The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-06 00:00:00

NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Csnxiste, AUGUST 4.
The business at Nisi Prins, which was altogether barren of
interest, a as brought to a close
of the day wbefore mid-day. The Crown
Court was occupied the whole ith the following
trisl :
POISONINO A WITE.—John Thomrs, 42, was charged
with poisoning his wife with arsenic. e wesdefended byMr.
J ames.—Sericsint Wilkins, who appeared for the pro,c-
cution, said the facts of the cue arc as fol-
low: On the 6th of May, 1827. the prisoner was
married to his deceased wife at All Saints' Church, New-
cantle-upon-Tyne, and, that for anything that appears to the
contrary, they lived together on happy and peaceable terms.
His wife was a well-conducted women • moral 111 her habits,
and orderly in her person end her' home. They came
together, at Whitsuntide last year, to live in this city,
end immediately on their arrival took up their abode
in • fiat, mooting of two rooms, in Union. street,
where they resided entirely by themselves. In Sep-
' Umber last, unhappily for him, the prisoner formed
ero=u;intance with a woman named Cam, who lived in
s
-lane, and whom he had met by accident at a beer-
shop kept by a person named M'Bride ; and whatever may
be the result of this investigation, it wee a sad day for him
when he met that woman. From that day hie affections be-
came alienated from his wife and home ; et began to neglect
her, and hie neglect, becoming habitual, attracted the ob-
servation of his neighbours. When he was first introduced
to Cain he told her, in the hearing of other', that his name
was Peel, end for • time passed under that name, repre-
senting himself as a widower, and alleging that his wife had
been buried at Cromeennemby, Maryport. By such represen-
tations, end by constant visiting.. he prevailed upon her to
permit him to approach and address her ; and there is
no doubt that criminal intercourse was carried on
for a considerable time between him and this woman.
Now, although the prisoner represented to Cain that his
wife was dead end that be was a widower, she appears to
hare bed her misgivings on the subject—perhaps from its
being talked about in the neighbourhood; and she at last'
told him that unless he could produce • certificate of the
death and burial of his wife she would no longer submit to I
hie visitings, which were raising shame and scandal.
I
Shortly afterwards • letter came to her containing whet
purported to be the certificate of the death and burial of
Vary Thompson, of Crosecannonby ; and when she showed
it to the prisoner, on the occasion of his next visit, he
said it was the certificate of the death and burial of his
wife. Oa this the woman Cain became more satisfied.
and, upon her own showing, admitted him without
limitation to her house, and very frequently to her bed
On the 222nd of May the prisoner went to a druggist's shop
to purchase some arsenic. He told the druggist that he
lived at a place where, in truth, he did not live, awl that he
wanted the arsenic for the purpose of poisoning rata with.
On the 26th, there was • veal pie for dinner at the prisoner's,
house, and his wife putook of it, and the symptoms which
ensued are thus which result from arsenic. On the 26th, a
portion of it was given to the children of a neighbour, who
were afterwards seised with all the symptoms of en irritant
metallic poison. On the same day, Mrs. M'Oluson met
the prisoner's wife, and was struck with her altered ap-
pearances ,• bee eyes were swollen end blood-shot, and
she complained of pain in her stomach and bowels. She
continued to get worse, constantly vomiting and
purging, and suffering excruciating pain. During
this time no one was near the deceased during her meals but
the prisoner, who, on Wedneallay night, whilst she was
suffering from the Symptoms alluded to, went to Mrs. Cain,
end passed the night with her. On Thursday, the prisoner's
wife was worse still. On Friday night he again left her, and
slept with Mts. Cain. About half-pant four on Saturday
morning he went home, let himself in, and remained only
for about an hour, for at half-put five o'clock he was seen
to come out, taking with him the tin containing his break-
fast, and going to his work. A workman at Mr. Rich-
solion's went to the yard a little before six o'clock, and
found the prisoner there. At half-past eight one of the
neighbours, knowing how ill his wife had been, sent her
rinetie boy to inquire how she was. She was dead, though,
the innocence of childhood, the boy fancied she was
asleep ; and his mother, therefore, did not wish to disturb
her. When the media/ man celled, two hours afterwards.
she was dead and cold, lyiog on her back, with
her hair dishevelled, with no night-gown on, and
with the clothes pushed to the bottom of the bed. During '
the whole time of her illness this poor woman seems to have
had groat kith is oatmeal and water. which she drank to
slake Ist thiell ami to cool the scorching of her threat.
When the mom idled a little before ten o'clock, than
were enema emailain Su room which had been naeLltil.
e
poor eneten, MI iials erne of whisk die bed
hullo liweald appear, sous ashglings, gave
atrial ;lefties arias that none of the vessels siseeld be
removed, or their esueuts thrown out. A wawa was seat
for to class the lass, and cleaned it, bet awed the
contents et the leases. The prisoner was edisswards in
ow bon tw Naafi, and it was eon dismwerod that
tie emit led bugs emptied of that sennate sad
walled ent. Out Illalstrday Wm. Thomson id; ea tbe
sine day her atoms& was handed our to medial tut who
will be called before you. The eoranees Mouse was ad-
Awned till Tuesday, and from that day till Friday and Sis
Inky. On Bonds, the prisoner was is a stain of intense.
Vim, and at night slept at hi• Nay's on a 'hair, 1/3 the nor
waswith the woman Cain. On 'the Imo day the gsilise
task peassaden of his house and effects, and unapt deer
fan Mr' a bag of oatmeal in the impinged, its' ales Sinan
Winans] and some powder in a pepper maw. The oalmied
was found to be thoroughly impregnated and mixed with
arsenic. On Monday the prisoner went to the police end
asked for his working clothes, and war told he could
not have them. On being eked if he wanted anyt
he said he would like to have the oatmeal as he wtillails 1
oatmeal porridge. Now, he was not in the habit oilskin
oatmeal pomdge. On one occasion, when ulabd to take
sow" he had refused, stating he never could take it. In the
lodine of his working clothes, which the police refused to
Nis tip to him, war found a considerable quantity of arsenic.
Reilly after his wife's death, the prisoner went with
another person named Hind, to one Bell, an auctioneer,
end told him that he wished him, If he could do
so privately, and without public notice, to dispose
of his effects and property, as he wanted to leave
the town ; but he was frustrated in this by the
who bad possession of the house, and would not let
ga
On Friday he was at the Railway Hotel, with
who called his attention to the certificate he had sent
. He appeared astonished that Hind should know
lipthing about it, and earnestly besought him to keep it a
atSet, and never let it be known to any person. On Wed-
Mieley, the 2nd of June, the unhappy woman was interred,
end on the Bth the prisoner was apprehended. The inquest
was held on the 11th and 12th.—[The learned counsel then
read portions of the statement of the primmer before the coro-
ner, pointing out the contradictions it contained, and its in-
consistency with the facts as they would he elicited in evi-
dence. The first on which he remarked was the prisoner's as-
sertion that he was awakened about two or three onthe morn-
ing of his wife's death by her getting up. That was a false-
hood : he was not at home at the time, but was sleeping