The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-15 00:00:00

Sam ad Volta.

THE BURDON POISONING CASE.
Is the criminal annals of England, or in those of any
other country, there is not to he found a more
singular trial than that which was concluded on
Tuesday last at Durham. It is true that the case
was destitute or all romantic incidents; there was no
suspicion that the unfortunate deceased fell a victim
to the illicit passions, or even to the avarice of her
husband, who stood charged with her murder. The
fearful crime of poisoning was never perpetrated
beneath a plainer roof, or under circumstances less
calculated, one would suppose, to engender evil desires
But in the whole transaction there is such a depth of
mystery, that the case must be perused with great
interest, and it further shows how life may be sacri-
ficed through the absurd scru2les of those who
should be its natural guardians.
Joseph Smith Wooler was indicted at Durham on
the 7th inst. for the wilful murder of his wile, Jane
Wooler. Mr. E. James, Q.C., was the loading counsel
for the prosecution; the defence was onducted by
Mr. Serjeant Wilkins and Mr. Overend ; Mr. Baron
Martin was the judge.
Mr. and Mrs. Wooler had been married for
eighteen years, and during the whole of that period
had, so far as appeared, lived happily together. Mrs.
Wo iler was the daughter of a medical man ; the cir.
cumstances of her husband were not stated, but it is
to be presumed that he had a small independent for-
tune. They resided together at Burdon, near
Darlington, and kept only one female servant. In
this place :hey had dwelt tor seven years, but previous
to that had travelled abroad, and had made two
voyages to India, where they had stayed some time.
During those voyages the prisoner had been accus-
tomed to keep a stock of medicine, and when he last
returned to England be had brought with him a
basket of bottles containing medicines, some of them
deadly poisons. This basket it will be seen was often
referred to in the course of subsequent proceedings.
The maid-servant who resided with them was
named Ann Taylor. About seven years ago she had
resided with Mr. and Mrs. Wooler for six mouths,
and she bad re-entered their service iu March, 1854,
about fourteen months before Mrs. Wooler was taken
seriously ill. There were no other than these three
persons in the house until after Mrs. Wooler's illness
became serious.
Mrs. Wooler had been for some time in delicate
health, and Mr. Wooler was incurably lame, so that
he was dependent on his wife for continual assist-
ance. This dependence, according to the wiriitesses
who knew them best, had generated a moat affec-
tionate feeling on both sides. In all household
matters Mrs. Woofer had entirely her own way. Her
husband never contradicted her. The ruir who
kept their garden in order said that Mcs. Wailer
'4 was a very kind Tidy," and that he often saw ba with
her husband in the garden, " very kind to each other."

1189

Miss Elizabeth Lanehester, who had known them
intimately for the seven years they had resided at
Burdon, and who had stayed with Mrs. Wooler
during the last month of her illness, and slept with
her in bed, spoke to their domestic happiness. "/f
she had a wish, and he knew it, he would gratify it."
This was also the testimony of Miss Bucknell, Mrs.
Wooler's sister, who had resided with them some
years previous for three months at a time, and who
came to see her sister some days before her death :
" I never saw anything but the greatest affection he-
tweea them. I believe she was allowed to have her
own way in everything." Shortly before her death
Mrs. Wooler remarked how kind her husband had
always been to her.
On the Bth of May last Mrs. Wooler became very
and was seized with violent sickness ; she re-
sisted the proposal that a medical man should ho
called in, but her husband insisted on it, and Dr.
Jackson, of Darlington, was sent for. He treated her
for dyspepsia, but a week after sh 4 became worse and
had vomitings, which continued a\ intervals of a few
hours until her death, and usually about every two
hours. Soon after Dr. Jackson first attended her he
had occasion for some medicine to administer to a
patient near at hand, and Mrs. Wooler went to a
cupboard and brought out an Indian basket contain-
ing about thirty different medicine', and among them
Fowler's solution of arsenic, veratria, strychnine, nux
vomica, corrosive sublimate, calomel, sweet nitre,
ipecacuanha wine, Altrop's mineral, and tincture of
iodine. Mr. Wooler, when asked by Dr. Jackson for
what purpose he kept those dangerous medicines,
replied that having been at sea for six months toge-
ther, he had gut into a habit of keeping them.
Some of the bottles were labelled from Bombay,
and others from the Cape. On the 18th of May
she was seen by Dr. Jackson's medical assistant,
Mr. Heuzell, who found her in a state of extreme
weakness, with uneasiness at the pit of her stomach,
pulse at 110 to 120, nausea, and a discharge from her
bowels of mucus, tinged with blood. At that time,
however, she continued to sit up. Mr. Henzell did
not visit her again until the 4th of June knowing,
and then, perplexed, he says, by so many symptoms
for which he could not account., he was led to con-
jecture that arsenical poison might be the cause, and
that it had been administered in small doses over a
long period of time. As she evidently became worse,
Dr. Jackson suggested that other advice should be
called in, and Dr. Levey, the brother-iu-law of Dr.
Jackson, was sent for. On the 7th of June Dr. Jackson
first suspected that arsenic was administered, and then
commupicated his suspicions to his assistant, adding
emphatically—" Poison is there, and there is some
person in the house who understands the use of it."
We may presume that his suspicious at this time rested
on Mr. Wooler, as he said nut a word to him OD the
subject, but spoke of his wife's condition as very
serious, and said be thought she was consumptive.
and had ulceration of the bowels. Mr. Wooler then
appeared angry that he bad not been informed of
this before, and said he wished to have the best
vice called in. On theBth Ji W-
versatiou on the sub.
clergyman of the ne
Dr. Ilazlewood, and
sent for, and he
until her death.
her with special refE
husband seemed no
the lungs slightly
diate importance to
far as her lungs •
At this time he
chance for her'
was first called
ipecacuanha, and,
produced the Indian
posed:—
My attention was specially called to three bottles, contain-
ing respectively veratria, strychnia, and liquor arsenicalis.
I understood the last to be Fowler's solu:ion of arsenic,
and spoke of it as such to the prisoner. 1 joked with Mr.
Wooler on his having so much poison, and said, " Why,
you have enough here to poison all Burdon." nut was
the only day that t saw those bottles.
From such expressions as "My attention was
specially called," and " I understood the last to be
Fowler's solution," it would be thought that sofas
conversation as to this basket had taken place be-
tween Dr. Jackson and Dr. Hazlewood, but the for-
mer gentleman and Mr. lienzell say that they did
not communicate their suspicions until 17th June,
when Dr. Haziewooti's thoughts were first directed
into that channel. On neither occasion, when the
basket and bottles were exhibited, did Mr. Wooler
appear to think that the smallest concealment wad
necessary.
Up to the 17th June Mrs. Wooler had been se-
riously ill for about six weeks, and it is impottint
to note what the conduct of the prisoner had been
during that time. As bliss Lanchester says that slie
stayed with the deceased fora month before her death,
it is to be interred that she arrived at the latter
end of May. The niece of the prisoner, Mar-
garet Wooler, a girl of fifteen, came to stay at his

the Bth June Mr. Wader bad a con.
abject with the Rev. Mr. Simpson, a
neighbourhood, who recommended
nd that gentleman was immediately
continued to attend Mrs. Wooler
He seems first to have examined
eferencelo consumption, which her
most apprehensive of. He thought
y diseased, but attached no imme•
to that, saying she might live, so
a were concerned, for twenty years.
be thought that there a was a
On the oth June, the day after he
in, he bad occasion for some
, mentioning his wish, Mr. Wooler
idian basket. Dr. liazlewood de-