The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-07-18 00:00:00

him in, put him to bed
iss : Mrs Withal
iffin board. I r(

ect ou,

the prix

He was much

A he and his wi

parted

'cured to pacify him,

done so, he said he would go home and take his wife to
chapel. He and his wife afterwards called at our house
often. They appeared sometimes to live happily.
The Rev. Thomas Sturgeon, incumbent of Burley,
examined by Mr. Bailey: On Friday, the 29th of Feb.,
about eleven o'clock, the prisoner came to my house, and
said his wife was very ill, and would I be good enough to
visit her. He said his wile was dangerously ill, and he
did not think she had many days to live. I told him I
knew his father, and he said he was sorry he had not
lived according to his knowledge. He said that when he
found his wife was so ill, he wished he had been a
righteous man, that his prayers on her behalf might be
available. I said, "if your wife is so ill, why did you not
come to me sooner," and he replied that she had only been
taken so ill within the last three days. I told him I bad
two sick persons to visit, and I would then call upon his
wife: An hour afterwards I called at Mr. Dove's, and he
introduced me to his wife. Mr. Dove went out. I prayed
with Mrs. Dove, and read a portion of Scripture. She

seemed better than I expected to find her. On the following
Saturday morning, I called upon Mrs. Dove again, and
remained with her about 20 minutes. She appeared
better, and I said "I am glad you have no return of those
spasms," and she satd, " oh, yes sir, I had the severest
attack of all, last night."

Cross-examined by Mr. Bliss : The prisoner requested
me to continue my visits to his wife. He appeared very
anxious about her spiritual welfare.

John Hicks, examined by Mr; Hardy : I am a book-
seller, in Upper Head Row, in Leeds. I was called up
by the prisoner at half-past twelve o'clock on Sunday

morning the 3rd of March. He was very much intoxi-
cated. He said " poor Harriet's dead," and, going into
the shop, he said, " I wish I could weep, I wish I could
weep." I and he went to prisoner's house. We talked
on the road. He said he was very apprehensive of an
inquest being held on it. He was much opposed to it.
tine, I left him at home.

examined by Mr. I

t Led
aw th

)cr hearing of Mr

Dove's death

irisoner the The

publichouie, wt

'e we remained a short time.

We then

took a walk. He said his wife was poorly, but she and
Mr. Morley thought she would get better, but he thought

He said that after her death he would
have a regular jollification. He said I should see her
1. " shall two or three of
but he
lanai ha

le would not

come on Sunday

ke dinner witt

should marry again. He asked me it I knew a woman
whom I thought would suit him, would I take her 'down
to their house. I said to him that if he tool

me to be a

man of that sort, he was much mistaken. I then left

live at 5, Cloth Market,

I was acquainted with
lived at Normanton. When I was at his
ed me what would strengthen his wife, and
. I have done a little in astrology. I
t and water caster.. Parties are in

I said gentian.

are in the habit of consulting me. The prisoner asked me
to cast hie nativity. 1-10 kept asking me fur it, and I said
it was not finished. He at no time asked me about his
wife. I recollect being a`, the Now Cross Inn. I read to
the prisoner, who was there, a portion of the report of the
inquest on Cook, in Palmer's case. There was some allu-
sion to strychnine. After I had read it, the prisoner asked
me if I could get or make him any strychnine. I said,
" He said he would get some elsewhere. I saw him
at the same public house on the 6th of March

He gave

I card

tid told me there was an

He said, '• (

ld thfT

IC of strychnin

ilt, and takE

said

they had fou

would

o baci

)n have you to be fright
Mr. Bliss : I was one
oor. I never said they
:then. I only saw the

I Dove's

ler in

liquor twice, and then he was always talking of being
hunted by devils and spirits, and thunder and lightning.
He told me he had sold his soul to the devil, but he
believed that I had more power over the devil than he had,

and I might

3 his wife to

uce her to sleep

with him. He also said the devils were in the house,
was there no way to get them out ? He imputed thunder
and lightning to devils. He many times said he was
hunted with spirits.
By a Jurymen : On the two days when I saw him sober
he said nothing about spirits.

Ann Walker, landlady of the New Cross Inn, Leeds,
and William Storey, a broker, corroborated the previous

witness's statemen

William Glover, examined by Mr. Bailey : On the 6th
of March the prisoner came to the public house kept by
me. He told me his wife was dead, and asked me whether
thought he should keep his house on or sell his furniture.
He said he had £2 per week, and I advised him to go into
lodgings. He commenced talking of strychnine. He
asked whether he would be required at the inquest, and
I said I did not know. When he went away I said, "If
you have poisoned your wife, your own conscience will
accuse you."

Mrs. Jenkins, examined by Mr. Overend : I reside at
Plymouth. lam the mother of the late Mrs. Dove. She
was married in 1852 She was 24 years old. They were
married at Plymouth. On the 25th February 1 received a
letter from Mr. Dove. [The letter, which was read, was
to the effect that Mrs. Dove was ill, and asking witness
to come over.] I replied to that letter, and received
another letter trona Mr. Dove on the 28th. [Letter read.
It stated that Mrs. Dove was much worse, and pressing
witness to come over to Leeds. The writer said that
he was nearly worn ont with attending upon Mrs.
Dove, but did not intend to complain. The letter
conf,luded as follows : "It is my opinion that if she
has any more shocks she will sink under them, and I
should not like her to die, and none of her f:iends near
her, for they might blame me, and say I had not been
attentive enough to her, but I will do what I can for her
until I drop."] On the Ist of March, I left Plymouth to go
to Leeds, ante when I arrived there, I found my daughter
was dead. I did not see the prisoner until the following

day. He had then some burial cards of his wife and he
gave them to Mrs. Risden, another daughter of mine, who
had gone with me to Leeds. After tea, he showed •me
Mrs. Dove's ring, which he had on his Tittle finger. He
said" I have had the ring made a little larger, you cannot
but think I shall be married again.'' I looked at him with
surprise, and said, " I hope you will never put that ring
on another woman's finger.', He said, "No; when I do,
I'll oend it to you." The day of the funeral, just before
the funeral, I went up stairs to look at my daughter, and
whilst I was there the prisoner came up and kissed her,
and said, "Lora, so teach us to number our days, that
we may apply our hearts to wisdom." I was weeping at
the time, and he said, " don't weep, don't add grief to
On the Friday, after the funeral, whilst we were
fast, the prisoner said, " this is an anxious day."
was the inquest day. He also-said, that a spoonful of
bitter almonds would kill a person. He then went to a
recess, and took up a little salt in the palm of his hand,
and said, " there's a poison ; a little like that would kill a
person ; a man you can detect it in, but a woman you
cannot." I don't know what made him talk about poi-
sons. Oa the 23rd of May, I received a letter from the
prisoner. The letter, which was read, was as follows :

it break

" York Castle, May

22nd, 1856,

"My dear Mother,—l have often thought of writing to
you, but until now my feelings would not allow me.
Little did I think, the last time you andl were conversing
together, that I should ever have been in the situation in
which I am placed, and particularly so, charged with the
worst of crimes; • viz., murder, and the victim my own
flesh and blood; but, thank God, I can say that, let the
world think what they like, and let the 'jury bring it in
what they may; I am not guilty of the crime laid to my
clT.ge. I know nothing about it. I was very much
pained at receiving the letter that I did from William, for
he plainly said that he thought (let me deny it or not) that
I had murdered his sister. I will only say that as I hope
before my Maker and Judge at the last day, I

to apt

can swear that I ain an innocent m

My trial will come on on the fore part of Jul
act time I do•not exactly know ; but I wi

but the

t you know

in time if you will deign to answer this, and continue a

correspondence with me. ._
The counsel retained for me are Sergeant Wilkins, Mr.
Hall (deputy recorder of Leeds), and, I think, Mr.
Overdid. I shall be very glad to hear from you, or any
of my sisters, and also to keep up a regular correspon-
dence with you, and if I get off at the aseizes,:which I