The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-30 00:00:00

A VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY.

•
At the Manchester Assivw, Ilannah Steele has been in.
dieted for the wilful murder of Andrew Barris.
•

It appeared that the deceased had been senior
surgeon of the Manchester Workhouse, and that the
prisoner was head of the female lunatic ward there.
On the 10th of January last the deceased, who up to
hatil day had been in perfect health, was shortly after
breakfas; taken suddenly ill, and, becoming rapidly
wome, ultamotsydtsd at eight o'clock in the evening;
and the case for the prosecution was that he was
poisoned be atropine (the active principle of bella-
donna or deadly nightshade), which had been 'put by
the prisoner into the milk served to bim at breakfast
time. Atropine was stated to be used in some of the
wards for treatment of diseases al the eye, and one of the
doctors said that it was usual to serve it out to such of
the officers as required it for that purpose in small
phials containing a drachm apiece, which were labelled
poison. It further appeared that Mrs. Lythgoe and a
Mrs. Clark (each of whom was an officer in the work-
house) had tasted the milk served to Dr. Harris. and
had suffered severely in a manner indicative of poison-
ing by atropine, although they ultimately recovered,
one of them after two months' treatment in the hos-
pital and the other more speedily. The doctors who
were called swore that the symptoms in Dr. Harris's
case were such as are exhibited in the case of the ad-
ministration of atropine, and a phial on the doctor's
mantelpiece was found one-third full of spirits cu-
taming some of that substance in solution, while the
lane totortent examination pointed conclusively to the
same result.
A great many witnesses were called, including the
matron and the master of the workloniae, and it was
iiroved that the prisoner had beeo in the room of Dr.
Horns that morning after the milk Lad been taken
there from the kitchen as usual, and that she knocked
" '

at the door as she went in; as, also, that shooao mere
subsequently, about 9.39, while the deceased was at
breakfast; and in order to show a motive. it was proved
that tw.s days before the occurrence Dr. Harris hadcom-
plained of the pi isouer totheatithoritlea for not reporting
a case of illness in proper time, and that they had repri-
manded her. A witoesl also stated that on that occasion
the prhoner had said on leaving the rosin," Dr. Harris
has been telling a good few lieu; ill give him enough
reporting before the week's over." But as to this it
was proved on behalf of the prisoner, as also by way of
accounting for her presence in the doctor's room, that
it sV34 her duty to report ti the doctor every morning
say case of illness which might arise in her wet d, and
,att,r having cectom pap.is relating to such cases there
for his signature, to return and take them to the chap-
lain ; and fustiser, trait on the morning in ques..ion
there were papers to which it was her duty to obtain
the doc,or's a :mature, and a conversation which
bad been overheard indicated that she had asked
for the signature, but that the doctor had declined to
give it. it was, however, made out that the poie
mast have bean put into the cream jug after it laci
ipon taken to the deceased's roora, and the prosecution
in-fated that in addition to the actual fact of her
presence there that morning, the prisoner's guilt was
waved fust by her behaviour after the occurrence, and
by certain expressions used by her to the two women who
tasted the milk, and secondly by a statement made by
the doctor when in a dying state, which, after some
discussion, his Lordship admitted as evidence, and
which was to the effect that he thought Mrs. Steele
(the prisoner) had done it, and that hearing some one
move in hie sitting-room that morning while lie wee

washing in his bedroom, he had opened the door and
seen the prisoner standing there; and that the phial
had not been there the night before.
For the prisoner it was contended that the offence
had not been brought home to her; that the evidence
of the witnessed for the prosecution was uncertain and
contradictory; and that the behaviour of the prisoner
had been entirely that of an innocent woman who had
nothing to conceal. Further, that considering the
frequent use in the workhouse of the poison in question,
its presence in the cream jug might be the result of care-
lessness on the part of one of the nurses. Witnesses were
also called, who gave the prisoner a good character.
The doctors who were called stated that atropine
is an extremely deadly poison, and that even the
hundredth part of a grain of it is sufficient to injui e
life. It should be added that since the fatal occurrence
the system under which the phials containing tiffs
poison were carried freely about by the nurses has
been discontinued, and that it is now kept under lock
and key.
After a careful summing up by the leained Judge,
the jury retired for a short time, aud eventually
Acquitted the prisoner.