The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-11 00:00:00

in your own town, with a population exceeding 376,000
soul, of whom 218,000 might have attended public worship,
only 38,000 attended church, and nearly 120,000 attended
no place of worship at all ? If this is a ground of contemptu-
ous sneers, if this is a ground of unholy triumph, I give our
adversaries the benefit of it. I do not kitend now to question
the accuracy of these returns, or to prove their inaccuracy, or
inapplicability to the purpose in band. (Applause.) But however
much I might admit their accuracy I deny the inference.
By God's gracs, so long as my life is spared, I will go on
building churches and schools in the densely-peopled dis-
tricts of the town; but above all, I will go on multiplying
clergy, under the conviction that, if faithful to their trust,
they will act as a moral police, more efficacious in the pre-
vention of moral crime than the belted policemen, whose
stalwart frames, sinewy arms, and watchful eyes, protect ou
property from robbery, and our persons fromlawless violence.
It is argued that our ministry is ineffective, but what is one
man to do with seven, eight, or ten thlusand souls? And
if the professedly Christian government of this professedly
Christian country have omitted, what, in humble submission
to their superior wisdom, I conceive to have been their
Christian duty, the providing for the moral and religious
training of the people, there is greater reason why the people
should be called upon to provide the means themselves. The
government, which provides for the temporal relief of the
poor by compulsory enactments, leaves their spiritual relief
to the voluntary system. Providing for their bodies, it takes
no care of their souls. (Hear.) It is our duty to supply the
deficiency, and by the pecuniary support of such societies as
this, to prom3te that which was the great object of our
Redeemer's advent, as expressed in the song of the angels to
the shepherds in the field, •' Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace and good will towards men." (Applause.)
The Rev. Mr. Sweet, secretary to the parent society,
seconded the resolution in an eloquent address, principally
urging the imperative necessity of some steps being taken
to check the spread of infidelity among the working
I classes. _ _ .

The resolution was carried by acclamation

The Hon. and Rev. Mr. Lyttlcton proposed a resolution,
declaring it a duty to assist in spreading the society, and
urging, as a most important step, the formation of district
societies. The speaker confined his remarks principally to
enforcing the latter part of the resolution.
Mr. Henry Hoare seconded the resolution, which was
also carried.

The Rev. Mr. Wrath p: °nosed the names of a committee
of officers for the ensuing year, which was seconded by Mr.
Alfred Castellain, and carried unanimously.

Mr. Hecker proposed, and Mr. Brancker seconded, a vote
of thanks to the members of the deputation from the parent
society, which was carried by acclamation.
A vote of thanks to the Bishop of Chester was also carried
by acclamation.
The meeting then separated, shortly before five o'clock.

POISONING OF A LADY,

BY STRYCHNIA, AT LEEDS

ADJOURNED INQUEST ON THE BODY

(PROM OUR OWN REPORTIR.)
LEEDS, MONDAY.
This morning, the inquest on the body of Mrs. Harriet
Dove, aged 28, supposed to have been poisoned by her husband,
Mr. William Dove, by administering strychnia to the

deceased, was held in the court-house here, before John
Blackburne, Esq., the city coroner. Tho court was much
crowded throughont the day. Tho accused, who was taken

into custody on Friaay, was not present during the pro-

ccedings, but wal represented by Mr. Barrett, solicitor, of

Leeds.

The first witness called was Mr. Morley, surgeon, who was
re-examined by the coroner, at considerable length. Ho
stated, "Tetanus was generally produced by external
injury. We did not complete the last experiment on the
stomach and intestines of the deceased until five o'clock on
Friday morning, and did not make up our mind until that
time. Mrs. Dove w:,B taking medicine from me on the

23rd ultimo. It was an effervescing medicine, consisting of

carbonate of soda and syrup of lemon i❑ one bottle, and in

. .
the other tartaric acid and water. Neither of these
would leave `a bitter taste. On the 23th, the
medicine was changed by Mr. Scarf to a
mixture containing ether, venerian, and henbane. The colour
would be dark brown, and the taste bitter, and rather hot.

On the 26th, ether, venerian, aloes, and gentian, and in
addition, a sedative draught, containing opium. That would
also have a bitter taste. The same was again renewed up to
the 29th of February, Friday. No change was made on the
Saturday. I had observed the bottles about during the week.
Each of the three portions into which the stomach and its
contents were divided was submitted to the following tests of
analysis. Examination first—lt was mixed with a sufficient
portion of distilled water, acidulated with pure sulphuric acid,
heated in a porcelain dish, and then the liquid portion was
separated by filtration. The liquid portion thus filtered was
heated with carbonate of lime, so as to neutralize the sulphuric
acid. It was then slowly evaporated, until it became nearly
dry, To this mass rectified spirit was added, in successive
portions, so as, with the aid of heat, to dissolve any strychnia
which it might contain. The spirituous solution thus obtained
was then filtered, and afterwards quietly evaporated in a porce-
lain vessel, until ;t acquired the consistence of syrup. To
this syrupy mass, which would contain any strychine present
in the stomach, we applied the various tests which are charac-
teristic of that poison, viz—first, the test of taste. Both the
syrupy extract, and the spirituous solution, had decidedly
the bitter taste of strychnia. This proof we
think of almost equal importance, with the direct chemical
tests. Second, to a portion of the syrrupy mass was applied
a little pure nitric acid. This produced a red colour, showing
the presence of strychnia in its ordinary state. Third, to
another portion we applied, first, fine concentrated sulphuric
acid, and then added a salution of bichromate of potash. The
result was a purple colour, changing to red, again showing
the presence of strychnia. This test was varied, by using the
hichromate of potash in powder, instead of in solution. The
result"was eientually the same. Every test was now applied by
each of us separately, and was repeated many times, with such
variations in the mode, as would detect any error or fallacy
which might have crept in. The same series of tests was, at
the same time, applied to strychnia itself, for the purpose of
comparison. During the whole of our investigation of the
stomach, and its contents, the apparatus used, and our tests,
were kept in the laboratory, under lock and key, so that no
person but ourselves could obtain access to them. By this
analysis, we consider the fact proved that the stomach of Mrs.
Dove contained strychnia, in sufficient quantity to cause death'
By Mr. Barrett : There are no other tests upon which the
presence of strychnia could turn.
The Coroner here observed that he thought Mr. Morley had
stated all that was necessary for the purposes of this part of
the inquiry.
By the Coroner : Nitric acid would produce a red colour,
and so would aloes. That again would alter if strychnia had
bean applied. We applied ammonia acid, and other tests, but
I think it better that I should mention that at another stage
of the inquiry.
. _

Mr. Nu. nneley said the other tests they had applied were
not characteristic. They were merely confirmatory, and, if
mentioned, could not increase the weight of their testimony.
By the Coroner : The symptoms were decidedly those of
strychnia. They were all the symptoms of strychnia. I
know of no other cause to produce death. I had some
conversation with Mr. Dove on Thursday last in reference to
the examination of the body. Ile inquired if we had found
poison. He said " I wish to know, Mr. Morley, what you
have found ?" I said, " I cant't tell you." He called me
into another room. He, and I, and his mother, were then
there, and he shut the door. The first word was the greeting.
He said " I wish to know, Mr. Morley, what you have found?"
I think he said "Have you found poison ?" But I am quite
sure that during the conversation he mentioned poison. I
made a reply that we had not yet finished our analysis, and
could not give him any answer, but that there were no natural
causes that we could discover accounting for death. Later in
conversation he said, "Do you, Mr. Morley, suspect me of
poisoning her. I could not be so cruel ?" I said, "My
suspicicns are rather that it is an accidental
lePsiasid'i'D'itifklnohwa:l
ing that you had poison in the house.''
poisoned her, do you think I should have come to your
surgery for poison, and have talked about it to others ?"
naming, I think, his mother. He then repeated his request
to let him know what the result was.
The Coroner : At what period of the conversation was the
word " strychnia" used ? Witness : When I was asked
about the result of the analysis.
By Mr. Barrett : The word was used before I said it was an
accidental poisoning.
By the Coroner : I am not quite sure at what precise point
of the conversation the word strychnia was used, but it was
before I mentioned accidental poisoning. I have told you the
substance of the conversation, but I never could remember the
precise words of a conversation so as to repeat them verbatim.
The worts "strychnia," "poison," with the little pronoun
" it," were frequently used by both of us, bu't I can't give to
each its precise place in the conversation. He asked, as soon
as I found anything, to let him know. My reply was, that I
could not tell him when the analysis would be closed, as it
might not be closed until an hour before the enquiry was
resumed. I asked him, at the same time, as to the mode ho
had adopted in reference to the poison. He said ho had
brought it home in paper, With the word "poison" on it, and
had placed it in the razor box, and cautioned her (his wife) not
to touch it. He said, " I told her, this is poison, deadly
poison, the poison that Palmer used. You must not touch
it at all." I asked him, having learnt that lie had
obtained strychnia, how often lie had obtained
it ? He said, " only once." He said, "I got it to
poison the cats." I said, " How long had you strychnia in
and about the house ?" He said either " ten days," or
"perhaps ten days." He asked me to tell him when I
found it (meaning strychnia), and when I found it what
would be the result, and what the jury would say ? I
said,
" I cannot tell ;it will bo very setions. There will only
be three ways of accounting for it : either that it was taken
by herself, or given her by accident, or that it was given
to her by some person designedly, and the jury will have to
decide which."
The Coroner; Can you forts any opinion how often? or