The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-09-26 00:00:00

I'llll,l/ 4 ; , ,

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the chemical laboratory, Guy's Hospital. They were
re-deli Tared kt.ino, by)l4. Meg, my usistant, who had
kept them locked up in the kterim. I then observed
that the teals were unbroken, and that the thre •
packeta were precisely in the sante oondition as when I
delivered them to Mr. Prior on Friday morning. Tha
box of pills—this was contained in two wiper wrappers,
one outer ene of a pink colour, sealed with the laurels-
sion of a cock, and labelled in writing ink, "12 pill.,
found in Miss Blake's di awer." The inner paper was
white, soiled, and marked with ink statue —nothing
hgible. It had a broken seal, with • hoi rampant.
Tue box Heel( was an onlinary white pill box, but with-
oet any address upon it or any writing to indicate how
the pills were to be taken. The pills in the boa were
12 in number. The merago weight of each was rather
more than four grains. They were of a brown colour,
and had an aromatic smell. 'They wee. soft, as if
made with treacle or syrup. Under the microscope
they presented no unusual appearance. No crystalline
or mineral matter could be pertwived in them. Thew
oontained neither arsenic, antimony, or mercury, but
they contained a large proportion of sugar with vegetable
matter similar to the aromatic confection of the
pharrnacopceia.
, Three of the pills weighing 121 grains were submitted
to the usual prow is for the detection of strychnine,
and other alkaloids of the like nature. Strychnine was
separated fronithem in a crystallind state, and distinctly
identified by all of its prinoi4ie4 chemise' peopertii s.
decocion of, the pille—erster and "Mr* hit the
intensely bitter taste of strychnine. thia taste reniaine
111.011 the tongue for more than an hour. From the
three pills • quantity of strychnine, equivalent to half .
a grain, was separated. Assuming that atrychnia was
equally distributed among them, this would make •
proportion of onesigth part if a grain for each pill.
By soother eherniral process-the strychnine contained in
the ?toff of another pill was extracted. This was found
to he equivalent to one-teeth part of a grain for each
pill. By another chemical process the strychnia con-
tained in the half of anotter pill was extracted. This
WWI found to be equivelent to one-tenth part of a grain,
or repre,eating one-fifth part of a grain for each pill.
Considering that it is exceedingly difficult to extract the
whole of the strychnine contained in • pill under such
eirctimstano-s, it may be inferred that each pill would
not contain 1,21 than from one-sixth to one-fifth of a
grain, will that three pills woald therefore contain from
three-fifths to one-half of • grain. Three other pills
taken from the other box were made with an extract
with spirit ((or dissolving the strychnia) and one-half
of this exttact was placed within • wound made in the
skin of a rabbit. In four minutee that animal was seized
with the usual tetanic convulsions, which are produced by
stryohnia. These followed each other in rapid succession
anti one animal died in three minutes,making altogether
seven minutes for the time at which the extract
equivalent to one pill and a-half was placed beneath the
skin.

TH6 ROME OF BLOOD. —This eras in a green glass
4oz. bottle sealed—seale unbroken. It contained 7
drachma cr about a tahlespoohful of blood of a dark
crimson colour, not putrid. It presented no unusual
appearance under the miorosoope, and chemical analysis
did not show in it the pretence of any strychnia. The
quantity here examined is equivalent to only one flee-
hundredth part of the blood contained in the body of an
adult. . _

_
Tiro C0NT7777 07 7H7 JAR —The jar contained, Ist,
the etoinach unopened, and the two ends properly
secured by ligatures, so that none of the contents had
escaped; secondly, the large and small intestines; l
thirdly, • portion of the liver, and fourthly the spleen. .
These organs it may be observed were healthy, and pre-
tented no appearance which would account for death. 1
They were remarkably free from petrifaction. As to '
the stomach on the outside of this organ there was •
deep patch of a red colonr, corresponding to the situ., I
tion of the spleen. When opened the stomach Mae I
found to contain about Sess, by measure of half digested
food of a thick pasty consistency, and of it sour smell as I
if it had undergone fermentation after death. No '
pills could be seen in the contents but the followu'
in; substances were recognized and separated:— '
The pips and skins as well as the pule of apples;
French beans, the fibre of meat, and • quantity !
of bread (starchy matter) as well as fat. These were
partially digested, showing that death must have taken
place suddenly, aoon after a full meal had been made.
There was no odour of prussic acid, spirits, or other
poisonous volatile liquids. The °entente were acid,
probably as a result of the fermentation of the food.
the inner eerface of the stomach presented a kir
patches of eongestion, and it was slightly reddened, bet
there was no appearanee of disease to account for death.
The whole of the oontente, with the mucus scraped
krorn tee inner surface of the stomach were submitted
to the mine chemical processes as the pills for the:
defection of strychnia. 'The result was that slight
traces of the substance were detected in the liquid
portion of the contents. The intestines presented
nothing unuettal; either internally or externally, They
were in souse places reddened., apparently as the result
of cadaveria congestion; but on opening them, they
contained the wind healthy substances derived (sons
digested food, and the lining membrane presented no
eppmarence of disease. As to the liver and spleen,
four ounces of the liver, and the whole of the spleen
were minutely examined for strychnia, but no
trace of this poison was detected in either organ.
The conclusions which I draw from this analysis ere
—l4. That the pills oontained strychnine in • quantity
sufficient to cause death according to the number taken.
2nd. That there were trace of strychnia in the content.
of the stomach. 3rd. That there was no stryohnia in
the liver, Spleen, and blood. Signed —Alfred Swains
Taylor, M.D., FR S. Fellow of the College of
Physicians, and Protessoe of Mei:Beal Jurisprudence and
Chemistry in Guy's Hospital. In anseer to questions,
Proleator Taylor stated that when poison was taken into
the stomaclvit had -the property of absorbing, so that
the longer a person lived the less trace of it was found.
Half-a.grain of strychnine MY the smallest quantity
that bad ever been known to..destroy the life of an
adult. Ile did not expect from the small quantity
taken to find traces of it in the blood. If the whole of
the strychnine had been absorb,d it would have only
amounted to the 50th part of a grain in a pound. He
did not expect it in the liver or spleen. If it had been
given in a large dose it would have been found.
Strychnine was occasionally given with advantage by
medical men in eases affecting the nervous system,
paralysis, and such kind of diseases. The ordinary doses
given in medicine were from the 20th part of a grain to
the 12th part of a grain, or even a small quantity more,
when • person had been accustomed to it. Symptoms
of poison begin in-doses of from a quarter to a third of
agrain • and actual death has occured in two inatanoes, ae
recorded by medical men, Motu • quantity equivalent
to that before the curt, namely half a grain. The
traces found in the stomach may be consistent with a
poisonous or • medicinal dose. From the small quantity
found in the stomach he could draw no inference of the
quantity taken.
By the Coroner: Believing that she was in the family
wey, would strychnine have the effect of procuring
abortion 1—" No, I cannot conceive of any such effect."
The action of strychnine is upon the voluntary
muscles, those we have power over, and it produce.
violent convulsions. He did not thick one pill would
have destroyed life, two might have done so; but three
he believed would have been fatal to any one. He did
not go upon the *shyly& alone, but also upon the effect
produced anon the rabbit. In mixing strychnine with
pills it was qnite possible it would not be equally dis-
tributed. The pills he examined all contained strych-
nine in shout equel proportions, and were nearly equal
in size. It was not the usual plan to give strychnine in
pills, it was generally given in a solution. He had never
heard of strychnine being employed in cases of
menstruons irr.guiaritiea. The symptoms from the
effects of taking such pills would be shown in from one-
half to three-quarters of an hour. The poison was
always more inactive when the stomach was full. The
pills were made by a person fully conversant with
making up medicines. Gould not Rey how long they
had been made up. They contained saccharine matter,
but he should say from their appearance they had been. . .

lately made up.' Battle's venni. n destroyer' contained
strychnine in about a grain and • half in a 6d. packet
and three quarters of • grain in a 3d, packet. Had
beard of stryohnine' being prescribed as a tonic but in
very small doses. 41.3 received 12 pills in the tor, 3
were used to th-termine the quantity of strychnine con-
tained in the dose. An extract of 3 others was made,
half of which he gave to a rabbit. One half of • pill
was used to determine what strychnine was contained in
it, and it was found to contain the tenth of a grain.

By Mr. Whatman : The other component parte of
the pills were cinnamon, chalk and such subetan es, and
were kept in • powder, and when required were mixed
with syrup.
_ .

. •
By the Coroner: On the 19th of September I received
from Superintendent Caldow a packet containing •
white crystallised substanoe, weighing it grains. I
kept 5 grains fi r myself, and return to him the re-
mainder. I have used 3 grains. I tested it that morn-
ing and found it was strychnine in the seine stage as
was ordinarily used for medicine. At Professor
Taylor's request, the evidence given by Mr. Coates at
the lest evanitnathfh 'wee then read overby the coroner,
end Dr. Taylor then said that the symptoinsbe described
were sneh as would be caused by the quanti* of stryoh•
nine he found in the pills. He then inquired how long
Miss Blake lived from the time she was first taken ill,
and was told about two bouts.
Mr. Whatman, said he thought it wag'very
I desirable that the report di. the tat/tempo Suede
by Storer . before the magistrate* . be
k
~44 read. The coroner was of opinion thOt lint&
visable as evidence, .inasmneh - • . —Aloe
the statement was not present.. hie
reason for making that suggesti Irrjia4esoa . itie
understood the accused part
__ et :stated ,tkee, ii.eb

never pee MS. Blake any
them, and that he newer
poesession.—the Clerk to
notes of the proceedings,
but it appearing that the copy
the notes, and not the notes tl
wee not read.—The jury then;
Mr. Coates a few questions, as
There have been several Ponape..
to-day showing a great deal of
de,eaaed and Mr. Storer, ;will yot undertake 'to sweat
Witt ohs priaikot presiiank?-o.nswar : Shi was not
Imelda* to swear she was a
was aCiirrili.

t.-WIU

There are other beside the usual oanse to
evidenee of virginity.

~,
Dr. Blalse was then esamined by Mr. Kelsey's
request. He stated that he had no strychnine in his
110,00811i021 when his daughter died, nor for • long time
before. He believed not since Storer had been with
hint, eceept th•twlpieh 'Might be contained in Battle's
vin deistr4er. He hought he last purchased
lisiyeltedne of Mr. gales is ethe Blue Boar
Row about twelve MIA/ . ago. - Could not say
..the etas* gummier, bellt, let used it in solution,
MC when the qatientalnereil, be theme that left
iy. Bs .biinitembliosettistitt, whieh contained
Itept th
No

eseible to any person in his
had ever been made by his

irregula.ity of
'vac & tn it

sohouL
In sneerer to a question by Mr. Whitman,
Professor Taylor said that Battle e vermin destroyer
contained • large portion of flour, iminbined with soot
or indigo ; indeed those articles *imposed 58 out of 60
parts of the powder, and if the strychnine contained in
the pills was from that it must have been very carefully
extracted indeed, awl would require &Allied haaL
Superintendent Caldow reexamined: I was present
1116" eilitrtratee meeting irises Storer wee kesfegbt

.1 u

1.
•44

r._issesnewo t. rre then
stated he had no btu °Milne in his possession, and that
he never had any.
Mr. Whiteman here remarked that the Superintendent
had found &quantity in his box.
Toe Coroner: But how do you prove it is Storer's
box. It wee found by the Superintendent in an empty
hones., in a room formerly occupied by Storer. The
questt in of identity of the box 1.8 having belonged to
;Am er being thus ranted, the coroner inquired of the
Superintendent whether he had not some seal or stamp
in hit posses-ion belonging to Storer, and on replying
that he had given it to the governor of the gaol, he
was requeated to fetch it. Meanwhile, by the request
of the jury, one of Mr. Blake's servants was sent for,
and on being sworn stated that her name was Fanny
Severn, and that she had been in Mr. Blake's service
as housemaid for six months. She remenib.rred the
night tier young mistress was taken ill. Before she
went upstsirr, she rang for • light, which witness
brought and gave her in the passage, and the deceased
then went up to her bedroom, after bidding her good
night. She appeared very cheerful, and bad been so all
day. Witness knew Mr. Storer, who left about a
month previously. Mr. Storer and Miss Blake were on
ftiendly terms together. Miss Blake did not appear
distressed at Mr. Storer's leaving. The lettere when
brought by the postman were put in the letter box of
which Mrs. Blake kept the key. On being ahown the
box containing the medicine chest she said she had seen
it before in Mr. Storer's room on the table under the
book shelf. After Mr. Storer left the box was away.
Heard the screams from her young mistress about halt-
-past 11 o'clock at night.
The seal produffed by Supt. Caldow was then examined
but did not appear to prove anything.
The Coroner then summed up the evidence in a clear
end impartial manner, punting out to the jury that
the evidence of the three medical men clearly proved
that the deceased's dmith was by strychnine that,
according to her own statement, wade just previous to
her death, the nil s conteining poison were given her by
Storer. He then showed that as far as they had
evidence before them there appeared to have been no
feeling of ill-will fostered by Storer against the deceased,
but that on the contrary they were fond of each other.
Re then pointed out as to whet would constitute a ease
of manslaughter.
The jury then retired for the space of about half-an.
hour, and on their return into court the foreman said :
"We find the deceased, Emily Sophia Blake, died front
the effects of strychnine, contained in three pills, given
her by William John Storer, whom we find guilty of
manslaughter." The Coroner expressed his entire
aociniesence in the jury's verdict, and Superintendent
Caldow wu bound over to prosecute.
. .

The inquiry laated till si o'clock.
The charge of murder preferred against him by the
police will be investigated ila two or three days, aud it
is stated that he will also be charged with forging the
name of Dr. Blake for £2O.