The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-29 00:00:00

----------
A variety of documents found upon the pr soner were
read, &ler objections made by Mr. Serjeant Wilkins had
been overruled. Ore was a letter from Mr. Peter klaeree,
c reirevan of the N dinnal Convention, transmitting 21. as
hishtgtoes, And instruetiog him as to the towns iu whh he
ougwa lecture. Another document was • i.migrel ic
con,
p.mition, c tiled "The Sang of the S .il," from tho 1,44
Frlrh. The prmpeetus of a new chartist penny news•
paper. The 7'mi/se Teller, was also ut in and read.
' This closed the case for the preveuptt in.
Mr. Serjeant Wilkins addressed the jury for the defence.
Mr. Knowles replied, and
Mr. Justice Cresawell having summed up,
The jury retired, and shortly afterwards returned into
court with a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner was sentenced
--7 to be imprisoned for two
years.
--.---'r------":

7ENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.—liefore Mr. Baron Platt
ALIA, En Po tette o.—Mary Spry., 49, and Marl AIM.
Dore, 24, her daughter, surrendered to take their trial
upon an indictment, charging them with the wilful murder
of Mary Anne Louisa Dore, • child four months old, by ad
ministering to h.r a quaetity ot deadly poison, white
arsenic. The bill preferred before the grand jury, d
inolving
the same charge, was ignored, and the prisoners were now
arraigned upon the c.roner's inquisition.
Mr. Bodkin, stated the cue to the jury, under
which the charge war preferred ; and although, from a
perusal cf the depositions, he entertained an opinion that in
the result the prisoners would be freed from the charge made
against them, yet he was sure the jury would say that it
was a very proper cue to be fully inquired into. The pri-
soners were charged with the offence of murder, the murder
being committed upon the person of tee child of the younger
prisoner and the grand-child of the other ; and he must ad-
mit that the evidence showed that the prisoners had uni-
formly treated the infant with kiednees and affection, and
that also there was an entire absence of proof of any. poison
being traced to the t osses.ion of either of the prisoners.
The learned counsel then gave a narrative of the facto as
they afterwards appeared in evidence, and said that as arse-
nic would be undoubtedly proved to be found in the sto-
mach of the infant, it was more satisfactory, not only to the
public but also to the prisoners themselves, The fol-
lowing evidence was then adduced.
Louisa Spry said The prisoners are my mother and
sister. The deceased was my sister's child. On the 13th
July an arrangement had been made by my sister to accom-
pany a friend named Martin on an excursion to the Isle of
Wight. The child was taken ill on that morning, and a
medical man named Woolmer was sent for, and his assistant
came and some medicine was given to the child, and my
sister and her friend went away with it. My sister returned
the next day, and the child died on the following morning.
Cross-examined : My mother is the wife of the steward of
the late Princess Sophia, and he is still in the establishment
until the affairs are settled. My mother and sister were
always very kind and affectionate to the child, and appeared
to grieve deeply at its death. The prisoners were both cum- I
mined to Newest° upon this charge, but were admitted to
bail by Mr. Baron Alderson.
Elizabeth Susan Spry, another sister, confirmed the evi-
dence of the last witne.s with regard to the illness of the
child, and also proved that Mr. Hustler, the assistant to the
medical gentleman who had been sent for, said that it might
take the journey with satety..—Crom-examined : I gave the
child a boiled rusk the night before. Nothing else was
given to it but the medicine ttat* was ordered. The child
had been affected with thrush from a fortnight old. My
mother and sister were always very kind and affectionate to
the infant—By the Judge :It was my sister's second child.
Mrs. Harriet Martin said : I am acquainted with both the
prisoners, and on the 13th July it was arranged that
Mrs. Dore sho Id go with me to the Isle of Wight, and
that her child should accompany her. I called at her
house to fetch her about 8 o'clock in the morning, and found
the child had been unwell. We set off on the journey, and
when we arrived at Gosport the child was worse, and the
prisoner Dore appeared very anxious about it, and said that
she had observed appearances which alarmed her. When
we arrived at Ryde a medical gentleman named Bloaam
was sent for, and he prescribed a warm bath and castor oil,
and ultimately, at his suggestion, Mn. Dore prepared to
retuin to London with her child, and witness accompanied
her to Gosport, and saw her start with the intent by the
express train for London.—Cross.examined : Mrs. Spry was
a very kind humane woman, and always appeared very affec-
tionate to the child.
Mr. Frederick Hustler said : On the 13th July I was en-
gsged as an assistant to Mr. Woolmer, a surgeon at Pimlico.
Mr. Woolmer was tin town at this time' and I was let:
to manage his establishment, and his nephew had the charge
of dispensing the drugs, and a surgeon in tee same neign-
bourbood, named Driver, was in charge of his patients. A
message was sent Irons the prisoners to Mr. Woohner cu the
moruing of the 13t , July, and I went to their house t nil saw
the child, which was crying, and appeared to be in great pain.
I administered some soothing medicine, likely to ease the
pain =amuse sleep, withott consul. ing Mr. Driver, as I did
not think the case was a serious one. Mrs. Dore asked me
if she could safely take the child with her, and I told her she'
might do so. The next day I was sent for again, and found
me child's symptoms very much changed, and I was alarmed
in consequence, and sent for Mr. Driver, and informed him
of the nature of the cue. On Friday, the 14th, Mrs. Spry
asked me what 1 had put into the medicine, and I said,
that if the child had taken anything wrong, they
must have administered it themselves. They appeared quite
satisfied with my proceedings at the time.—Baron Platt :
De you mean to say they appeared to be satisfied when you
told them that, if anything wrong had been given to the
child, they must have administered it themselves I—Wit-
ness Yea; they appeared to be satisfied.—Examination
continued : We keep white arsenic in our shop, and also
another preparation of arsenic called liquor arsenicals. The
former is never used in any medical preparation. The white
arsenic was kept on a shelf by itself, and the other prepara-
tion was kept on another shelf underneath it. lam quits
sure I did not take down the white arsenic at the time I
made up the preparation for the child.—Crom-examined
It is not safe to keep white arsenic in a shop
of the description of ours. Mr. Driver ordered me to make
up a powder of calomel. Calomel is a white powder similar
to arsenic. Mr. Woolmer's nephew saw me make up the
powders. lam not a member of the College of Surgeons or
a licentiate of the Apothecaries' Company. I never saw •
case of int us-suscept ion, but I have hoarder such a malady.—
By the court : It is not part of my duty to dispense medi-
cine, but I did so in the morning on the first occasion be-
cause Mr Woolmer's nephew had tot come down stairs.
The sec ,n.l time I del it because he was busy making ep
otter medicines. The colour of ar-enic and cakiniel is the
same, and there is very little difference in their appearance
except that one is finer than the other. It is my duty to
see that the bottles are replaced in tie it proper position when
May are taken down. The bottle which contains arse.iic has
a gold label with black letter., and the other preparation of
arsenic has a different kind of label upon it. I was
in a hurry when I made the second lot of powders.—By Mr.
Clarkson : Mr. Woolmer hm since given up his retail drug
trade, and I have perchased it. I gave 2001. for the trade
and goodwill.
Mr. Woolmer said : I left the last witness in charge of my
house, and he had nothing to do with dispensing medicine.
That duty was to be performed by my nephew. I came to
town on the 19th July, and in consequence of being informed
that there was some difficulty about obtaining a certificate of
the canoe of the child's death, I went to the prisoners house
sod sew both of them there, and the grandmother com-
plaiced of the conduct of Mr. Driver, and said that
he had acted in an unkiad and ungentlemanly
Neanner, and that he had said it was an inquest
ere. She at the lame time time remarked that if the
child had taken anything emote/ it must have been given by
sty assistant, and she strongly objected to *post martens ex-
amination being m de icy Mr. Driver, but said she should not
shject to my making one. Apost mortessa examination did
subsequently take place, and l saw that the child Lao set-
tered from intu—rurcepti,n, and there were extensive marks
of inliammaion from that cause-, and I have no doubt that
this was the occasion of the death of the child. The disease
in question was in such an advanced stage as to be Are-
curable, and it would account for all the symptoms that
were exhibited before death. In consequence of some other
appearances in the stomach, that organ and ita contents
were subsequently submitted to analyeation by Mr. Rogers.
Mr. R. W. lib xam, a surgeon at Ryde, proved Mat he
was called on to see the child by she younger prisoner on the
18th ; he found the infant in great pain and vombing. I
trescribed a p :wder composed of mercury and chalk, and the
child was also put into a warm bath, and castor-oil was ad-
main:stared to it. At first I did not suspect the existence of
the disease called intue-suseeption, but on the following
morning I believed it to exist, and told the prison( r so, and
explained the nature of the malady to her. I sanctioned the
child being taken home by its mother. She appeared very
mush distressed at the condition of her child, and did every-
'Wag that I directed to alleviate its sufferings.
Mr. H. T. Waterworth, assistant .to the last witness,
proved that he made up the powders ordered be him ac-
cording to his pre,cription.—Cross-exataintd : Mr. Bloxam
does nit keep any arsenic or any preparation of that ncure
In his shop. They are kept locked up in another room.
Baron Platt : That is a very proper precaution.
Mr. Driver said : 1 tin a surgeon, residiug at Pimlico, and
in the absence of Mr. Woolmer, I had to ettlend to his
patients. I was sent for to see the child alter it returned
from the Isle of Wight, and it was evidently labouring
under the malady called into-shsception—a locked bowel. I
first administered castor-oil, and ordered a poultice to be
applied to the abdomen, but, finding no relief was obtained,
I directed Mr. Hustler to fetch three or four grains of
calomel. He was not gone more than three or four
mir.utes when he returned with the medicine I ordered, and
I administered two or three grains to the child. I then
directed Mr. Hustler to provide-ether powders of the same
description, and told the prisoner to administer them at in-
tervals of two or three hours. The powders were sent, and
I suppose Mr. Hustler obtained them from Mr. Woolmer's
surgery. I expected there would be a fatal termination of
the case from the commencement. The child died on the
Saturday morning, and I told the grandmother that in con-
sequence of my being unable to account for one of the symp-
toms, I considered it would be advisable to have a post
mortem examination. Mra. Spry objected to this, and said
she had had a great many children and never had any
trouble before. I said I was very sorry, but I could not give
a certificate until I had further information. When the
post martens examination took place I was satisfied that the
cause of death was the locked bowel, and I gave a cerilfleate
to that effect.
Mr. Woolmer, the nephew of the former witness, said:
It was my duty to dispense medicine during my uncle's ab-
sence, I remember Mr. Rustler mussing late the shop on the
evening of the 14th of July. He made up the calomel
pewees ordered by Mr. Driver. I myself 'made up some
other powder; of the same descriptive for the child on this
evening. The powders were composed of calomel and sugar,
which we keep ready mixed, and a portion of tartar emetic.
The powder was white. I know that white arsenic was kept