The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-26 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OP POISONING AT

VORIf.

All the persona in the family of Mr. Cooke,
optician, York, who had partaken of something for
dinner which had caused them to be ill, have recovered.
It appears that an apple dumpling and mince pie, of which
the family bad eaten, contained poison. Antimony was

mentioned in our former report ; and it was
thought at the time, from the symptoms which were
exhibited, that either antimony or arsenic had been used.
The analysis, however, of a portion of mince pie and a small
quantity of flour by Mr. Greener, has clearly proved that
the flour contained a considerable quantity of arsenic, and
quite suffizieut to produce a fatal effect. From what bad
previously transpired it was quite impossible to suppose
that the poison bad found its way into the flour by accident,
and therefore Mr. Haley, the superintendent of the police,
instituted a searching investigation into this most mysterious
affair, and be so far succeeded as to feel himself justified
in apprehending on Monday Mrs. Maria Edwin Cooke,
wife of Mr. Cooke'■ eldest son, who lived apart from the
rest of the family, keeping a watchmaker's and optician's
shop, in Coney-street. The prisoner was brought up yester-
day at the Guildhall, before the Lord Mayor, for examine•
tion. She was usatteoded by any legal adviser.
. .

The principal evidence against the prisoner was that of
Alice Clancey, who said—l went to live with the prisoner.
Mrs. E. Cooke, on the 20th January last, and I continued
to live there until about six weeks ago. About spring, some
six or seven weeks before the first poisoning in June,
my mistress made me an offer while we were in
the kitchen together. She began by saying that
she was very much annoyed at the way in which her father-
in-law's family behaved to her, and added that she waoted
to do something, would I assist her in accomplishing it! I ,
naked her what it was, and she replied that "if she mixed
up something for me " would I take it and put it into the
flour bin on Bishop-hill, and she would not mind giving
me a 51. note if it proved effectual. I answered her that I
would not do it for the world. Mrs Cook, then said if I
would not assist her she would not think anything more
about it ; neither was Ito say anything about it. After the
poisoning in June last Mrs. Cooke came down to me in the
kitchen, and said it was a good job she had nothing to do
with it, and she also added at that time that Mr. Cooke's
family were not well liked, and they had a number of
enemies.
The prisoner, in reply to the magistrate's clerk, maid, " I
am perfectly innocent."
She was remanded until Monday next, to give the police
an opportunity to pursue their investigations. The prisoner
would be allowed to go out of custody on finding two
sureties for 1001. each.

The prisoner in young, and has a very ladylike and
prepossessing appearance. During the examination she
did not seem much impressed with the serious position in
which she was placed. She answered all questions put to
her firmly and unhesitatingly. Great excitement has been
created in York :by the event, and the court was crowded
to excess during the examination.