The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-06-26 00:00:00

WINTERBOBNE CILENSTONII.

Tint Rev. J. Manseß.Pleydell, jun., of Longthonw,
preached in the pariah church there Laat Sabbath,
to a crowded congregation.

ATTEMPTING TO POISON A FAMILY.

At the Magistrate's Clerk's Offiee, Blandford. on
Tuesday, Louisa Ti:sord, wife of William Tizzard, •
shepherd of Winterborne Clenetone, WAR brought up
in custody on remand before Mr. J. J. Farquharson,
charged with attempting to take the lives of her two
daughters, Elisabeth Tizzard and Mary Whiffen, on
the 11th inst., by administering to them a quantity of
arsenic. —Ann Hawes, wife of Jonathan Hawes, a
labourer, of Winterborne Clenstone, stated that the
prisoner came into her house between three and tour
o'clock in the afternoon of the 11th inst. and said
. _ .

" Go in and see my daughters, for I think they are
dying." The prisoner had two daughters staying with
her on • visit, and their names were Mary Whiffen,
the wife of Thomas Whiffen, a carpenter at Winter-
borne Stickland, and Elizabeth Tizzard, who was in
service at Templecombe. Prisoner said she had made
some cocoa for her daughters, and put in some arsenic.
She paid to prisoner, "For God's sake send for the
doctor." She then went into prisoner's house and
found Elizabeth Tizzard upstairs lying on the bed,
And Mary Whiffen rated in • chair in the corner of
the kitchen. They both looked very pale, and were
vomiting. She sent up to Mr. Burt to ask bun to let
his man go for the doctor. The doctor came in about
An hour's time and gave the daughters some mllk.
What they threw up before the doctor came WWI made
away with, but she took rseserion of what they
vomited after he came. Prisoner said she did it
through trouble. —William Tizzard said he was shep-
herd to Mr. Burt at Clenstone. Ile came home to
dinner between one and two o'clock on the 11th inst.,
and hi, wife toll him his daughters were upstairs sot
very well—they had been sick. He ate his linear end
went away to his work. He returned &bona five
o'clock and found Mr. Daniell there. His wife had
been very low-spirited at times for two years it.
and had complained of her head. He did not notice
anything particular in her manner on the 11th. He
kept some arsenic in hi, home to use in his calling,
but he had not used any for two years or more. He
kept it on a beam in the owner of a loft. He had not
peen it for two years. —Prisoner, who asked no
questions of any of the witnesses, said it was very true
what her husband had said about her having snffered
a great deal in her head for a long tirna—Mary
Whiffen, wife of Thome. Whiffen, of Stickland, said
she went to visit her mother (the prisoner) on the 11th
inst.. in company with her sister, Elizabeth Tisza's).
On their arriving at Clenstone they had some cocoa,
which her mother had prepared previous to their
arrival. She drank a small quantity, and bed some
dinner. She then drank some more cocoa, and
immediately became very sick. She said, "ft seems
as if them must be 'something in the onizsa," but her
mother made no remark and did not take much notice
of it. Mrs. Hawes; came in and said it would be best
to send hw a doctor. Mr. Daniell came about five
o'clock. She was better before he arrived. He gave
her eozne milk to drink, which she threw up. Her
sister was also sick, and suffered in the rm. way as
herself. They both went upstairs, and laid down.
The cocoa tasted hot, like pepper, and this
le.l her to think there was something in
it Elizabeth Tizzarci, who said she was
deaf, merely deposed that on Monday, the 11th inst.
her mother gave her some coma, which made her very
al.—Superintendent Underwood stated that from
information he received from Mr. Daniell on the 11th
inst. he went to the house of William Tizzard, at
Clenstone. He examined a shelf in the house which
William Tizzard pointed out to him as the place where
he kept his arsenic, but he could not find any. He
told the prisoner he should apprehend her for giving
her two daughters poison in cocoa. She said, "Yes,
I know I did, and I'm sorry for it now." She com-
plained about pains in her head. He produced three
bottles he received from Mrs. Hawes.—Mr.
inirgeon, of Blandford, said he was sent for on the 11th
inst. to go to the house of William Tizzard, at
Clenstone. He arrived there about half-past four,
and found Mary Whifien and Elizabeth llzzard
vomiting violently. He WIN told they had taken
arsenic. He asked prisoner how her daughters took
the arsenic, and she said, "I gave it to them, I'm
sorry to say." They both violently urged a good
deal whilst he was there, and as these symptoms were
those of poisoning by arsenic he gave them both
repeated draughts of milk, followed by emetics of
sulphate of zinc. He collected the vomit of each
daughter in different veasela and gave them into the
charge of Ann Hawes, who locked them up in her
house in his presence. (The bottles spoken of by
Superintendent Underwood contain the vomits.)—
Prisoner said Mr. Daniell knew she suffered a great
deal in her head.—ln defence prisoner said, "I am
very sorry I did it. I loved my children dearly; I
liked them very much indeed."—Louisa Lovell, •
married sister of the prisoner's, who lives at Milton
Abbey, said the prisoner came to her house one after-
no m about six weeks ago and said"! wish I was as
happy as von." She replied, "So you are,! should
think." Prisoner said, "Oh dear, you don't know
what a state my head's in." She told her to sit down,
and she said, "Oh, dear,! think I shall have to do
something to myself.- She told her she must not say
such things, and she answered, "I can't help it, my
head is NO bad I can think of nothing else.- She made
her some tea, and she broke the fond all in bite and
did not eat it. She walked a good distance towards
Clenstone with the prisoner, and rearned with her.—
The magistrate committed prisoner for trial at the
next Quarter Serious.