The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-11 00:00:00

[STAMPED, Id. ADDITIONAL.]

THE POISONING CASE IN NORFOLK.

DOCKING, JLN. 10.

Further proceedings took place to-day in regard
to the charges of poisoning illegitimate children preferred
against four parsons named John Grief, Swan Grief, Mary
Grief, end Sarah Grief. John Grief and Susan Grief, it
may be convenient to state, are husbead and wife, and the
two other prisoners are their daughters, the mothers of
the children alleged to have been poisoned. John Grief
was again brought up in custody from Norwich Castle, and
the other prisoners from Wymoudham Bridewell.
Mr. Wilkin, of Lynn, appeared for **promotion ,• and
Mr. Ford, barrister, instructed by Mr. Blanton, of Hun-
stanton, for the prisoners.

The magistrates present wan Major Hare, Major
Hollway, and Mr. C. F. N. Rolfe.
Mr. Wilkin, in commencing the proceedings, said he had
given the matter the best consideration, and he wee not
prepared to press the charge against the prisoner John
Grief, or his two daughters ; but be should ask for the
committal of Sarah Grief, the grandmother of the deceased
children, on the charge of poisoning them. These remarks
applied to the children Ann Maria Grief and Alfred Grief.
It was important to show a motive for the act imputed to
the remaining prisoner, and in this OW the children who
had died were • burtben to the household, in which
there were already eight legitimate children ; they had
also never been affiliated. As regards the third child,
Jsmima Grief, which died in IMP little aloes than a
quantity of mould had been found in the coffin, and the
analysis would be a work of comaiderehle time • it had
not yet been completed by Mr. Sutton, and he should not
refer further to that branch of the subject at present.
As regards the remaining prisoner, he should be in a posi-
tion to offer very strong evidence.
Mr. Ford entered a protest on the part of the prisoners
against the course of proceeding adopted on • previous
occasion. The attorney for the prosecution called one
prisoner to give evidence against another prisoner. Such
• proceeding had never been heard of before in an English
court of justice.
After a little discussion, in the coarse of which Mr.
Wilkin observed that it was only as • matter of courtesy
that Mr. Ford was present at all, although he had no ob-
jection whatever to his presence
The depositions of various witnesses examined on pre-
vious occasions were read over. The first deposition was
that of Mrs. I'itcher, of Shernhorne, who stated the cir-
cumstances which atteaded the death of the child, Alfred
Grief, which she attributed to pawn. The second depo-
sition was that of Mr. T. M. endall, surgeon, of Lynn,
who confirmed the conclusion. The third deposition was
that of Mr. F. Sutton, analytical chemist of Norwich,
who stated that he had found arsenic in the body of the
deceased child. The fourth deposition was that of Wm.
Howard, police-constable, who stated that the prisoner
Susan Grief had said to him, without his awing anything
to cell for the remark, " I know you suspect me of poisoe-
ins the child, but if I have to suffer for it I don't care
•d— about it." This witness also stated that he found a
packet of arsenic lying on the top of the bed in which
the prisoner Susan Grief and her husband slept.
The prisoners Sarah Grief, Mazy Grief, and John Grief
were then set at liberty. Sarah Grief was instructed,
however, to remain in the neighbourhood, in order, that she
might be called as a witness if it were deemed advisable to
examine her.

Mrs. Pitcher, further examined, deposed—l went to
Mr. Groom, the district registrar, to register the death of
Alfred Grief. I did so at the request of Mrs. Grief, the
prisoner. I saw Mr. Groom make the entry. Mary Grief,
the mother of the child, sobbed • good deal on its
death ; but the prisoner did not exhibit any emotion, and
did not shed • tear.
Cross-examined—l was sent for to the house of the
Gnefs by George Grief, one of the sons. The prisoner,
Susan Grief, said nothing to me at first ; but afterwards
told me to lay the body out on the table. Mary Grief
fainted, and the prisoner shook her, and said, " Come, you
ain't all that bad, I know." The prisoner afterwards salted
me to fetch Mary's clothes from the bedroom, as she was in
her night-dress. I helped the prisoner to put the clothes
on her daughter. Mary Grief had not recovered from her
fainting fit when I left the house. Later in the morning
the prisoner asked me to come and wash the child and lay
it out. I went, and Mary Grief assisted me ; the prisoner
went about her household affairs. I remarked that night
that the child was very hot about the stomach when I first
saw him. I had put my hand upon the stomach, and it
was like • fire. When I made the remark the prisoner
and her family were present, but no answer was made by
any one. I went with Mary Grief to register the death of
the child at Mr. Groom's. I went also to Mr. Groom's with
Sarah Grief to register the death of her child when it died.
I did so at the request of the prisoner.
Mr. W. Groom deposed—ln November last I was
registrar of births and deaths for the Snettisham dis-
trict of the Docking union. I recollect Mrs. Pitcher, the
last witness, coming to register the death of Alfred Grief
on the 7th of November. The child died on the sth of
November. The death of the child was attributed to
amines, and it was registered accordingly with the
remark, "No medical attendant." On the Ifith April,
1666, I registered the death of Ann Maria Grief, the child
of Sarah Grief. Mrs. Pitcher came to register the death
which was attributed to inflammation of the lungs ; it was
notcertified, however. I made the entry of April 16 in the
presence of Mrs. Pitcher. Either Mary or Sarah Grief came
with Mrs. Pitcher to register the death of Alfred Grief.
Cross-examined—The entry states that Mrs. Pitcher was
present at the death of the child.
Mrs. Pitcher, recalled, said, when she went to register
the death of Sarah Grief's child, in April, Sarah Grief

accompanied her. Witness was' not instructed to assign
any cause of death. Sarah Grief described the symp-
toms, and Mr. Groom raid, "Do you think it was inflam-
mation ?" Sarah Grief said, '• Yes, it was." Witness
supposed that inflammation of the lungs was meant by
this. Witness went to register the death of Sarah Grief's
child by the prisoner's direction.
Mr. W. lose, superintendent of police for the Docking
district, deposed—l was present at the coroner's inquest
on the body of Alfred Grief on the 12th and 22nd of No-
vember. The prisoner was present, and nia.le a state
ment. The coroner duly cautioned her, but she made and
signed a statrineut, which was put down in writing by the
coroner. The statement was as follows:—" lam the
mother of Mary Grief, and the grandmother of the child,
Alfred Grief, whose body the coroner and jury
have seen. I remember the child being taken
ill on Saturday evening. I found him sick when
I went to look at him that night, as he was in het with
the other children. I never gave him or any of the other
children any medicine whatever. I was present when the
police found the parcel of white powder now produced. I
don't know how it came there. I never saw it before. I
never knew my husband to bring arsenic into the house.
He is occasionally employed in dressing sheep for other
people, but he always mixes the stuff at the house of the
people where be is r mployed. I sent my daughter some
time sines to Mr. Cowing s. the chemist, for some arsenic
to kill mice with, but she did not get it there, and I never
got it from anywhere else."
The deposition of Miss Marriette Morden, schoolmistress
at Shernborne, taken at a previous stage of the inquiry,
was read. It stated that the child Alfred Grief,
suffered from frequent sickness on the lest day that he
attended school, and that he was sent home in conse-
quence. The child seemed pleased, on the same ;lay,
with a new frock, which he said his wother had given
him. Miss Monlen also deposed that she sent the child
home—that in, to the prisoners—but to her surprise he
returned to school in the afternoon,wben M was again very
sick. - .

William W mks, of Lynn, deposed—l am groom and
coachman to Mr. Kendall, surgeon, of that town. 1 took a
jar containing viscera to the Lynn Hospital. My master
gave it to me. It was a sealed jar, and I took it into Mr.
Wilson's bedroom at the hospital, as he was not out of
bed. Mr. Wilson is house-surgeon at the hospital. This
was some time in November, on a Monday. On the pre-
vious dry I had driven Mr. Kendall to Shernborne and
back. On coming away he put into his carriage the jar, which
I afterwards took to Mr. Wilson.
. . . .

William Howonl, recalled, said the prisoner had told
him when he called upon her that she had sometimes
given the child apiece of something to eat—sonietimes one
thing and sometimes another. She then made the remark
as to ber tieing suspected of poisoning the child, and that
if she suffered she did not care a for it.
. . . .

Mr. F. Sutton, analytical chemist, of Norwich, depeeed—
The arsenic which I found in the body of the deceased
child, Alfred (:rief, could not have been mixed with any-
thing else, certainly not with spirits of tar, such as is used
in sheep dressing. I analysed the powder found over the
prisoner's bed, and discovered it to be arsenic—the anti.
nary ers.mic of commerce. It wee alsoprecisely the same kind
of arsenic I found in the body of the deceased child. I found
three particles of undissolved arsenic in the body of the
deceased. We always look for redissolved arsenic, and in
this cane I found it on the coats of the stonia.A. I iv-
moved it with my finger, and also with a feather. I ascer-
tained the presence of unsolved arsenic in the stomach by
means of hydrochloric acid.
Mrs. Pitcher. recalled, stated that the prisoner was the
mother of 12 children, and they were nearly all at home in
November. There were also two illegitimate children of
the eldest daughter's in the house at the time. One ille-
gitimate child of oue of the daughters is still living.
Cruse-eits:nined —All the prisoner's own children have
lived, and all but three are earning their own living.
Superintendent Rose said, on the 12th of November.
when the prisoner was apprehended, she said. " I have
been troubled with children all my lifetime ; they. have
kept me in great poverty, and if you were to look is my
house now, you would not find a piece of bread." The
remark was made quite voluntarily by the prisoner, and
wee not the result of any observation made by witness.
The deposition of Mr. Cowing, chemist, of Snettisham,
taken at a previous stage of the inquiry, was put in and
read. It stated that on the 26th of October William