The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-23 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 23, 1862.

the evenitg, the prisoner brunet. to the other collector •
time-piece be had had to repair. He remained a short
period, and left with the other collector; he returned at
twenty minutes to nine o'clock, stopped a few minutes, and
again left at half-past eleven u clock. I loaded a
pistol belonging to me in the toll house, and
placed it on the desk—the charge was small
shot—from this flask—(a common pistol unloaded,
and • flask containing No. 4 shot were here pro-
duced, and identified by the wastes, who continued)—
About three minutes after 12 o'clock I went to the gate
to take toll of • geutleouni who offered rue half • sovereign
to change. I was detained about two minutes, arid then
beard the report of a pistol. I turned to see from whence
it came, and perceived a young woman lying near the toll-
house door on her side, and dorm by the footpath. Prisoner
was standing close by. He threw up his hands, exclaiming
" Good God, what have I done ! I did not think that the
pistol was loaded." This he repeated several times. The
first vitamin lifted the deceased up, and then I noticed blood
gushing very fast from the side of the head.
Mr. Leigh—Where did you next see the pistol produced?
Witness-1n the toll-house, • few feet from the spot on
which I had placed it, but I doe't know who put it there.
Mr. Leigh—Did you notice if it had been recently dis-
charged?
Witnem—l did not.

Mr. Leigh—Hare you any knowledge of either of the
young women?
Witnesa—l have seen them pan the gate occasionally.
Dr. Julius }Mistake, of the Berman Hospital—l have
made only an external examination of the deceased. There
was a large wound beneath the left lower jaw, as made by
shot ' • the jaw was fractured, and the large blood vessels
were injured. There were not any shot marks on the face,
they had entered priozipally in a body, but were slightly
scattered, and in all probability reached the bruin.
Carew,B69N—Whileon duty near the toll-house, between
12 and 1 o'clock in the moruing,tbe prisoner came to me from
a crowd of persons, and said, pointing to a woman lying on
the ground, •• I have shot this person, take me in charge."
I conveyed him to the station-house.
Mr. Leigh—Did he say that he was not aware the pistol
was leaded

Witness—No, sir, nor anything like it.
Sarah Hawkins, recalled.
Mr. Leigh—Do you know whether the prisoner and Susan
Dimmock had been acquainted with each other?
Witness—They had, sir, for some time. 1 don't know if
they bad kept company, or whether he was a single man.
Inspector Bowler, N division—l can produce witnesses to
show that they,had known each other a long time. I took
this charge at Hackney station• Louse, from the constable.
Prisoner appeared in much distress of n.ind, and wept. He
said, "I went into the toll-house while Tom, the collector,
was at the gate. I saw a pistol lying on the desk, picked it
up, and it exploded while I was examining it. A young
woman paving by was shot. I did not know that the pistol
was loaded. '
Phillips, the tollgate keeper, re.examined—Prisoner was
not present when I loaded the pistol While I was at the
gate he crossed the road toward the toll-house, hut I did not
see him enter there.

A young man, who Mated he was the prisoner's brother,
here stepped forward. He wss not sworn, but stated, " I wel
sitting in the toll house when the prisoner came in. I
heard the explosion ; but did not see him take up the
pistoL"
Mr. Leigh—This, if taken as evidence, would not throw
any light upon the matter. The prisoner will be committed
to Monate for trial, and if necessary you can be celled
there.

The depositions were then completed, and the aceneed,
who reserved his defence, was fully committed.

THE CASE OF SYSTEMATIC POISONING.

Yesterday Constance Wilson alias Catherine
Taylor was again brought up at Lambeth Pollee.court for
further and final examination, on the charges of causing the
deaths by pausal of Mn. Mazy Soames and Mrs. Ann
Atkinson.

The court, se on former occasions, was crowded to excess,
and the proceedings lasted till half-past seven o'clock.
Mr. Chipperfield appeared, as before, for the prosecution ;
and Yr. Neale for the prisoner. She remained seated in
the dock in the most perfectly unconcerned manner during
the lengthened proceedings.
Mr. Chipperfield said that be Bret proposed to complete
the evideuce in the case of Mrs. Scams, and this he should
do by calling one or two more witnesses to speak to the
facts already in evidence. He should all a gentleman
named Baker, who was trustee under the will of the late,
Captain Mower, of Boston, sad would not only prove the
amount of the primer's income, but would also speak to
her handwriting. He should also call a gentleman named
Sleath, who had been educated for the legal protemios, bat
who was now the editor of a Liocoloshire paper, is an ex-
pert in handwriting, and would prove that the several I
lettere which had been produced in evidence in the case were
in the handwriting of the prisoner at the bar.
Mr. John Henry Baker was then called, and deposed that
he was a builder, and the sole surviving executor sod trus-
tee under the will of the late Mr. Peter Hewer, the probate
of which be produced. Under that will the prisoner bad
life interest in eight dwelling-houses in Baton, producing
484 per annum, and also was entitled to the interest on the
sum of 1501. which had been produced by the sale of a share
in • ship, and which sum bad been put out at interest at 4;
per cent. On the 7th November, 1855. lie had paid the
prisoner the sum of 8121., which, after deducting the
succession duties, and the repairs of the houses, was the
balance due to her. In the year 1856 the payments he made
to her amounted altogether to 211. 16s. 6d., and he was not
aware that she had any other income. He was well ac-
quainted with the prisoner's handwriting, having received,
he should say upwards of a hundred letters from her, and
though he did 'not remember that he had ever seen her write,
be had always relied on and recognised her correspondence.
The letter already produced, and which reached the house
of the late Mrs. Stamm on the Monday following her death,
and which purported to come from the " man" with whom
it was alleged by the prisoner that the deceased had formed&
connexion, was here handed to the witness, who, after
minutely examining it, said that to the best of belief,
though written in a firm hand, it was in the hand-
writing of the prisoner. Re formed that opinion from the
spelling of some of the words, from the formation of some
of the letters, and from a comparison with the correspon-
dence he had in his possession.
Mr. Neale inquired of the witness if there was any money
now due to the prisoner 1
The witness replied—Not now.
Mr. Chipperfield—No, the last payment of 151. was made
to you, Mr. Neale, and I have your receipt for it.
(Laughter.)
Mr. John Sorfieet Heath was next called, and deposed
that be lived in West-street-road, Beaton, and was the
editor of the Lincolnshire Herald. He had known the pri-
soner for many years, and had himself been articled to the
law. The prisooer had communicated with him as a soft of
agent for her, and he received numerous letters from her in
1855, and down to the month of January, 1856.
He hail seen the prisoner write, and was well
acquainted with the character of her handwriting. The
letter now produced (the " man's " letter) he had already
examined, and he believed it to be in the prisoner's hand-
writing. He came to that conclusion from having compared
it with letters in his own possession, as well as with letters
in the possession of Mr. Chipperfield which bad been
proved io the case ; aod he proved that in eight or ten par-
' ticulars the letters have a strong resemblance both in the
shape of the letters and in the spelling.
Mrs. Sarah Allen, who bad been examined on a former
day, was now recalled, and in addition to her pre, dui
testimony deposed that she lived in Alfred.place Bedford-
square, next door to the deceased, whom she halknown for
many years before her death, and was very intimate with
her. She had seen her alive on the Wednesday preceding
her death, when the deeessed was cleaning her door, between
S and 10 in the morning, and was then in her usual good
health. The deceased was • very strong, healthy person,
and witness had never heard of her being ill. On the Satur-
day eveoiegafter the death witness was taken up stairs by the
prisoner to see the corpse, which had a very shocking and
dreadful appearance. The Bogen were very much drawn
up, the hands were partly clenched, and she features were
very much distorted, and in comequentie she (wltzses:l
mid to the prisoner that she thought the de
looked a very dreadful corpse. In reply to Mr. Chipper-
field, the witness said she remembered the circumstance of
the robbery alleged by the prisoner to have been committed
in the room she had occupied in the house of the deceased.
She bad spoken to the prisoner on the subject, when the
latter stated that she had been out, had been detained
longer than she expected, and that when she came home a
little after 12 o'clock at night, she found her room door
open, her drawers broken into, and everything carried away,
and she added that she had lost nearly 200/. in money and
clothes.

Sergeant White, 16 D, said that on the 29th of July last
be was present at the exhumation of the body of the late
Mrs. Soames, whose coffin bore an inscription which he bad
copied, and now handed in. He received portions of the
body of the deceased from Mr. Whedborn. They were
contained in six jars, one bottle, and three parade, and the
whole of which he (witness) delivered at Guy's Hospital to
Mr. Pryor, the assistant to Dr. Taylor.
Mrs. Riley (faulted) stated that she had been reffultrlY
employed as charwoman by the deceased on the Frulay of
every week up to the time of her death, and that on one
occasion the prisoner came to her in the kitchen, and said
she was so had with a pain in her face that she should be
glad if the witness would go to • doctor's shop for her.
Witness consented, and the prisoner pre her a phial about
the length of her first finger, and a small piece of paper. on
which was written what she was to get, together with six-
pence to pay for it. Witness cannot read, and therefore
cannot say what was on the paper. She took it with the
bottle to the shop of • chemist, in Tottenham-tart-road,
where she handed in the paper, got sixpsonyworth of the
stuff in the phial, and came away. She looked at the
phial because it seemed such a little drop for simmers. The
liquid was rather thick, and its colour was • dark brown. A
week gr two before the death of kirs.Soames the prisoner had
a ecevenation with witness about that lady. The prisoner
came to her in tie tole kitchen, and said to her, "M.
flames is going to change her situation, but I do not
think it will take piece, as she his found that the person
had not tamed oat as she expected, or what she thought he
was.", Witness thought the prisoner also WU that the
person wee a 'bus proprietor.
In tossearaninatics, the witness maid she had not stead
these totters when she was last stained, because she bad
Dot been asked about them. Lot week she was prepared
to make the same statement, but though in attendant she
was not called.