The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-21 00:00:00

LANCASHIRE ASSIZES.

CROWN COURT.-=',:v-Es+vi2DAY.
(Before Mr. .BAncix MitaitN.s
THE TRIAL OF THOMAS WINSLOW, FOR THE
MURDER OF MRS. JAMES, BY THE' ADMI-
NISTRATION OF ANTIMONY.
THE EXTERIOR OF ST. GEORGE'S HALL.
Although the trial was fixed for ten o'clock, and the
learned Baron did not arrive until that hour, long before
eight o'clock the approaches to the court were beget by
a large number of persons, principally froni the vicinity
of 4Vatrxhall-road, where the alleged crime was comniit-

ted, who expressed the greatest anxiety to obtain admis-
sion. On several occasions the police had much diffi-
culty in keeping the crowd back, indeed, throughout
the day, the anxiety manifested by those who could not
obtain admission was most intense ; and it was not until
a strong avenue was formed by the erection of some
large timbers that those who had actual business to
transact could obtain ingress and egress.
THE INTERIOR
of the Court was also densely crowded throUghout the
day, by a very large nuniber of poisons of respecta-
bility, who manifested a great amount of anxiety in
watching the case; indeed, we do not recollect a trial
in Liverpool that has created such a great amount of
sensation or so much interest.
Precisely at ten o'clock Baron Martin took his seat
upon the',bench, and immediately after the accused,
Thomas Winslow, was placed in the docks lie Walked
with a firm step, and repeatedly during the day appeared
much eicited, took notes of the answers given by the
witnesses, and had frequent interviews with his legal
adviser, Mr. Cobb, upon their statements.
Silence having been proclaimed,
The prisoner, Thomas WinsloW, was arraigned for
the murder of Mrs. Janies, by the adniiiiistiatidn of
repeated doses of antimony. The prisoner, in a firm
voice, pleaded a l‘itot
The following were the names of
THE JURY.

• Albert Fielding James Lord
John Brown Robt. Lawton
G. M. Franks I Joseph Popwell
w. Green Adam Pentony
Thos. Jolly Edward Scales
John Lees Nathaniel Yates.
Counsel for the prosecution, Mr. Bliss, Q.C., Attorney
General for the County Palatine ; Mr. J. B. Aspinall,
deputy-recorder for the borough ; with whom was Mr.
T. Temple, instructed by Mr. Walters, the prosecuting
solicitor. Mr, Digby Seymour, Q.C., Mr. Littler, and
Mr. Joseph Fenwick, instructed by Mr. Cobb, appeared
for the prisoner,-Mr. J. J. Pope, surgeon, acting as
medical assessor. •
In opening the case Mr. Bliss said that the prisoner
was charged with the crime of wilful murder by means
of antimony, which, it was alleged, he had administered
in small and repeated doses. The deceased, Ann James,
died on the 24th of June last, in the Liverpool Southern
Hospital. She had been attended by Dr. Cameron at
intervals from the preceding January. From the 6th
or 7th of June until her death her excretions were pre-
served, and, with one or two exceptions, were found, on
analysis, to contain antimony, as did also the viscera
and intestines, when examined after death. She died,
however, of cancer of the cmeum, a natural disease,
which had perforated the bowel, and caused her imme-
diate death ; and the prisoner was accused of aggra•
vating that disease by the administration of small
doses of antimony, and so accelerating her death.
She had been attacked before with repeated vomitiugs
and purl,-,sings, the former coming on suddenly after
taking food, and particularly sago, and then ceasing
suddenly, and though she recovered she manifested after
such attacks extreme nervous prostration and muscular
debility, which, with other symptoms, induced the
medical men to believe that such administration of
antimony had hastened her death. If the jury were of
opinion that the prisoner was the person who adminis-
tered this antimonye'and that he did it wilfully with the
intention of taking life or doing grievous bodily harm,
it was their duty to find_him guilty of murder. Having
described the early history of the deceased and her
family, the learned counsel came to the time when the
prisoner became acquainted with her. This was in
1854, when the deceased was keeping the eating-house in
Vauxhall-road,. and when her sister (the late Mrs. Town-
send), Mrs. Townsend's husband, and their three sons,
Martin, Samuel, and William, and the daughter Jane, all
lived in the house. The prisoner was first a customer,
then a lodger, and afterwards left his business (in a
foundry) and came altogether to live with Airs. James
and to assist her in the business. He very soon acquired
great ascendancy over her and became in effect master
of the house. In 1854 Jane Townsend married Henry
Cafferata,
wenta,
o a
nehr' residing in Manchester, and in
18him in that town, though she was
occasionally afterwards at Mrs. James's on a visit. Mar-
tinlive
kith
Townsend was a baker, and was occasionally absent
(having enlisted in the army), and William and Samuel
were musicians. Henry Townsend, the father, did little,
and was in delicate health, and the whole family were
almost dependent upon Mrs. James. At the prisoner's
suggestion the house was made a night as well as
1 day house, for refreshments and lodgings; it had
fourteen beds, and the prisoner slept wherever
there was a vacant bed. Mrs. James occupied
the back parlour over the cellar, the cellar being
used for refreshments and cooking. The prisoner cooked
what was wanted in the night and slept by day. He
had aceess to the deceased's room at all times, for the
purpose of getting change and giving her money, when
the door was locked the key being placed on the floor
under the door, so that the prisoner could get it from
the outside. Mrs. James had tolerable health until
Christmas last year. She was fifty-six when she died.
She had thriven in business,—her stock and furniture
being worth £2OO or £3OO ; she had shares in the
Liverpool Gas Company, worth £204 ; and £l3O in the
Savings' Bank, and at the time of her death, she had
about £3O in cash in the house. Such was the state of
matters, when in September, last year, Elizabeth Town-
send (sister of the deceased) fell sick and died ;
in the following December, William Townsen d
fell sick and died; and in January last, Samuel
Townsend sickened and died. Mrs. Cafferata was sent
for, and came over when her mother was ill, and she
nursed her. She also attended Samuel, and after
his death returned to Manchester. At the beginning
of February Mrs. Cafferata received a letter from the
prisoner, saying that her aunt was extremely ill, and
that if she wished to see her alive she must come over
immediately. She came, and found her aunt suffering
from extreme vomiting and purging. About this time
the attendance of Dr. Cameron commenced (at the pri-
soner's suggestion), and he immediately discovered that
the deceased was labouring under a cancer of the cceeum.
Under Dr. Cameron's care the deceased got better ; he
ceased his attendance, and Mrs. Cafferata went to Man-
chester again. On the 29th March Dr. Cameron was
sent for again, deceased being attacked with the same
symptoms. He attended, prescribed, and she was better.
On the 26th April Martin Townsend left the family,
and during the night the prisoner was assisted
by a person named Henry Bagnell. On
the 3rd of May Mrs. Cafferata again came
over to see her aunt, and never left her until the deceased
was removed to the hospital. 4 Dr. Cameron was again
summoned, and on the 19th he left Mr. James much better.
He was called in again on the 19th, found her suffering
from excess of vomiting and purging, and froth that
time he never lost sight of her till her death. During
May, and about this time Dr. Cameron's suspicions as
to the administration of poison were excited; and, in
connection with this the teamed counsel wished the jury
to recollect that on the 29th March Jane Cafferata was
absent in Manchester with her husband ; that on the
26th April Martin left, and did not return till the 31st
May, so that the prisoner (with the exception of the
servants) was the only person who prepared food for
the deceased during these intervals. He wished them
also to remember two other facts,---that on
.the 26th
May there was found in the drawer in deceased's room,
a paper purporting to be a notice for the withdrawal of
her savings' bank deposit and interest. It was signed "Ann
James." On the 28th May the prisoner went to the office
of the Gas Company, and enquired whether Mrs. James'
shares could not be put into his name. The prisoner
was told that it could not be done except by her making
a regular transfer by her will. The same day the
prisoner went to a Mr. Lloyd, solicitor, and arranged
for the making of the will, though he was not present
when the deceased gave her instructions. The deceased,
by that will, left the prisoner all her stock-in-trade,
goodwill, &c., the residue of her property being left in
thirds, one to Mrs. Cafferata, one to her child, and one
to Martin, and the prisoner being made sole executor.
Thus the prisoner was empowered to get possession of
everything : he could sell the shares, draw the money
from the bank, and the rest of the family might have•
remained utterly unacquainted with deceased's having
any property at all. On the 6th June Dr. Cameron's
suspicions induced him to have the excretions preserved ;
these were analysed by Dr. Edwards, and found to
contain antimony. Dr. Cameron then communicated
with the police, and on Sunday morning, the 10th of
June he went with two police officers to the house and
insisted on Mrs. James' removal. Now, it was most
important for the jury to remember that on Saturday
night, the 9th of June, Mrs. Cafferata made her aunt a
little sago. The deceased par took of it ; and Mrs.
Cafferata 'afterwards removed the cup down stairs; the
deceased went to sleep ; and at two or three o'clock next
morning brought her a cup of tea and an egg, which,
however, her aunt did not take, and which Mrs. Caffe-
rata placed on a chair by the bedside. She then slept
by her aunt's side until between ten and eleven o'clock
next morning, just before the arrival of Dr. Cameron.
She then found that the cup of tea had been removed, and
filet on the table, near her aunt's bed, was a cup contain-
ing sago. The prisoner, about five o'clock that morn-
ing, had made Mrs. James some sago, had brought it to
her, and she partook of it; - and the rest was left in
the cup upon the table. This cup, was taken by the •
police, and on its contents being analysed antimony was
found. After the deceased's removal to the hospital the
excretions found in her bedroom were analysed, and.
found to contain antimony in a free state--that is,
recently taken into the stomach, During the fourteen
days, ending the 24th June, that the deceased remained