The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-02 00:00:00

SUSPECTED DEATH FROM POISON.

Mr. Payne, the City coroner, held an investiga-
tion last evening at St. Bartholomew's Hospital touching
the death of Mrs. Anne Edwards, aged 42 years, who ex-
pired under very strange circumstances. The dace .sed
was the wife of James Edwards, and lived at No. 4, Printer-
street, Blackfriars. On Christmas-eve she complained of
• pain under her heart. On the following Wednesday two
doctors were called in to see her, and she was removed to
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where she died on Friday
morning. Her husband said they lived very comfortably
together. A short time before Christmas she had been
making fancy paper chains to decorate the room, and it
was thought by one of the witnesses (her sister) she might
have inhaled some of the arsenic of the green paper. The
papers were fastened together with gum, but the witness
did not know whether she touched the paper with her
tongue. She drank gin, and she told her sister that she
had drank a glass of medicine that her husband gave her.
Her husband got the medicine from Dr. Blenkarne, who
stated that he had furnished it to the husband on his ap-
plication, and that there was nothing deleterious in it.
Mr. John Moody, 19, Bennett's-hill, surgeon, said that
in consequence of the husband of the deceased calling
upon him he went and saw the deceased woman on Wed-
nesday evening at 9 o'clock. The husband said that she
was suffering from a pain in the stomach. Witness naked
the deceased how long she had been ill, and she said from
the previous Sunday evening, and upon being asked
whether she had taken anything that had disagreed with
her, she said that she had taken some beer and that she did
not feel well afterwards. She said that she had no desire
for food, and that she had had no sleep, or very little
sleep, for three nights. She perceived objects floating
before her. She did not feel sick, but had a burn-
ing sensation in the stomach. She had a great de-
sire for drink, but a loathing of fluids, from the
difficulty of swallowing them. An examination of her
pulse showed that there was no fever. Her tongue was
quite pale and moist. Witness ordered mustard poultices
and calomel and opium pills. On the Thursday morning
witness again saw her. She had got out of bed, and was
seated on the floor. She looked anxious and excited.
Witness persuaded her to get into the bed. She was then
seized with a sort of convulsive fit, and witness told her
husband to go for Dr. Blenkarne, as he understood that she
bad been under his care. Witness informed that doctor of
her state, and said that she seemed to have the syrup-
tome of hydrophobia, from her aversion to water.
Witness got • cup of water, and showed it to her. It
brought on a spasm, and it was then agreed to send
her to the hospital, and she was sent there.
Mr. John W. Henborough, heuse-surgeon at St. Bartho-
lomew's Hospital, said that the deceased was admitted
into the hospital on Friday morning. Witness saw her
in a cab when she arrived at the hospital. She was
talking fast, and was incoherent. She *aid that she had
• pain in the left side, and that she had been without
food four days. Witness ordered remedies. She could
not drink milk, as she was seized with convulsions when
she tried to drink it. An examination of her chest
showed signs of bronchitis. She died on Friday. Witness
continued—A postmortem examination of the deceased's
body showed that the lunge and windpipe were very much
inflamed. The glands at the back of the tongue were
enbargesl,andthe lining membrane of the oesophagus peeled
off in shreds. The lining membmne of the stomach was in-
flamed. The small and large intestines were in the same
state. The conclusion he came to was that she died
from the effezta of some irritant poison. There were
several poisons that would give the same symptoms
before death. If the cue had been • case of hydrophobia,
the lining membrane would not be en inflamed, and he
should not have expected to find the symptoms
he did. The death arose from poison. No quan-
tity of spirits would cause the appearances he mentioned.
He had taken the stomach out for analysis, but there
were some poisons which if they are taken five days before
death cannot be discovered. James Edwards, the husband,
of the deceased, said that he was • porter. His wife first
complained of illness at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon.
She said, " I have got a stitch in my side." She had drunk
a bottle of gin in two days. Witness gave her tea several
times. He also gave her gin and beer. When she took
the first dose of medicine she vomited. She got worse
after the second dose, and would not take any more.
Witness could not account for her death in any way. The
only thing he could think of was the arsenical poison in the
fancy paper.—The inquiry was adjourned.

SINGULAR CASE OF WINE STEALING.—A singular
case of wholesale wine stealing by workmen came before
the Meets Quarter Sessions on Monday. Three men,
named James Foley,• bricklayer, Henry Nash, a carpenter,
and Mark Cook, a labourer, were charged with stealing
two bottles of wine from the cellar of Mr. Edward Merjori.
banks at Busher-grove, near Watford. The facts of the
case were these :—On the death of his uncle (Mr. Stuart
Ilarjoribanks) in 1863, Mr. Marjoribanks came into pos-
-1 session of the Bushey-grove estate, and shortly after-
' wards he determined on pulling down the old house and
erecting a new one. The cellars only of the old
house remained intact, and in order to secure
the wine cellar • seal was put upon the
door, which was afterwards bricked up. The new
house was substantially completed in April
last, when • fresh set of workmen were cal'ed in to
execute the work required in the interior of the house.
I About this time it was determined to put a new stone roof
over the wine cellar, and for this purpose the old roof was
' removed. It was then observed that the cellar was
full of wine, and, in feet, in the state in which it
was left when it was sealed up. Some months later the
gardener, who lived on the premises, observed thattbe wall
of the wine cellar had been tampered with, a part of it
having been removed and reset. He made • mark upon
the mortar, and the next day discovered that the brickwork
had been again removed. This was repeated on several occa-
sions, and at length the circumstance was reported to Mr.
Marjorihanks, who sent down a police officer from Messrs.
Coutte's bank, and obtained the services of another from
the authorities of Scotland•yard. The two constables came
down in plain clothes, and obtained employment on the
premises, one as • labourer, and the other as assistant to
the gardener, and in these capacities kept • watch upon
the workmen for several weeks, but without making any
discoveries. Tired of this, they agreed to shut themselves
up in • coal cellar, in which there was a small grating
which commanded • view of that part of the wall of the
wine cellar which had been tampered with, and in this
cellar they hid themselves day after day, going in the
morning before the workmen mune on the premises, and
leaving after they had left at night. The constables abut
themselves in by means of a padlock, which appeared to
be secured on the outside, but which was really fastened
within, by a nut screwed on to the staple of the padlock.
The nut being unscrewed, and the staple pushed back, the
door flew open. For several successive days the
prisoners came, tried the door of the coal cellar, the
locking of which had evidently excited their suspicions,
and ales examined the wall of the wine cellar ; but they
did nothing more. At length, on the 10th of October, all
three of them came, looked cautiously about them, and
then removed the brickwork of the wine cellar wall, after
which Cook got through the aperture and handed out two
bottles of wine to Nash, who carried them to the staircase,
and gave them to some person who did not conic within the
range of the constables' vision. The constables, Hanscome
and Savage, then pushed out their bolt, and burst upon
the astonished prisoners, whom they took into custody
of era emit struggle. The cellar, on being examined, was
found to be half empty, no leas than 449 bottles of wine
having been stolen. Many empty bottles, and one unopened
bottle of champagne, were found about the to
which the workmen bad access. The prisoners were ound
guilty, and Foley and Nash were sentenced to six months'
imprisonment with bard labour, and Cook to four months'
imprisonment with hard labour.

FATA L GANZ OF STABBING. —On Saturday evening,
at Coven, near Glasgow, an apprentice carpenter, named
John Young, was fatally stabbed by some person or
persons at present unknown. The unfortunate man was
found staggering about the streets in • state of intoxica-
tion. Bang taken to • neighbouring house be slept for •
couple of hours, and on awaking complained of being sick,
when he was conveyed to his lodgings. On his being put
to bed it was discovered that he had sustained two wounds
in the abdomen, from which the intestines protruded. He
oould give no account of himself beyond the statement
that he had met two men. one of whom struck him on the
noes. After lingering on till Monday afternoon he died.
The police have as yet discovered no due to the perpe-
trators of the outrage.

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