The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-28 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.

Aw *fleet was held by Mr. W. Carter, the
con.asr for the eistera divides of Surrey, on Saturday
evening, at the Nearer Been Teems, Upper Stamford.
street, upon the body of Lisa Olseister, • dne young
woman, nineteen yarn of age, who destroyed here& by
poison under the following melancholy and painful circum-
stances.

The deceased, it appeared, bad resided for about a month
at No. 99, Upper Stamford-street, with a gentleman named
Whitney, and they passed as man and wife. There seems
to be no doubt, however, that no legal relationship existed
between them, and that her supposed husband bad inti-
mated his intention of separating from the deceased, and
this had led to the coninuasion of the fatal act.
Thejury ha mg performed the melancholy duty of viewing
the body of the deceased , who it is panful to IWO there is
no reason to doubt was far dvaaoed in pregnancy, the fal-
lowing evidence was adduced.

Sarah Jane Toole, a married woman, deposed that the de-
ceased was Weider, and mince February last she had bees
living with • man named Charles Whitney, and they
as man and wife, but from what the deceased had tot her,
she had reams to believe that they were not married
Wedding cards, were, however, sent out by them.
They had latterly been residing at No. 99, Upper
Stamford-street. On Thursday evening last the ser-
vant of the deceased, named Elise blayarnan, came
to her house, and in consequence of what she told
her she went to the residence of the deceased and found her
sitting on the bed hi the back drawing-room. Yr. Whitney
was in the room. The deceased appeared very ill and asked
witness not to leave her, and she seemed in very great pain,
and asked witness to rub her hands. Mr. Whitney then
said that she had taken poison, and the decemedmid she was
very sorry for it, and again egad witnem not to leave her.
Witness at once sent for a medical man, and Mr. Dodd, •
surgeon living in the neighbourhood, and also his assistant,
came almost immediately, and the deceased was then
alive, but died very shortly afterwards. On Thursday
afternoon, about half-past three o'clock, the deceased came
to her house and wanted her to go with her to look after
soother house, but she was unable to go, and the deceased
went away, and returned about half-past five o clock. At
this time she bad a letter in her hand, and she appeared
very much agitated, and mid she had brought the letter to
open it, as it wan one Mr. Whitney was rincto send.. to
ha wife' The
.108reltitdiiirtall Was' ni;t.
Goosaiwd opened it by steaming it. Witness's husband
carne in at this time, and the deceased put the letter in her
pocket, and went out of the room to read the letter. The
deceased then staked her to let her out, and she west to do
so, and the deceased took her into a back room
and said that she had read the letter, and that it
was addremed to Mr. Whitney's wife, and that it finished
by saying that be wool ibe home in a fortnight. The de-
b ceased was vary much agitated when she laid this, and she
maid that he should never go. Witness tried to compose
her, and told her not to sacrifice her life for any man,
and she replied that she would macrifice his life as well as
her own. !Witness entreated her to be calm, and not to
think of committing any act of violence, sod the deceased
said that he should never go home. The deceased had coin.
Whined of ill health for some time, and witness was aware
that she was In the family way, and she believed that
this had affected her mind. She never heard the
deceased complain of any ill treatment either from
Mr. Whitney or any other person. She had only recently
become aware that he was a married man, and since the.
she had repeatedly told her that she was very wretched.
She said that she had maintained that Mr. Whitney had •
wife and that he was going to live with her and leave her,
but that he had promised to provide a house for her before
he went away. Witness was of opinion that the pregnancy
of the deceased had affected her mentally.
-- •

By the Coroner—My sister was dreadfully suited after
she had read the letter Mr. Whitney bad written to hie
wife. Ever since she had understood that he was a married
man and that he intended to leave her she had been very
low spirited.
Elise Hayman deposed that on Wednesday last she wee
engaged by the deceased as domestic servant. She saw heir
at the house, No. 99, tipper Stamford-street, and the de-
ceased told her she was the mistress of the house, bus she
was only to call her "ma'am," and not by any name. A
gentleman was in the house. He was in bed, and appeared
to be very ill, and the deceased told her that this ge=
was her master, and witness believed that he was the
deceased's husband. On Thursday afternoon the deemed
went out about ball-past three o'clock, and did not
return until half-past four. While she was gone
her master gave her a letter to take to the
post and • shilling to purchase • stamp for America. Wit-
ness could sot read, and therefore could not tell the address
on the letter. She met the deceased as abe was going to
post the letter, and she asked her where she was going, and
when she told her, she asked her for the letter, and She
pre it to her, and they both went back to the house to-
gether. The deceased went out again, and when she came
back she gave witness the letter, and told her to hide it,
and not to say anything to her master about it. At this
time the letter woe open, and the deceased said that she
would put it into • fresh envelope, and send it where it
was directed to. Witness had pomeseion of the letter until
Friday, when she gave it to her muter.
The Coroner—Do you know what has become of it?
Witness—He threw it into the fire. She then went on
to state that after the deceased gave her the letter she told
her to make tea, and while she was doing so the deceased
went into hysterics, and repeatedly exclaimed, "Oh ! that
my poor mother were here !" About eight o'clock the
deceased was in the drawing-room with her alone, and
she gave her half-a-crown and told her to fetch some
bread and butter, and she also gave her a blue paper and
told her to go to Mr. Dodd's, the surgeon in the Waterloo.
road, and ask for a packet of the same thing the
blue paper had contained. The deceased at the same
time told her that she was to say that the article
was wanted to kill rats, and that they had • great
many rats in the hones, and that they came into the
drawing-room. At nine o'clock Mr. Dodd's boy brought the
packet, and the deceased told her if her master inquired
who it was that had been abe was to say that it was some
one inquirin for • Mr. Brown. Shortly after this she saw
the put some of the stuff contained in the packet
that had been brought into • tea cup, and she mixed it with
water and stirred it with her finger, and then told witness '
to go down into the kitchen and fetch her a piece of soap.
She left the room, and almost immediately afterwards she
heard a scream, and upon going back to the room where
she had left the deceased, she heard her say, "Oh, Charles,
I have poisoned myself." Mr. Whitney was there, and he
was supporting her. During the day her master had in-
quired of her whether she had purchased any poison, and
ebe told him she had not, and she also told him when she
went to Mr. Dodd's that she had been to fetch butter.
Mr. G. Hump, assistant to Mr. Dodd, • surgeon, deposed
that on Thursday evening the bat witness came to his shop in
theWaterloo-romi,and asked for two packets of Battle' s vermin
killer. They had none, but as the girl said it was wanted parti-
cularly, sod cabs produced • paper that had contained the
seer article, he did not think there was any thing wrong,
and weed to procure it, and send two packets to the de.
oesseds house in the course of the evening. About 9 o'clock
be was sent for, acd he found the deceased lying on her
hack, with her body completely arched, and resting upon
her heels and the back of her head, and presenting all the
appearances of poisoning by strychnine. Witness attempted
to give her an emetic, but spasms came on, and she could
not swallow, and bit the glass with her teeth. She died
about ten minutes after witness arrived, and from witness's
knowledge of the effect of strychnine upon the human body,
he had no doubt her death was caused by taking that
poison.
Mr. Elijah Dodd deposed that he also went to the house
and raw the deceased She was alive when he first saw
her, but died very soon afterwards. Witness mild Bettle's
, vermin killer, and he was aware that it contained strychnine.
A certificate was pot in, which stated that Mr. Whitney
was too ill to be able to attend, and that several days
must, in all probability, elapse before he would be in a con-
dition to give evidence.
The Coroner asked the jury whether they considered it
necessary that he should Le cannoned. U they did be
mid he would readily adjourn the inquiry.
The jury said they thought it was quite unnecessary.
They had all the facts before than.
The Coroner then summed up, and the jury returned •
verdict " That the deceased destroyed herself while in a
state of temporary mental derangement."

THE MUSD= IN THE QUZIN'iI PARK, EDI:I-
-zmir:H.—On Saturday afternoon, Jobe Tanner, the private
in the 13th light Dragoons, who was 111711144(1 on Sunday
week on suspicion of being concerned in the Queen's Park
murder, was liberated from custody by order of the sheriff
and the crown authorities. After a full week's investiga-
tion, during which nearly one hundred witnesses were pre-
cogneeoed, no tittle of evidence could be obtained to
support the dreadful charge upon which be was appro.
hended. On his release be was delivered over to a sergeant
and a file of privates at the door of the Lock-up
in Parliament-opiate, and was taken by them to
Piershill Barracks. He wee there, we understand, planed
under arrest for haying been absent on Saturday night, the
18th. without leave, but was set at liberty yesterday morn-
ing. It is said that he is of rather a weakly constitution,
and has suffered much in his health during his confinement.
The authorities are still sasiduoualy continuing their inves-
tigations, but no further apprehensions have been made,
and, indeed, the inquiry seems to have come to • dead
lock. As has been already stated, the great and hitherto
insuperable obstacle to be contended against is the difficulty
of identifying the particular soldiers who, without doubt,
were in the girl's contrives the fatal evening, and the
total want of direct evidence as to the 'Dunks. itself.

THE BERWICK Eiscrzow COXIIIBEION.—The com-
missioners who are inquiring into the electoral peocadillem
of Berwick have adjourned for a week. They wpl in
future, it is said, meet in private, a course witleb—howev•
much in the interest' of publicity we may regret its adop-
tiois—will, we are convinced, promote the intermits of
justice. It appears that we were soniewhst premature in
our anticipation of an early close to the labours of the cote-
missioe. We learn from 11 dent that a large batch
of witnesses is yet to be eumi and that we need not be
surprised "if disclueures are made implicating some who,
u witnesses, have served to strengthen the cause of wblg
corruption. Several cases of bribery an coming to light ;
and one of the witnesses who Me been guilty of pose per-
jury, narrowly escaped ormunitareat on Friday."—Nrorraok
C4roside.