The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-21 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF POISONING

HORSES.

The bench was occupied a considerable time in
investigating a charge, brought before them by Mr. Samuel
Ballard Pickett, an extensive farmer an) miller residing
at Wroughton, against his carter, James Beasant, for poi.
seeing three of his horses. A report was produced from
Mr. Henpath, of Bristol, who had analysed the stomach of
one of the horses, in which he gave his opinion that the
animals had been poisoned by sulphuric acid, commonly
called vitriol. Mr. Pickett stated that since last spring be
had employed the prisoner as his carter up to July last; the
horses were kept in a stable seer to where the prisoner
lived. Down to the first of July the horses wen apparently
well and in good condition ; on the 2nd of July the prisoner,
went with three hones to Parton, and the under
carter went with one horse to Highworth, two other
horses went to harrow. All then six horses the prisoner
had the care of. He assisted the prisoner, oa his return in
the afternoon, to take the hones from the waggon, and
then went to a yard where there was a horse which had
been taken ill that morning, and there he also found that
the horse which had been to Highworth was affected with
the same symptoms of Maus. The three horses which the
prisoner had been out with came to the yard whilst he was
there, and he then saw that one of those horses showed
similar symptoms to the others. The appearance of the
hones was similar to those which have the fret. Rawlings
and his sow, the farriers, were on the spot giving remedies
to the horses, and whilst they were doing so a fourth horse
was taken ill in the same way. He thought at first they
might have been poisoned by eating some food which was
cut for them out of the orchard, amongst which were
some blue flowers, until he reflected that his father's
horse had eaten them for years without injury. He then
went to look at the young horse, which, not having show, d
such symptoms as the others, wu only drenched. The
prisoner, alluding to the weed we had been speaking of,
said, I wish I had not given them so much of that
Koff;" he said ho didn't thiqk the young horse we were
about to drench would hurt, as he hadn't given to it so
much;" it was an entire horse, and had been standing in a
loose box by itself. The first hone continued in great
agony until five o'clock in the afternoon of the next day,
Saturday, the 3rd of July, when it died. The neat morn-
ing the prisoner went with three of the horses which had
been drenched in a waggou to the brick kiln, and he re-
turned about seven o'cl...ck the tame morning. Those three
horses got much worse during the day; the next morn-
ing they were rill worse, and he sent (or a veteriasry
surgeon, Mr. Bailey, of Aldbournie, and he confirmed his
suspicions that the hones had been poisoned. One, Mr.
Bailey told him, was then dying, and it was of no use to do
anything to it, but the other two hones were bled. The
snood lase died ea Sunday senting. Oa the Tuesday
Mowing the third horse died. That wee a finlear•old
Muse. The other two were mares. He would an have
Men 601. each for them. He mused the sedens of por-
tion of the stomach of the first and led bens that died to
he hewarded to Mr. Herapath, of Mad, M =Wyse. The
Mom wen solely ender the prisoner's dregs. He never
Mow than addiede end or vitriol wee geed on his pre-
emies. he my impose. One evening he was walking
with the sad one or ewe ethers towards the
stable. TM Ideology said, " I wish I hadn't given 'ern
go End el that etas" whisk he eadweased le gaga the
weed, he remarked, "It is as* that, II le whet the boo
put boa their throats ;" the primer replied that be
wished he knew who it was that gave it to them. Maria
Cowley gad Thomas Parry, assistants in the shop if Mr.
LSII.II. of Parton, who sells drags, deposed to th,eipeaer's
harinisirat:Sisethreepaso_yworth of dant la a bottle
from P. O. Nabbea, sestiewed at regghton,
leek the et the bens. that died to Mr. Harspsth,
et I *et the mimes wove sewlysed ilacheratireentee,
sad he Isatheil that the berme' deaths had y been
caused by salpbede add ; he on
Weerales the des* :Pleleladellhenth earthilairsearch-
trig hi lime am& a Mesh glees bottle, white we. dry.
The are maw =made' Or bother widow. Wats
Ow* Mime.

MOLD= AT SIIII7IELD.—We =ay (Friday)
gave airier ef the murder, at et am
and, by Its tether, a young Mims eased Alfred
Wadthestee, sad eta attempt Myths same hand to awed-
mate the child's seem and amdise woman. The
cirtamshmess of the marder were hseesl yesterday at
the Is, Irk Mike Ile stems, Timms lke., mad
• highly lapeslable joy, end the ilist• es addled having
bees pmt la midease the jury Method a verdict of wilful
murder, and the misemer wee committed to York Castle.
TSB YBOTOSIA Vortlg, of Berlin,
the pamewr et Me may pleat of this species which has es
yet to lower in that city, has made 1,600
atholes, by
heed ex mthe public at about sightpaiee
.

SUFFOCATION IN • CIINIFOOL.—READINO,
Fal-
aar.—At ea ...y War rasa" =Main a man, named
Wicks, who lee hag bola raealtemat to well-digging and
the iskonsing ofemopeels, met with his death by suffoca-
tioa whist punning his ordinary evendos. He and two
' or throe others were at wart darks tho night in removing
NW ma trom a largo wompastsi=oluo nearly opposite
Chad Wadies ia Friar-street, end
ha:madasabi=ito the well. It ,being re
le piano a Mitt kb% ow of his fellow-workmen
, whoa dm makes po overpowered him, and he
fell into the soil, whish woo Ibis moral feet deep. Wicks
hastened to the rams of his komodo, sad immedieualy lost
all ecraostaralia, owl MN Wombs imumpood fa the altb.
The third labourer, dadireg it impoodblo to 'think the
two poor Allows from Ilide mikes pukka, oressed the
I inhabitants mar, sad ohoody the ailikasso of mood per.
seas was obtaiaid. mama of a repo the kosed sea,
rdor, wee gulokly dams up ordisbool; sad is a few
to.4aiiiee Wish, woo hologbt out in a aids ineeselbility.
A isedical man bad is the Worts boos ealbd to the spot,
and be, Muting the poiscemo pas had boos inhaled to
greet extent by the poor him reessmaided his removal
to the anspital, when the meat old mold be ren-
dered. On his arrival at dud bodkin he was found to
I be in a ewe of great exhaaltioa, sad broothod with din,-
culty. Seery attention was paid which are required, but
he continued to sink, and expired within two boars An
inquest wee held the sae day before the coroner for the
borough, and a verdict returned of "Accidentally suf.
faceted."

SALMON FISHINOIL—In the earlier part of the
sewn, both the sea and river salmon flehinp in the north
pave prosaism of such more seemed; and in the Spey and
Fiadhons there have been souse very heavy takes, but, as
a whole, the seem bee not been so seoeseiful a one u
was anticipated. Owing to the fineness of the weaker,
and the constant prevalence of southerly winds, the takes
both of grilse and salmon during the pee week have been
very light, and the season is new well Menaced, so that it is
gather to be feared that the yield for the full Sane will be
below an sverree.--Abdrams ivoinsal.