The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-02-03 00:00:00

POISON REGULATIONS.
(From the Lancer.)

The recent crime of Christiana Edmunds naturally
directs attention to the question of the insufficiency of
the barriers placed by the law between a murderer and
the instrument whereby he means to commit murder—
that is, when he designs to employ poison. This
wretched woman succeeded in obtaining from Mr.
Garrett, a chemist at Brighton, no. less than four dif -
ferent parcels of strychnine within the space of four
months, a thing which we had hoped would have been
rendered impossible by the Sale of Poisons Act of 18i18.
But when we look carefully to the transactions we
cannot fail to admit that the provisions of the
Act were complied with by the chemist, and the
cunning of the murderess, rather than his care-
lessness, insured her success. On her first attempt
to purchase strychnia, Christiana Edmunds, using
- what is, we suppose, the only reasonable excuse for
needing it, an alleged necessity of destroying cat. dog,
or vermin, and bring apparently a peri-on of undonbted •
respectability, found no difficulty in obtaining the re-
quired witness to the purchase, a witness who would
satisfy Mr. Garrett that all WM right. On future
sales, the purchaser being known, and the seller having
evidence, as it were that no improper use had been
made of the former lot supplied, a witness would not
be needed, the signature of the purchaser alone being
sufficient. On the fourth purchase, it seems, a forged
order, purporting to come from a neighbouring chemist,
was presented to Mr. Garrett for a larger quantity
than he could supply, and a message notifying his in-
ability having been given in reply a second order came
for a smaller quantity, which was served. According
to law these sales were regular. A chemist cannot,
any more than a banker, be proof against fraud by

GrurtYilie cunning of Christiana Edmunds did not
atop here. She knew that Garrett's register of the
sale of poisons in his shop would contain evidence to
connect her with the crime which had now been com-
mitted, and accordingly again betook herself to forgery.
This time she wrote to Mr. Garrett in the name of the
coroner, and asked, not simply for a sight of his re-
gister, which undoubtedly the chemist would have been
bound to give, but for the loan of the register, which
he was certainly indiscreet in granting, and having thus
got the fatal evidence into her possession, she tore out
, the leaves of the book in which her namefirst appeared.
What, then,
are we to say on the shortcomings of
the Poison Act? Two objects were undoubtedly in

the minefof the Legislature when the Act was passed.
The first and principal to prevent. crime; and the idea
of a person intending to commit murder calling in a
witness to his preparation for doing it being so entirely
beyond all human probability, the necessity for his
doing so seemed the greatest safeguard which could be
enforced. The secondary, but still very important ob-
ject, was undoubtedly to supply eNidence coimecting
the perpetrator with the crime, should any be com-
mitted. No law, however stringent, can absolutely
thwart a murderer; and there is one important point
which cannot be too strongly urged on chemists, and
which the Brighton tragedy powerfully proclaims—
compliance with the requirements 4 the Poison Act
should in no way lessen their sense of personal respon-
sibility. We trust the better education now forced on
them by the very Act of Parliament to which we have
referred will ultimately convince them, one and all,
that so dangerous an article as strychnia should never
be intrusted to unskilled hands, even to rid houses of
domestic nuisances.

In connection with the foregoing, Mr. haat: Garrett,
Chemist, Brighton, writes to The Times

_
I am glad that you have placed In the columns of you
widely-circulated journal of Friday last an extract from the
Lancet bearing upon the above subject, and alluding to my
ades of strychnia to Miss Edmunds, now sentenced for
wilful murder through the agency of that deadly poison,
and I feel sure you will allow me to ventilate the subject
still more, hoping by doing so to prevent in future all those
engaged hi the same business as myself being drawn into
such a trap, by similar artifice, cunning, fraud, and for :cry,
to that practised upon me. First, let me remark—and I feel
sure the remark will be endorsed by all- that the magnitude
of the crimes and the wily, cunning means by which the
poison was obtained are unparalleled in English history, and
I here express my opinion that all ehymists In the civilized
world will feel grateful to the press or public if they nih
offer or advance any suggestions whereby the immenso
responsibility resting upon us for the sale 01 10440119 it
careless persons, or for criminal purposes, can in any way
be mitigated.

It is-a
most justifiable remark of the Lancet that fraud
and forgery practised either upon a banker or chymist,
neither may be proof against ; that the personal responsi-
bility for the sale of poisons should not be in the least di-
minished even if the Poisons Act be fully complied with ; but
only those who follow the occupation of a chymist can know
the Immense care and grixit discrimination needed to detect
false statements or careless persons to whom we may
supply poisons. Speaking for myself, I use every care and
the utmost disgrimination in my power. and I never sell
a single pennyworth of either laudanum or Godfrey's cordial
without great caution and a feeling of great anxiety In ease
auy accident may occur, for should any criminal proceedings
arise, the poor chymist is dragged over the coals, although
he has used every caution, and complied with the Poisons Act
in every sense, besides his loss of time, money, and incon-
venience, to appear as a witness in the case. I assure
you, Sir, I am fully Jis,M out of pocket, not reckoning
my services, in the late Brighton poisoning ease, but no
notice is taken of me. I am left to sulfur both in reputation
and money, although I was first and prominent in stopping
the career of Miss Edmunds by delivering up the forged
order to our Brighton magistrates, thereby bringing to light
the cause of the death of the poor child Barker, which had
been a mystery here from the day of tine, inquest till the
handwriting of Miss Edmunds was obtained and compared
with the forged orders sent to me, and which it was after-
wards proved I had done at the risk of my life, as a week or
two afterwards Miss Edmunds sent me two peaches in a box
through the post " covered" with a deadly doer of the
poison (strychnia she had obtained from me. Why I did
not eat them or give them to 1111 only child of mine, if you
ask, Sir, I cannot now tell you. lam grateful and thankful
to Providence that one or both of us were not victims.

I am sorry thus to take up so much of your space, but I
feel hopeful you will insert this letter. I know it to be the
pride and glory of England that the columns of our free and
enlightened Press are ever open to rectify abuse and protect
the innocent with as much fervour as they condemn or ex-
pose vice and criminality.
But to return to the first subject of my letter, I think the
only course to adopt to prevent such crimes as Miss Ed-
munds has been convicted of, and which I have for the
future determined to carry out, is on no pretence whatever
to sell these potent poisons, as the quantity necessary to
destroy either cat or dog in a speedy manner without tor-
turing the animal is from my experience highly dangerous
to trust in any but an expert's bands. Before concluding
let me call your attention to one other remark of the
La ...I, where I ant accused of indiscretion in parting with
my register of sale of poisons, which stigma I will bear if
you think I deserve it, after other facts connected with Mr.
Black's letter requesting the loan of the book are brought
under your notice—viz., that at the time Mr. Black's letter
arrived there was great excitement and alarm in two or
three shops close to mine in consequence of poisoned sweets
having been left, and children and grown persons having
partaken of them were nearly poisoned, so that these facts
together induced me to part with the book, thinking at the
time I was furthering the ends of justice.

THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY ON
EDUCATION.
On Monday afternoon, at Manchester, a luncheon was
given to the Marquis of Salisbury, at the Queen's
Hotel, by the Rev. Canon Woodward, Canon Resi-
dentiary of filauchester Cathedral, kw the pus-pose of
explaining a scheme to supply public schools fur the
middle classes in the Midland and Northern counties.
Canon Woodwani occupied the chair. Among those
present were Lord Richard Cavendish, Lord George
Cavendish, the Bishops of Lichfield, Chichester, Here-
ford, and Dunedin.
The Marquis of Salisbury said we lived in an age of edu-
cational controversy, and when they hail done aU and passed
a compulsory clause, when they bad found money for the poor
to put their children to school, when they had coaxed,
wheedled, or bullied, or drilled them to make use of their
educatioeal provision, still they had not arrived
at a very satisfactory state of things. The idea
of paternal llovernment was not our idea of is free,
Independent, and self-supporting Government. Our
Idea in all things, except education, was that people who
were under Government might see what was for their benefit,
and make their own exertions to secure that benefit for
themselves ; but in this matter of education we were com-
pelled by circumstances to make an exception, which de-
graded us to the level of a paternal Government, and we were
compelled to force, coax, wheedle, bully, or drill parents to
educate their children. He ventured to say that whatever
their success in their present policy might be, this was Lot a
satisfactory state of things.
The real state of things at which they wanted to arrive
was that all fathers in the country should recognise that
their first duty Was to educate their children, and should
themselves come forward to find the means and instruments
by which that great blessing could be received, and hose was
this tube doue 1 It would never be dyne until they had
made education, if he might use the word; the •' fashion "
(laughter); until they had got an opinion created and
spread among the people that education was a duty
the parent owed to the chill; until they had persuaded
the immediate employers of labour iti the middle class,
the small farmer, the small tradesman, indeed, the
poorest of them, that it was a degradation not to pos-
sess education' and also force by the pressure of pub-
lic opinion upon those who were under them the necessity of
doing this tirst duty that a parent owed to a child. Sound
public opinion never nieved by Jumps, but slowly permeated
society in all classes, and their efforts to secure this educa-
tion among the lowest classes of this country would be
perfectly futile so long as they neglected those who alone
could really influence them—that was to say, those who
were brought as entployers into direct contact with them.
Ile therefore believed that this scheme for extending the
blessings of education among the middle and lower middle
classes of society was really the surest instrumentality for
extending education among the lowest classes us well.
There was another point to which it was right he should
draw their attentlon—that it was a scheme for extending
the blessings of a special kind of education—public school
education. (Hear.) Ile believed the advantages of such a
system applied squally to the masters and to the pupils.
(Ilear.) There was nothing ill our English life more des-
potic than the schoolmaster. (Laughter.) He was apt,
If he sat by himself upon his solitary throne, with
nobody by the side of him to counsel or check him,
to run into eceentricities, crotchets, and cranks
at all kinds. If he was an energetic man he would min
the sympat by he required tel the work he had to do,
and fall back into stagnation and routine, and all spirit
would he wanting in bin work. The public school sys-
tole averted both those evils. The schoolmaster was checked
by the traditions constantly operating on Min, and by the
Opinions of others, so that he was obliged to conceal in-
dividual crotchets by the constant public scrutiny kept on
him. On the other band, lie was sustained by sympathies
and counsel, and the blessings of constant fellowship in an
important work, at the time when that work began to become
most dreary and unincouraging. He believed they would
never get so high a class of men to undertake education is
an isolated form as in that large corporate form called the
public school system. If they wished to employ the highest
educated intellect of the coo try they could not do better
than employ it in its aggregate, corporate form.
There was one delicate point, and one of some interest, in
which he thought that the public school system was espe-
cially advantageous. The schools were religious institution,
and men who acted from religious motives were liable to
eccentricities in doctrine sod practice. Such eccentricities
were to be deprecated at any time, and they were especially
daneerous in those who had the education of the young;
but-he held that in the public school system they had a
practical insurance against anything of. the kind. There
were men at present, he doubted not sincere men, who
spoke much of secular education, and seemed to think
that a state of things is possible in which men, moved by
the power of enthusiasm for the propagation of the alphabet
(laughter), devoted themselves to education of the young.
(" Hear," slot laughter.) Ile could only say that vision was
in dreamland at present. A great objection to it was
that there were no institutions to carry on secular in-
struction, and if there were there would be no pupils to
go to them. ("Hoar, hear," and applause.) A proposal
to set up such a system seemed to him very much like a
proposal to set up a railway company in which there
should he no shorelvilders anti paeaeonnew (near, hear.)
Therefore, wlthoet disputing the abetract fact that it
was very desirable to know the alphabet (hear, hear), he
thought they might dismisa the idea that the people of this
country would ever give their money to support or ever send
their children to receive instruction givensby purely secular
institutions. (Hear, hear.) At all events, that was not the
view with which these institutions hail been set on foot, and
he thought that those who hail sacrificed their time and
money in the scheme had done so for religion and religion's
sake. (Hear, hear.) Secular education might be a very
good thing, but it seas not as that that men gave themselves
as these men had done (hear), and if it was for re-
ligion, using the canon's phrase, and giving another "dap
in the face daughter , he must say that it was for the
particular kind which in the strange dialect of the day, ,
was called •( denominational " religion (hear, hear, and
laughter); or what 110 should prefer to say, for the faith
of the church of England. (Applause.) There had
been another and a eery Strange phrase invented ; he thought
denominationalism was the negative of it (laughter): and
that Was unsectartan religion. It hail been .pretty dream I
In the mind of some esrnest and warm-hearted men, seeing
the divisions into which Christians were unhappily splirthat
it would he possible to eliminate subjects of difference, and
that when they had dOllO so there would be some forin of
religion which would remain as the residuum, and which
It would lie possible to impart to the young. He would May
saylthat lie had never yet seen any account of the doctrine
which had remained after the eliminating process. (Hear,
hear.)
lie hail often heard of "unseetarlan religion," but he
never could get any of its professors to give the slightest
Ito:omit of what it was. (Hear, hear.) The truth wiled hat,
unhappily the divisions of Christianity were so deep that
if unsectarian religion was professed to be taught, it meant
no religion lit all, or it nieant the religion of the group
nearly allied to denominationalism, who taught their
own belief and ignored the belief of everybody 'else.
(Hear, hear.) That was ail tiliSeetarian religion ac-
tually came to. (Hear.) At all events, he could under-
stand the way in which the term hail arisen. At all times,
and especially at times of great controversy, they would see
a certain Inlnsiser of distinguished men, blameless iu their
lives, pure in their purposes, earnest in their zeal to do good
to their fellow men, yet whose belief could only be described
as without "form and void." (Laughter.) He freely ad-
mitted the existence of such men, but he would say that
any historians looking back upon the history of rhris-
tianity, looking at it in a large sense, and not
examining individual eccentricities, would come to the
conclusion that all that had made the beginning of
religion famous and momentous in the world, the great
work it had done, the change it bail brought over the face
of civilization had been done entirely by men whose intense
religious enthusiasm sprung ont of an intense and definite
belief. (Applause.) Looking at it not from a Christian point
of view, but looking at it dynamically, ass Pagan might look
at it, they winlifi see that the plower of Christianity hart
arisen from the dogmas it hail preached. (Hear, hear.)
They, therefore, indulged themselves in a mere dream who
Imagined they could divorce the dogma from the practice,
that they could obtain, for instance, the enthusiasm which
had covered the land with schools and get rid of that attach-
ment to Christian doctrine from which that enthusiasm had
sprung. People would be about as sensible as to think of
getting fire without fuel. (Laughter.)
The Schools they were dealing with would teach the
doctrines of the Church of England in all their width and in
11l their liberty—which was a difference of sentiment and

, not a aubstantial divergence (hear), but the mere variety
of intellectual complexton—faithfully without mutilation
and without reserve. ft was for the sake of teaching those
doctrines that they had undertaken that work, and
he trusted that never, either now, or at any future
time, would there be any mistake on that point, or that
from any vague or sentimental belief in some indefinite
or nusectarian Christianity had those men really
made those exertions and those sacrifices. Hear, hear.
Those were the grounds upon which the Society proceeded.
They required their Liberal aid, and he was sure it would
commend itself, as part of that great effort, to combine the
teaching of the Christian faith with education, which had
already done so much in this country, and he was sure that
on no other ground would it obtain their assistance. He
wise sure that no other principle would be found, when the
experiment was fairly made, to commend itself to the con-
sciences of the parents of this country in whatever class of
society they might be found. (Loud applause.)
• -• • • • -

Lord Frederick Cavendish nett spoke, and said the
notion of the system being a party one was altogether
and antirely without foundation.
_.. ... .

The Chairman announced that the Marquis of Ripon
had offered 1:500 to the ayaein. Applause.)
The Bishop f Lichtield and Mr. Hugh Rule.
M.P.. and the Bishop of Chiehester also addressed the
meeting.