The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-23 00:00:00

PHE LIVERPOOL POISONING CASE.

At the Liverpool Assizes on Saturday, before Mr.
Justice Butt, the trial of Catherine Flanagan, 55, and
Margaret Higgins, 41, on a charge of murder, was
concluded. The prisoners were charged on four in-
dictments—first, with murdering Thomas Higgins, the
husband of the prisoner Higgins, on the 2nd of
October, 1883; secondly, with murdering Margaret
Jennings, on the 25th of January, 1883; and thirdly,
with murdering John Flanagan, the son of the
prisoner Flanagan, on the 7th of December, 1880.
The fourth indictment charged the prisoner Higgins
alone with murdering Mary Higgins, the daughter of
Thomas Higgins, by his first wife. The prosecution
elected to proceed on the first indictment.
Mr. Aspinall, Q.C., and Mr. M'Connell prosecuted;
Mr. Shee and Mr. Pickford defended.
The facts of the case were given by Mr. Aspinall in
his opening statement. The prisoners are sisters, and
previous to the marriage of the prisoner Higgins with
the deceased they lived together. At the time of his
death the deceased had been married only a few
months. During his fatal illness, which was very
brief and arose suddenly, suspicious circumstances
were noticed. A medical man was called in by the
prisoners, and, on their representations, treated the
deceased as suffering from diarrhoea and the effects of
drinking bad whisky, but suspicion was aroused among
the neighbours in the locality. Both prisoners attended
deceased in his illness, and two persons notice. 3 that
when Flanagan gave him drink the unfortunate man
immediately suffered great pain. On one occasion in
panicular this was witnessed, on the very day of his
death. The police authorities obtained information
of the facto, and an inquiry was resolved upon. A
certificate of death hal been obtained and the
funeral of the deceased was arranged, but as the
body was being taken from the house the coroner's
officer ordered it to be taken back. A post-
mortem examinallon of the body of the deceased was
made, and proof that he had died from arsenical
poisoning was obtained. The motive for the murder it
was alleged, was to obtain the insurance money from
five offices in which the life of the deceased was
insured. Further evidence was given as to the in-
surances effected by the prisoners. From the British
Workmen Insurance Company they obtained
£l2 94. 61 on the day of his death and a further sum
of £7 17e. 6d. ftom the Scottish Legal Life Assurance
Society. The other offices did not pay the claims
made upon them. The next class of evidence dealt
with the movements of the prisoner Flanagan after
the funeral was stopped. It appeared that she
remained three days at the house of some friends
named Mackenzie, who lived in Rockingham-street;
after leaving that house, she went to that of a Mrs.
Burns as a lodger. For one night she slept in a
house in Mount Vernon, and from there she went to
Wavertree, where she was arrested.
On behalf of the prisoners, Mr. Shea contended that
although the prosecution had proved that the pH-
soners might have poisoned the deceased, it had not
been proved that they were the only persons who
could have done so, and it was only natural that the
iso sisters,
asnhour
one b o
e present
them.
H nttogether at
the
esiins ogceklrrdesdbheioip u f being
summed
husband
up. In addressing the jury,
his lordship asked them—Did the deceased die from
arsenic? If they said he did not, then the case for
en
question e n d '
wltast bi
It ad didm
idni ies tf er reemd
thrseapnricosetrentiocnanawae th
s
at
by the prisoners at the bar, or either of them? Di
Campbell Brown, in his evidence, slated that he found
arsenic in the spleen of the deceased, and that caused
him to form the opinion that arsenic had been in the
body for a considerable time. They had also heard
that traces of arsenic were found in the fluff and dust
which had accumulated in a pocket worn by the pri-
sonar Higgins. But no evidence had been given to
show that they had ever had fly.papers in their prep
session. Dr. Campbell Brown would not have ad-
vanced the theory that weenie was obtained from fly.
papers if he had not thought it worthy of his attention;
but he (the judge) would advise the jury to hesitate
for a long time before they came to the conclusion dial
the deceased's death was caused by arsenic got from
fly, papers. There was too little evidence in the case te
enable them to act seriously upon such a supposition.
The jury would not fail to see, in considering who
administered the arsenic, that the prisoners had
ample opportunity to administer it if they were
wicked enough to do so; but it did not follow from
that that they were. There was no evidence to show
that the prisoners had purchased arsenic, and in the
body of the deceased no traces of soot or indigo, with
which arsenic was invariably mixed when it was sold
In shops for the purpose of killing rats, were found,
The case was a most painful one and a most anxious
one, and it remained for the jury to consider the two
questions to which he had already called their (Men-
tion—Was the man Higgins poisoned by arsenic? II
so, di ri the prisoners, or either of them, the two acting
in cor cart as confederates, administer the poison?
The jury retired to consider their verdict at eight
minutes to five, and returned into court at twenty. five
minutes to six with a verdict of " Guilty " against
both the prisoners.
His lordship, in passing sentence, said—After a
most patient and careful inquiry you have been found
guilty of the crime of wilful murder. Everything
that ability could do has been done in your defence by
those who kindly undertook it, The evidence is such
as to leave no doubt in the minds of those who heard
:t that you were guilty of the crime. The relation the
murdered man bore to you, to say nothing of others
whose deaths it has been suggested you have caused,
makes the murder so horrible, and it has been carried
out so cruelly, so relentlessly, and from motives cc
sordid, that it makes one shudder to think of the depth/
to which our common humanity is capable of sinking.
Wicked, cruel, and base as you are, I do not forget you
are eti'l human. One thing you have in common with
us all, and that is the hope of an existence hereafter.
It is the only hope left to you now. I trust that hope
will be some alleviation of your suffering during the
very short time that you have to live. For the crime
you have committed you must die, and it only re.
mains for me to pass on you the sentence of the law.
His lordship then passed sentenee of death in the
usual form.

The prisoners, who had been sitting all day, stood
up to receive sentence, and appeared quite dazed by
their terrible position. As they left the dock Higgins
grasped the rail convulsively, and had to be assisted
down the stairs.

SIZING IN COTTON WICAVING.—A report on the
effect of heavy sizing has been published as a Parlia-
mentary paper. The report states that the balance of
evitlence is in favour of harm resulting not to strong
and vigorous constitutions, but to those who are
weakly or have tendencies to rheumatic or pulmonary
disease, and that these form a considerable portion of
the factory population few that know them will
be disperied to doubt. It is recommended that pro-
ceeses known to some manufacturers by which large
quantities of size can be incorporated with the warp
without diffusion of dust or moisture should be gene-
rally applied, and that effective ventilation should be
adopted.

THE VOLUNTEER FORCE IN INDlA.—Considerable
increaee has taken place in the strength of the Volun-
teer force in India during the past ten years. In the
year 1874.5 the number of Volunteers was 3,620 men,
and their estimated cost 145,000 rupees per annum.
For the ensuing year the entire force is estimated at
12,000 men, at a cost to the State of 615,000 rupees.
This sum is exclusive of the value of arms and am.
munition, which are supplied by the Government
without cost.