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

what quantity of strychnia had been taken Witness : I
think it must hare been given four times at• least during
the week of her death.

The Coroner: How soon after as to the quantity is ft
impossible for you to discover what has been taken ? Wit.
ness : I would judge fi om the quantity of matter in the
stomach that several grains had been taken. The effects
are generally half an hour after it is taken. This refers to
the spasmodic effects. The medicines taken in the meats

time would not have any influence, that is no material
influence ; possibly, in a very slight degree, the medicines
taken might make the effect rather slower. Strychnia,

with acid, might be rendered more soluble, and
her medicines had alkali in them. My own impression war
that the strychnia had been administered with the medicine.
My impression is formed from the symptoms that were conse-
quent npon her taking the medicine. On the Friday, for
instance, she took her medicine at eight o'clock, and the
symptoms occurred at a quarter past. This opinion is founded
upon the assumption that she had not taken anything between
her tea at six, and the medicine at eight.
By Mr. Barrett : 1 should imagine that from one to three
grains were taken en Friday morning. My reasons are, first,
in consequence of the violence of the symptoms, and their
early occurrence. A smaller dose would act more slowly. If
half the quantity had been given at tea time, I don't think
the symptoms would have been the same, but would have
occurred earlier. They would then have occurred within half
an hour of the time. The rapidity and ev7denee of the
symptoms would depend upon the dose. Perfect health would
have the effect of modifying the influence. If I had not been
informed that the medicine bad been given at eight o'clock, I
should then have said that it had teen probably given within
the half hour. I made one post tnortem examination hi

conjunction with Mr. Nunneley, and that was in May,
1855. That was the first post snortem and

analysis of strvchino that I have made. That
analysis was made four or fire days after death.

It was either the fourth or fifth day I detected strychnia.
In this instance we made additional tests to those
made in the former one. 'With respect to the
fiecial examination we divided the whole into three parts.
and applied the first test early on the morning of the
second day. We commenced the analysis about ten o'clock
on Monday night last. The test we first applied was
nitric acid. I may say that taste was the first test. We

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tasted as we went on. We applied the same night
sulphuric acid, and likewise bichromate of potash. Nitric
acid produced a red colour, prima facie evidence of

stryclinia. The evidence was a red colour—nothing else.
I applied nitric acid many times that night. The effects
were the same in kind, but not quite the same in degree,
because we va.ded the strength.

Mr. Barrett : Would not the presence of medicine in
the stomach, such as you have described, produce the
same effects ? Witness : Yes ; the morphia in the opium
would give a reddish tint. The second test was sulphuric,
acid, and bichromate of potash, which formed one test
together, and were used on the same morning. We also ap-

plied acetic acid. The application of that test led to our
finding strychnia. The colour was different. It Si as a yel-
lowish white tint. The sulphuric acid produced little

etange ; but on adding the bichromate of potash a purple
col.our changing to red was produced. I reserved my
opinion in accordance with the rule laid down by Pro-
fessor Taylor. I resumed the analysis a little before four
o'clock on Monday afternoon. We continued until very
late that night, having only a short interval for tea. We
repeated the same tests with the same results as in the
morning, and we then applied other tests. We applied
ammonia, which is a slight cloudy precipitate, and confir-
matory of the presence of strychnia. I am not sure
whether that day or, the followiMg, but I think that day
we tried potash. It produced confirmatory evidence of
the p^esence of strychnia. I did not make minutes of
everything that occurred during the analysis, but we did
of some things. They were not made step by step. The
analysis was recommenced on Wednesday between three
and four o'clock. I don't know that we added any test
then. We applied chloride of tin on Tuesday as a subsi-
diary test, in order to see whether the red tint was pro-
duced by strychnia or some other substance. On
Wednesday we chiefly repeated the same tests,
and more particularly examined the intestines,

through the sa.meprocess, and with the same results. My
conviction became stronger every day, and on Wednesday
I was quite certain of the presence of strychnia. We
again examined on Thursday, and closed the analysis at
five o'clock on Friday morning. If I had been asked by
any person to whom I was hound to give an opinion I
should have answered on Wednesday evening that the
cause of death was strychnia. Otherwise, I should have

observed the rule to which I have referred. There was
no other cause to which death is referrible. I received
from Mr. Sconfe. my assistant, part of a bottle of medicine

which had been brought from the house of Mrs. Dove. It
consisted of aloe, valerian, and gentian. I applied tests
to see if it contained strychnia and it did not. That.
medicine was in a bottle labelled with my name. My
opinion that, strychnia was taken four times during the
week is formed partly from my own observation, partly
from the evidence given to me, and the appearances.
Mr. Barrett : Can you tell me if there is any one
certain test for the discovery of strychnia in the human

body ?
Witness : There is no one substance which will deter-
mine the presence of strychnia. The best combination
in my opinion, is the action of nitric acid followed by
the chloride of tin and bichloride of iron.
Mr. Barrett: Is that, in your opinion. a conclusive test
of strychnia in the human body ? Witness : It is considered
a conclusive test. If I were limited to those, I should say
using such tests, that I should be satisfied to give my
opinion as a certainty, I consider it will detect strychnia
in its ordinary state. It is not a sufficient test when not
in its ordinary state. Stqchnia in its ordinary state, as
sold by druggists, and as used by medical men, contains a
_ _

little 6rucia. The red colour arising may be produced by
brucia, and cannot be relied upon as a certain test at
strychnia., pure and perfectly free from brucia. All ordi,
nary strychnia contains brucia, and therefore Is not free
from red colour. I think this combinution, as'a test, eon.
elusive evidence of the presence of strychnia, but I should
always look for confirmatory evidence. I am not prepared

to say that there is a test for the discovery of strychnia
when without the brucia. The same difficulty may exist
in degree in all vegetable poisons. He earnestly entreated
me to let him know the result after I had suggested the
accidental poisoning,. I suggested that it might have been
spilt, and taken in food by Mrs. Dove. It was after
that he said " if you find any thing, what will the jury
say ? " lam quite positive that he said he had only got
strychnia from my surgeon once. If he 'tells me he has
got it twice that is untrue. As far as his statement to mo
went he sail he had tried it twice for kil:ing cats, and it
had failed, and he had tried it again for the same purpose.
I did not ask him the time that had occurred between the
first and second experiments. He told me had warned the
servant not to touch it, and that the poison had been put
on the cheese in the servant's bedroom. He called upon
me on the night of his wife's death to ask me to bring
Dr. Hobson with me to see her. I had a suspicion that
he was not altogether sober on that occasion. His mode
of conversation was not that of a perfectly sober man.
There was a change of tone from anxiety to lightness. I
entered the bedroom before him. He sat on a chair a
short time, and then rose and sat on the bed in extreme
grief. I had him removed from the room. I saw him no
more that night. I then made inquiries of Mrs. Witham
as to the symptoms that had taken place. I made no
examination that night. I examined the body exter-
nally on Sunday, with a view to muscular rigidity
and wounds. From what I saw I should have said
that the general appearances were those conse-
quently upon tetanus. I only took one bottle
from the house. I had prescribed quinine for her about
a fortnight or rather more, before her death. I had the
conversation I have referred to last Thursday. I had
not, I think, mentioned to Mrs. Dove's mother, that I
thought her daughter had died from poison. This being
the close of Mr. Morley's evidence, he handed in the fol.,
lowint, list of medicines he had supplied to the deceased.
" Feb. 15,1856. Mrs. Dove had;an effervescing mixture,
consisting of carbonate of soda and syrup of lemon. The
said mixture contained tartaric acid, and at the same
time was sent a liniment, consisting of compound soap
liniment, compound camphor liniment and opium. 18th
of February, compound rhubarb pill and blue 25th,
mixtuream nii a
te(.odn ttai ne yr
oc o. mf
vpaolue nr
ida
ns iarni tds
toi
nf
tu r e sulphuricofh e
nebt a
nh e
or:
Later in the same day, another mixture containing com-
pound spirits of sulphuric ether. Ammoniated tincture
of valerian, and compound decoction of aloes. 26th,
same mixture with infusion of gentian, and same pills as
before. 28th, a draught consisting of Batley's solution of
opium, and ammoniated tincture of valerian. 29th, same
kind of mixture, and the same draught."
Mr. John Elliotson, pupil of Mr. Morley, was the next
witness examined. He said : I know Mr. Dove, the
prisoner, since Mr. Morley has attended Mrs. Dove dub:
ing her last illness. He has called at the surgery fre'
quently. We have had conversation about poisons.
The
first conversation was about a month ago. I don'trecol-
lect the exact conversation that took place. Y can't
remember the exact words he used. The conversation
began about the case of Mr. Palmer. He said that he
believed strychnia could not be detected. That was in
the course of conversation about Palmer's case. He said
that it could not be detected after death. I said it could
be. I mentioned one or two of the tests for it. He asked
me the effects of strychnia on man. I told him it pro-
duced spasms and contraction of the muscles. He men-
tioned that his house was infested with cats that he wanted
to kill. After that he asked me for some strychnine,
which I supplied him with, labelling it poison, and telling
him to be cautious.
This witness was under examination when our parcel
was despatched. It is not likely that the case will ter-
minate before Tuesday evening or Wednesday.