The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-19 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 1856.

Raiz *

NIITROPOLJTAN COUNTY COURTS.
*t days appointed far the present week.
W as Marties.lase.—Tossday, May T 0; Wednesday,
21. Tbersky, ; Friday, W.
11411111111111111; POrd.l6lo4l.—Wederday, May 21 ; Timiredsy, 22;
emu. FL
Cidassirwahn„ Deasad.rwrass.-31andsy, Kay 19; Tuesday, 30;
Wsieuday, Ps fig.
linessrax, —llaulay, Mary 19.
11smansaya-0=4",:461.
msd.
y, May 19; Tharadsy, a.
Pal=o4side-Taildsr. Way 10.
WErsawn. Odismayl May. 10 Watmoday, 111.
divrawasi, addadisselh Ilsafty. W, 1.
Wawa. Caustertedl Ilsy 29 ; Wednesday,
II ; 'Thursday, W.
WANDOIRII4III. Soutbairset.-11wraday, Way 11.
Cmr ay Loma, Gaildhall.baildimp.—llsaday, May 19; Webs&
day, fl; Tatualsy, n; Friday,

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

TRIAL OF WILLIAM PALMER.
FOURTH DAY.
(Continued fro® Saturday's Raprou.)

Mr. S. ffolly, surgeon to St. Thomas's Huspital,azambsed
by Mr. Wel•by—l have bees lecturer and surgeon at the
hospital for twenty- igbt year, and have witnessed a greet
many cues of tetanus, sad six have been under my own
i care. All the cues were traumatic except one, which
was doubtful, from the slight nature of the wosad
sad ethi r circumstances. In this cue the symptoms
developed themselves more slowly, and were generally
milder. I do net remember any use that terminated is a
shorter period than thirty hours. The symptoms described
in the case of Mr. Cook differ materially from every case of
tetanus in which I have bees commend. la came of te-
tanus there is always • peculiar expression of the othatee
ninth which cannot be mistaken. It is a sort of grin which,
when once seen, can never be mistaken There is also the
pecialierity is Mr. Cook's ease, that after the violent
paroxysm of the Monday tight oa the follow's, day
he was free from discomft.rt. This occurs is the case
of ordinary tetanus, in which, when once the symptoms
commence, they go on increasing in intensity until death
takes place. I am oleo of opiates that the symptoms
described were sot traosabth either to spoplesy or epilepsy,
or asp disease that I have ever witnessed.
Crowe:mined by Berjeast Slate—The pea I have de-
scribed
Is not that usually esperienced in cases where •
patient suffers from convulsions. All epileptic attacks are
set accompanied by an otter want of conseiounaesa. Death
from tetanus accompanied by convulsions does not leave say
Ince, but in MK* of epilepsy seeonapanied by tetanus,
when death enema, thole is gemally a alight congestion of
the brain.

thk case I do not consider there were
any indications of the existence of epilepsy
Dr. Henry Les examined by Mr. Bodkin—l am surgeon
to King's College and the Lock Hospital,. I bays bad •
great deal of szperienee in syphilitic diseases. The rest of
this witness's testimony was to the effect that b• bad never
known • dise•ss of this description terminate in tetanus.
By the Lord Chief Janice-1 have n seen or read of
each a eme, but I Imes heard clone. . . _

Dr. Bobt. Corbett, • physician practising at Glasgow, said
that in September, 1845, he was medical clerk at the Glas-
gow Hotrods). At that time there was a patient in the hos-
pital named Agues Sennett. She died in September of that
year, end it was understood thot she had been poisoned by
wrychaine. Witness saw her while she was under the In-
fluence of the plum. She wee perfectly well the day be
foe.. Witness saw her in bed. There was • strong rune- ,
tion of the month, the face was mush utilised sad red, the '
pupils of the eyes dilated, the head was bent back, the spine
curved, and all the muscles were rigid and bard like a bone.'
The arms were stretched out and the hands clutched, and
,mere paroxysms occurred every few seconds. She died'
about as hour and a quarter after she was first attacked. It
wee afterwards aseertathed that she had taken some
sti7ehnia pills that had been nude up for a paralytic
patient. There was • quarter of a grain la each pill, and
the patient had swallowed all the three. They were to have
bees token see sash sight by the patient for whom they
emu papered.
Dr. Waters examined by the Attorney-Gentral—l am the
of the physicians of the Glasgow Infirmary. I remember
the use referred to by the last witness. I was soiled in
about a quarter of an hour after ate was taken ill. I found
her entirely thseimadons—her arms were stretched out and
rigid, sad the swam of the body were also rigid. Her feet
' end legs with eke rigid. The paroxysm ceased, and another
came on almost immediately, and they eciatinned wail her
death, whist' tusk plus about boll en hoar afterwards. She
wag perfectly setheless ad the time. I examined the body
after death, end thud the heart perfectly stiff, and the
cavities empty.
Dr. fusee Padesen examined by Mr. Welaby—ln 1846 I
was engaged at the Glasgow Dispensary, and I remember •
preseripuon being dispensed for a parelytle patient. The
medisiae was in the form of pills, and contained strychnine.
There was one grain in the four pills.
By Seeleast Slue—This is the customary way is which
strychnine is admfaistered.
Mary Holly, • patient in the infirmary at the time in
emotive, prised that the bad to attend upon the paralytic
patients. The woman Sennett was suffering from sore head.
Oa the afternoon of the day she died, witness was engaged
ia doing something for the paralytic patient. There wee .
tux of pits by the aide of the bed, and she took one of
them as eh* was ordered, and she then handed the box to
the woman Sennett and the swallowed two of the pills. She
then went to sit by the ward fire, and in abut three-
quarters of en hoar she was taken ill. The first thing that
teak place was her falling on the floor, and witness thee
went for the doctor, and she was put to bed. She was jwt
like a poker, and could not move, and it was net sssss y to
cut her clothes off her, and eke never spoke after she fell to
the ground.
Ceraline Hixon, examined by Mr. James—la 1848 I was
is the envies of Mr. S-rgetuon Smith, at Basingstoke. The
family at this time wen residing at Romney. tire. Smith
was unwell In October, 1918, aid • prescription bad been
seat to a druggist named Josses to make up, and I remember
the medicine being brought bark. It was a mixture in a
bittle, and I saw my mistress take it. She took about hall
a wise glue fall about tea minutes past 7in the morning.
I left the room, and is about five or ten minutes I was
alarmed by the ringing of the bell, and when I went into
my mistreses room, I saw her leaning upon a chair. and I
thought she had fainted, sad she then appeared to suffer from
what I thought to be spume. I seat for Mr. Taylor, •
rergees, and thea esteemed to my mistress's room, and knead
my Neiman lying ea the 11 tor with other servants round
her. Her teeth were cleschtsci, and she screamed loudly
through them, sad said to have her arms aid legs held
straight. I found them draws up very mach, and my
mistress outissed to scream, and appeared in great agony,
and requested that wat r might be thrown over her. The
feet were tuned inwards. I placed some hot water to them,
but it bad no effect at all. Shortly before she died she said
she felt easier, and the lest wends she uttered were, "Turn
me over." She was on the floor, and, as she requested, I
turned her on her side, and to • very few minutes she died
quite quietly. SIN wes perfectly conscious up to the time
of her death, and addressed me, and knew me quite well.
About an hour and a quarter elapsed from the tome of her
taking the medicine to her death. She sever sat up from
the time she was first attackee.

—Crosseusal itralLIt;;;;;;e costintiou it, and it listed
for an hoar or as hour sad • quarter, and she appeared to
'smirker* ao relief until just behre her death.
Dr. F. Tsylor examined by Mr. Wrilsby—l am • surgeon
gad apalumary at Ramsey. I attended Mrs. Smith and n-
umber that I was summoned to her louse we morning,
sad found her dead. The body was lying on th- II The
hand. were clinched and vs ry mush contrwted. The feet
were alto contracted and turned iawuda. The sole. .f the
feet were hollowed up most tanaturally, and the Muer edge
Meech foot was turned up and the foot was twisted. There
was a remarkabe rigidity of the limb., and the body um
still warm. The eyelids tiers almost fast adhennt to the
eye-balls. I afterwards saw Mr. Jones, the druggist,
nimbi up to the hots* is • stale of groat ex-
eitemeat. I made • poet-mute= esamitatioa, by
order of the ..cans, three doh' afterward.. At that time
the test:whoa of the feet still continued, but it bed
Rose off tomewhat from the rest of the body. I found no
twee of Mimesis the body. The heart was gout/shed sad
perfeetly empty, aa were alto all the large arteries bedfast
from it. The blood we. ilea. I enalyeed sfterw.rds the
mediae. that rumained is tie bottle, and found it to eon-
UM a law quantity of strychnine. There had originally
been sine grains. and Mrs. eolith hal taken oat-third of it.
By Ihrjeaut Bhes—The limbs could net be brought
straight awn by the •Dplicatioa of • Moog baaday and the
nee of ermaiderable force.

Charles Blount, eausined by lir. Haddleeten—ln 1848
I was apprentice to Mr. Jose., a ehemir, at Runny. Mr.
Jose. is Mein drat. I remember the prescription coming,
and that stryehnive war be mistake out into the gentian..
My master made the minas kiseelf. He dutroyed
him-
self
Mn. Jute Without, examined by Mr. James—lli March
last I was in attendance span a lady who died. I remember
her told's, some =Wiese, sad that afterwards she b came
ill. She first somphised of her back, and I tried to Tabu.
her, bat could sot. I observed a twitehieg of the halide.
Her eyes were draws aside and staring, sad sbe c melanin
of her lege. Bk. was Ant taken ill on the 26. h February,
and she got hotter, and had another attack, and she died on
the lit of Much. Os the day she died, she was labia 111
at a quarter past eight, and she died at twenty manatee to
eleven. She principally emplaned of pricking in her
loge, and also of pain is the muscles of her baud., sad she
maid ft was like a galvanis shock. During the attack I
heard her ask her husband to rub her lege. She wee dead
whoa Dr. Morley easte to see her on tha Seturday.
Cressfexamiind by Serjeant Sh.e—She wished her lag.
to be rubbed before the paroxysm c lime ow. While it we.
upon her, es the day Mu died, she could not bear to be
toadied. Her limbs were rigidly extended. Daring the
interval. attbe puosysme, on the Saturday, touching her
bromkt the spume on. On the day she died she amid set
swallow at all. She was feasible from a quirts, past eight
meta after also, but sbe did not speak. I could not tell
whether she was coassiou or not.

Ruessmind—The symptoms wen the mese oa Saturday
a on the other days.
Mr. /ohs Morley, esemisel by Mr. Welsby—l wee the
'bedfast atteodast of the lady sanded to by the last wit-
ness. I attesded her for reactional derangement. Os the
Moadsy befell the died. I noticed, ea she wee f lag I. bed,
some eeevelelve twlteblep of the ems, of a slight thane-
ter. I referred them at the time to Inman, aid
altered my medicine la eogeequesee. I motion the
same symptoms "gala either ea the Sindassiag

Thursday. I saw bee on the morning she died,
when she was apparently better, and in a c 'reposed state.
She complained of an attack she had had is the night, end
spoke of pain and stamps. I mode a post.mertern eatenina-
tics of the body. There was no appeareace of dime's to
would for the death. Then was a ;swam. espreasien of
anxiety about the countensece, and the feet were strongly
carved. I applied HITOTIIi tests for the purpose of discover-
iag the presence of poison, and pertisalarly the pre-ence of
Mephitis', and in each easel dioovered tram of the ea-
James of that p I afterwards immolated some animals
with atryohnine that was obtained from the contents of the
stomach. I tippled some to mice, rabbits, end a guinea-pig,
tan I observed in every instance more or less the effects of poi-
soning by sirystinine. 1.1.0.11 effects were general unwise's,
diflicalt breathing, conveleions of a Wattle kind, muscular
rigidity, arching backwards, especially of the bead and
neck, and death followed in four of the animals ens is two
minute —a rabbit, another in five minutes, and ano:her fa
lees than an hoar. The last a gab ea-pig, suffered bat
slightly at first, but having been lett, it wee found dead the
nest.day. The muscles of the animals became flaccid at the
moment of distil, but almost immediately afterwards be-
came exceedingly rigid. I. afterwards made experiments
upon other 'tamale with strychnine in it. pare state, and
the symptoms and the results were exactly the same.
Cross-examined—l noticed that when any of the animals
was touched the effect was immediately to bring on the
spurn. It was in fact like a galvanic an. ck. At one period
of the Maria of the lady I have referred to I law her in • state
of insensibility. She was able to swa low during the
week. The lungs of the deceased were very math con-
gested, and there was a small quantity of bloody scram on
the pericardium The muscles of the body generally
presented a peculiar *Kewanee They were dark and
soft. There was also a notable quantity of serum slightly
tinged wita blood in the membranes of the spinal cord. The
membranes of the spinal msr:ow were also congested to
a considerable extent. I opened the head first, and
a good deal of bleed fl .wed out, and part of
that might come from the heart, and so have
partially emptied it. I have examined the hearts
Of animals that have been *wined with strychaiee,
a great many timer, sod found the right side generally full.
In some of the cues where I administered the strychnine the
symptoms first appeared in about en hoar, bet generally
they came on much earlier. I detected strychnine by every
test that I applied. In one of the cases where I knew it had
been administered to the animal I was enable to discover
its presence stoma/de is a satisfactory m aaaaaa In one
case I detected the pre-woos of strychnine at a period two
months after death, and when deeompesition had com-
menced.

By the Attorney-General—l generally edminietered about
one cr two grains, and I believe a portion of tt may tot upon
the nerves, and another portion upon the blood. It was no
doubt, absorbed into the system. I examined the monads
of the animals, and I should expect to have toned there the
quantity that wee in thecae be and what was absorbed into
toe system. Sufficient portions might be absorbed
into the system to cense death, end what was in
excess would remain in the stomach, where it would,
of course, be inoperative after death. When
a minimum doss sufficient to destroy life by absorp-
tion mato the system was administered, I should eaglet to
fail sot etimes to find any trace of the poison in the stomach.
I should eapect to find a very different state of things upon
• post-mortem examination to a owe where the patient died
suddenly and where the death was a loop, protracted one.
The blood is the body of the deceased lady was in • fluid state.
By the Lord Chief Justine—l believe it p Alibis that a
portion of the potane may he absorbed, another portion may
undergo • chemtcal change in the body, and the remainder
continue in the stomach.

By Saijoent Shee-1 think it possible that organic sub-
stances actirg upon living bodies no frequently changed in
their comp:nuke. Strychnine contain. four clement.; Car
bon is one of them. I don't know that it ever has deitroytd
by any fermenting or putrefying process.
-

Mr. E. D. Moore said—l was formerly in the medical pro-
fession, and I had • &admit who we. suffering from paralysis.
I administered some very small doers of strychnine to him.
He went to Brightoa and when he returned he made a coin.
munication to me on the suhjelit of a stronger dose than
usual, and I gave him one. 1 made him thee* draughts,
containing a quarter of a grain in each. I was present
when be took one of thee. draughts. He had told me that
he bed taken so much as three quarters of a grain while he
tea at Brighton. After he bad taken the draught be said
he felt quite eceafortable, and I left him, mad in about
three-quieten of an bout I 111.11 summoned to him again.
When I arrived at his houses I found his bead drawn beck,
and he was stiffened in every limb, and terearaing violently
for us to rub has end tern hem. The spine was drawn back.
We tried to give him some ammonia, and he snapped at the
spoon with • sort of coalmines motion. He suffered for
more than three hoar. before we could leave him in safety,
and be recovered the attack. He was conscious during the
whole atlas time.

Cron-exassined—TM rigidity of the muscles continued
for two cr three days after be recovered. He experienced
no ill effects from the dote, but um the contrary be said that
he thought big paralysis war much better.
R 4 itsemined by Vie Attornera I—Strychnine is the
eemmon remedy edministered to paralytic ',went,. Its
effect being i rincipally upon the muscles and nerves, it acts
upon those organ, which are in a torpid state i■ oases of
paralysis, and, by eacitiog them, reeds to ri store their action.
The Attorney-Diner il then raid that the nest witnese to
M celled for tee prosecution woala be Dr. Tei Inc, end a<
his evidence would neceermilv occupy o rostderable time, be
suggested that it would sot be advimble to c mammies the
examination at such an Met 4110114 period of the day, it being
now past 5 o'clock.
The Court concurred In the suggestion of the learned
counsel.

Toe Lord Chief Justice then observed that tbe jury ought
to have facility afforded them to obtain some country air on
Sande,. The law required coat they should not ba allowed
to upstate, but every reasonable privilege ought to be
allowed them. He at the same time expre.sed a bops that
they would not, while the cam was in an ineomplete state,
base any conservation sra,ng themselves or say one elm
respecting it, or form any conclusion relatir g to it either one
way cr the other, until tow had heard all the evideass.
Saimaa Shoe mid that perhaps his h.risteip sc,ul per-
mit him to my that medical evidence would be offefta ou
the part of the defense.

The court was Men adjourned to Monday (this) morning.
The jury will MUSIC ands, Me charge of Mr. Harker atm
two other otflosn, and arrsogemente were made for them
to have a ride in the coantry yesterday.

This Third Court sat for a few boon on Saturday, awl
disposed of several unimportant cams, and one or two baying
bees postponed until neat session. the remaining indictments
were ordered to stand over until Friday, the 29th, to which
day the court stands adjourned.