The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-21 00:00:00

)I3ONING CABS.

ANOTHER

On Wed it. sday evening an adjourned inquest on
the body of Margaret Spoor, who died in the Newcastle
Infirmary on the 11th jut., was resurold in that rsstitutton.
The Coroner read over the depositions takes at the first
sitting, from which it appeared that the deceased was the
wife of Ben. Spoor, grocer, Witton•park, near Bishop Ai/ac-
hed. Ile stated that she had been oanfined to her bed fee
t►e but nine months, sod her medical attendants supposed
that she was labouring under stone ia the bladder, and
thought that she must undergo an operation which would
give her rebel. She was therefore taken to the Infirmary
two weeks ago. Witness saw her last on Tuesday morning.
When be heat went in, about twenty minutes pest eleven,
she appeared quite hearty, and said she thought she was
hotter than she had been for acme days. Wither left at
twelve but was sent far an hour later, and then
found deceased lying inseesibla He stayed with her until
between two and three o'clock, when she died.
glimbeth Scott deposed that she had known deceased
above twenty years, and had gone to the Infirmary to
nurse her liana she was admitted• Winsome gave deceased
some medicine out of a bottle given to her by the nurse at
the Infirmary, about 'aliquot 12 on Tuesday. When she
swallowed it she said, "They've changed my medicine, and
fir taste' like nuts." It was a fresh bottle witness bad given
her the medicine from. Almost immediately alter taking
the medicine abe complained of a pain in her left aide,
and threw herself back on the hied, and became convulsed
and itisensible.

Mn. ('ook, nurse of the ward in which deceased was,
deposed that she assisted the last witness in attending
epos the deceased. She was very ill on the Monday.
doe had a draft on the Monday morning, which had been
ordered by Mr. Hughes, and after she took it she said she
was free from the pain, but felt • very peculiar sensation
over her whole body, and said, "I believe nurse that I
shall die." Mr. Heath law the deceased on Tuesday morn-
ing, between tee end eleven o'clock, and wrote • prescrip-
tion for her. Witness produced the prescription, which
was written on • card. After it was written witness took
it to Mr. Hindmarsh, the apothecary, aid left it with him,
as she understood it would require some little preparation.
During the morning witness received the bottle already
produced from Mr. Hiedmarub. It then contained the
medicine which still remained in it. She took it into the
room where deceased was, and with a bottle containing
si lotion, which Mr. Heath had also prescribed. She en-
plsto d to deceased sod her friends the differencebetween
the lotion and the medicine, and told them not to touch
the former, as she would come in and administer it herself,
when Mrs. Spoor's relatives had left. Witness was sent for
after deceased had taken the medicine. Deceased was neither
sick nor purged ; she was unconscious. She bad had • slight
St on the Saturday previous when witness was present, and
another on Monday.
. .

Mr. Juan flughee, weiatant honsooturgeon at the Infir•
learn stated that be found her in a dye* state when wet
for and at oats fetched Dr. Bolton to see her. _

Dr. Andrew Bolton, howieTeurgeon to the Infirmary, de-
ify attention wee called to the deceased by Mr.r, on Tuesday afternoon. I immediately went to her.
I found her in • profound coma, cold, almost palmier and
with slow respiration. Her bps were livid, a frothy mucous
proceeding from the mouth and contras, and the pssls of
the eyes were fixed and dilated. The symptoms, is fact,
were much reeenibliog those of apoplexy. I was with Isar
two hours until she died, and kept op nal=l
end applied galvanism and the other remedies.
was moribund when I sew her, and my fist impression was
that she was Wolin from apoplexy. During my observe-
tioe I was not told she had medicine. I judged by the
symptoms merely, sad treated her accordingly.
Dr. George Yeoman Heath deposed—l first saw the de-
emed on her entrance into the Infirmary, oo the 3rd inst.
She was suffering from some internal complaint of • very
painful nature, extreme irritation of the bladder, and some
araplaint lathe womb. She had been under • great va-
riety of medical attendants before she came here, but they
had failed to relieve her of her pan. I treated her for lin-
ters of the bladder, and the other complaint. I saw her
ea
Tarry moraine and prescribed for her the same meth.
eine ea I have hewn in the habit of prescribing in similar
serpents. I judge by the smell of the mach* is bottle
" A" that it contains the medicine l ordered, bat I outer
may what else is in it, as I have not made an analysis of it.
I think it is right to mention that this medicine which I
lave ordered is similar in its properties to pure rid. It
is, in fact, • compound of preemie acid and prem. Accord-
ing to the dos, ordered by me she must have taken a ne,
peat overdose to produce ill effects. I see that there is
bandy a dose taken out of the bottle, and, therefore, if the
medicine were as I ordered it, it would sot have hurt her.
Two table spoonfuls was the dose I ordered, awl there does
not appear to have been mere than tha
addedt taken out of bottle
rs
water 1•a
late so persona" knowledge of the conteetatfitth:ll bottle!
as I have not Restyled it. I did not think Use oomplaist
in deceased's bladder wee likely to produce her death. I
have heard since that she hashed some fits, Lut I have no
personal knowledge of that whatever. I was not present
when she was takes ill. I think it is desirable that there
should lie a pee mover examination, as I could not with-
out that give an opinion rte the MUM" of her death. When
I maw her last alive re was in her usual etate of health.
I had not pemmibed the mane medicine for decreed before
as I prescribed for her ouTueeday morning.
The following additional evidence was then given—
fieptimus William Rayne, surgeon, depose I—in the
13th of the month I received from you two linz, bottle
and also an infirmary card (produced) with the sum of
Dr. Heath upon it, and several prescriptions, but the two
lad preeriptioes wen—August 11, • mixture contain-
Mg five grains of cyanide of prase to 12 oz, of water, two
tablespoonfuls three tilde 'day. The other is • common
Led lotion, composed of acetate of had and tincture of
erten. That is need for injection end lotion. Cyanide of
potato is not • usual prerriptioa. It is tantamount to
panic acid, and is equally as effective. In water the im-
portant part of it rhea to the top. 1 meta by "important
Mthe premier part. It should be shaken before
g token. It le • common thing for the dispenser to
give the none in charge of the patient directions that such
medicine should be well shaken before ring administered.
I did not make an Analysis ei the bottles. After I made a
post-mortem exacreatioe of the body I handed the bottles
and the stomach, with its contests, to Mr. Zenner, prep.
teed chemist, for analysis. There are no dinosaur upon
this prescription that the bottle should he shaken. Had
it been shaken the quantity ordered would not her been
too mach. I would not lay a peat stress are the bottle
brag shaken in so small • dare an that. I made apple.
sporran examination of the stomach on the 13th inst. The
general apparan es of the body externally ware three of
a woman about forty year of age. On opting the heed
I fiend the brain healthy with the moception of • ttit,
area of lymph spa the Nor akar of the kola,
wan of a chrome ohasener. There was also • "light cow
potion of the beak—more than need There was no
effusion on the ventricles. Ou operas the red the
beep ware fouad to be very meek esegered part,
elderly the lower end ha& porker,. alizio=t she
bad died suddenly, end had been partly Her
heart and great vessels were healthy, more than the
usual quantity of fat about the former. Liver heathy;
solemn a little softer than usual, bat that was of no cone"-
quanta. The stomach, on being opened, had the peanliar
videnty patches to a considerable extent, and ear &achy.
poor spots, which I corder therackriatio of pouring
either by cyanide of prase or bydrocyric acid. I did pot
see on examining Ler any organic cause that would causal
her death immediately except by poison. By the bottle
not being shaken the poison would be stronger on the top
than if it had been shaltr, Ths dome prescribed by De,
Beath would not have hurt the decried, even if the bottle
had not beou shaken. From two to three grains of cyanide
of pram have been known to camas death.
David 7A3iltif analytloal chemist, Newcastle, deposa—
-1 received • moiled jar containing • henna stomach, also
two bottles, marked A and B, from Dr. Rayne, on Friday
evening, the 14th inst. The bottles were also both sealed.
The bottle marked A COOtaiDlll •clear fluid, with • ticket
printed on it —" 2 table spoonfuls to be takes 3 times •
day"—in writing there was on it—" poke, of cyanide 5
grams, aqua 12 oz.—Mart. Spoor." There was no other
',Mien on the bottles. That bottle contained a medicine
to be takes inwardly. The other bottle was • lotion, or
rather an injection. I made an analysis of bottle A, and
found that it contained 46.11 th grains of solid matter
to the fluid ounce. The solid couteots contained one
grain and a third of runic Reid per fluid ounce • also
some carbonic acid, and nothing else. Cyanide of
pokes will dissolve clearly, mad remain ar • mixture,
and not first at the top. According to the quantity
I found in the tattle two tablespoonfulls would be
about an ounce of the mixture, and would therefore
contain one and • third pain of runic acid, or there-
abouts. That was quite sufficient to cause the death of
any person. 1 also examined nod made an analysis of the
contents of the stomach of the deceased. It contained
about two ounces of very viscid matter. I also dimmed
in it both prussic acid and prase. I tested for mineral
poisons, but I did sot ea any other poisonous matter. I
could not fix the quantity of prone acid I found in the
stomach—it was amalL During life it le absorbed, and it
ia also a volatile poems. If I were told that any peer
had uteri two tablespoonfuls of that mixture, I should
most certainly come to the coethisioe that they would
be killed 'any it. I should as, about a tablespoonful and
• quarter or • half of that mixture would kill • person.
N iuedentlie of a grain is supposed to be a kitbag dose of
dry prusec acid. That quantity has been knows to kill.
The injection bottle was full. I found none of it in the
stomach.
John Edward Diamond, of Newcastle Infirmary, de-
pned —I amin the d' of this institution, and have
been dispea,erabsit 1 years in the 'area situation. I make
up all the preeoriptions for both in and out-patiente. I
should think that I make up prescriptions for from a
lurked and fifty to two hundred patients on the average
per day, sod 1101110 patients have two or three mixtures. I
remember on the 11th irat. receiving that prescription
(card produced) of Dr. Heath to make up, but don t
member the same of the person it wee for. That is the
Gard. I have been is pretice about twenty years, and I
never had such • prieription se that to make up before.
The prescription is, "Cyanide of premium, five pains ;
water, 12.0 z.” I did not make up that prescription that
way. I made it up with OD grains to 16oz. of water. I did
not find out my mistake until the afternoon, ie the pre-
sence of the dressed, about twenty miring before abseiled.
I was Its the room all the time upon the epeeist( of this
inquest. I WILI, not advised not to volunteer • statement.
I was told to come down has, bet net to make
•oy statement until called upon. I Ina mg for up-
stairs, and on going up the card was show, to me,
sad I found that I had made it five peke to the