prisoner hi
the usual form... . . . .

The prt,oner then, with an air of triumphant boldness, re-
putted the verse of the hymn commencing—
Though in the path of death I stand.”

The Clerk of Arraigns then asked the prisoner whether she
had anything to urge to stay of execution.
Prisoner : I should like if you would call Mrs Whitehouse.

The prisoner was then removed from the duck, and
before descending the steps leading from it, she turned
round, and waving her hand, said, "Farewell to you
all, my dear friends."