The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-12 00:00:00

POISONING OF A LADY,

BY STRYCHNIA, AT LEEDS

ADJOURNED INQUEST ON THE BODY

(FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.)

, TUESDAY.
This morning at eleven o'clock th LEEDSe
prisoner, Mr. W.
13°Yel was brought np on remand at the police court, before
the mayor and a full bench of magistrates. The court was
ranch crowded in the expectation that the facts of the case
Would be gone into, but on the prisoner being placed at the
bar, the coroner's clerk rose and said he had t o apply to the
bench for a further remand, on the ground that the inquest
BAse body of Mrs. Dove was still pending. After a short
altation amongst the magistrates the prisoner was
agalt in remanded to Thursday morning.
appeared from the antecedents of the accused that for
'`'Me Years back he has displayed an eccentric, if not a
mischievous, disposition. He is the only son of the late
Mt
• ehrietopher Dove, formerly a currier in Park-square,
r-l!cls • Ilia father during his life time was a strictly
everyous
man, and was in the habit of having prayers read
tbe Horning at his place of business, when the whole of
always m his employ, in addition to the family, were
stead p At this time the accused was exceedingly
Slid of a serious turn of mind. When
feeie• e eighteen years of age he evinced a disposition for
1,174,14 g Pursuits, and was placed in the family of a farmer
oodhouse, near Normanton. Unhappily, whilst these
eeteetn,s
.propensities displayed themselves, he was con-
--"‘iY Involved in all kinds of mischievous tricks. On one
placed a daughter of the farmer in whose house he was
,eleeed at Woodhouse, having done something which dis-
Lesed him, he threatened that he would be revenged upon
te.erin.d. one evening, after the young woman had retired to
Cate' end
he succeeded in getting hold of half-a-dozen
a-", and, after tieing their tails together, he threw them
NI the bed •
thin which she
was sleeping. The consequences
h e Young woman were very serious, and several months
-e...."Pled before she recovered from the shock. On another
il, Sion, he had a quarrel with a neighbouring farmer, and,
he evening, whilst the farmer's cows were in the field,
e obtained a
quantity of phosphorus, which he rubbed all
over the different beasts.
1
ekillele are several important witnesses yet to be examined,
1,1..‘ is not expected that the case will terminate before
may
The evidence will, very likely, terminate to-
olo'4lW evening; after which, we learn that the coroner
iwrlratisea, usgpain to adjourn to Thursday morning, when he
to thetither We understand that no evidence
th• be,adduced inquest on behalf of the prisoner ;
hia that, in the event of an adverse verdict, the defence on
eadLai will be that of insanity, and that several medical
Ti!ther witnesses will be examined in support of it.
tiedt important evidence given in this case by Mr. Morley
of teeulr• Nunneley, the surgeons, has excited the attention
lea " friends of William Palmer, of Rugeley, and we
v4;111 that at the present time they are in communication
veitemeethese gentlemen, relative to their being called as
00478,ei▪ n Palmer's trial, in the case of Mr. John Parsons
/Tao, &Ile evidence given by Messrs. Morley and
as to the detection of strychnia in the human
Imil--Joa....fter death, is in direct opposition to the theory pro-
elete.mett by Professor Taylor, who has given it as his
ttete-mbe that its discovery at all is doubtful, and in no case
1,.`1:, very few hours subsequent to death. On the other
eiVikl, Messrs. Morley and Nunneley, who stand very high
eta as as analytical chemists, has positively and distinctly
lito...et hot they discovered the presence of strychnia in the
mach Mrs. Dove, as late as the fifth day after death.
phi
following is the conclusion of yesterday's evidence,
A IP S given after my parcel was dispatched :
netl: pupil of Mr. Morley, was the ne• he OM Ell otsOD,
ese called. He said : I know Mr. Dove, S _
ilbi• cen Mr. Morley has attende I Mrs. Dove during her
had"' He has called at the surgery frequently. We have
e°conversations about poisons. The first conversation
4eld b.e about a month ago. He asked me the effect of
17
,h ma upon man, but I can't tell you the exact word.s.
tiesteeetwed him aa account of strychnia and its effects, in
" Materia Medics." I got the book and showed
bualins place. He read it, not aloud. He mentioned that
nouse was infested with cats, that he wanted to kill.
sek u
tsll,hked for some poison to kill them, as he said thatga he
t poison was the best means of destroying them.
-"lothele r at, he asked me for some strychnia in one way or
a Coroner • I gave him some ; about ten grains. It was in
it, Piece
~ of white foolscap paper, and I wrote " poison" upon.
ite,o„-L Said he was to take care of it. Mr. Dove called again
mt a week afterwards. He said that he bad poisoned
mte cat, but that the rest of the poison had been washed
ZhwaY by the rain, and that there was another cat about the
.--ee• I think he said, " I'll set same more if you'll give it
Mei" or words to that effect. I gave him five grains more
;of strychnine. He said, " I think you had better write
„Pc?jeolf upon it, had'nt you ?" and I did so. I don't reeol-
ii" anet thing else. I have not had any conversation with
aittee that time relating to poison, his wife's illness, or
44 death.
ish By Mr. Barret : I think the poison was first mentioned
iv connection with Palmer's case. Did not he say we have
:stile cats that are an annoyance to the house, and we wish.
remember'poison them ? Something to that effect. I dohnatt
it arsenic being mentioned, but I won% swear that
.waa DOt • but I can swear it was not mentioned
vili!eference to Palmer's case or cats.
eracq?la William Scarth, pupil of Mr. Morley, was next
/ :tuned; He said : I know the prisoner, William o, e.
atrecete:moer the last witness saying he had given Dove
Tlfra,--7,• I thins it was about four weeks ago. I saw
ball'''eve a fortnight ago to-day. She was in bed, par-
tow)! undressed. She had these spasms and musen'ar
45f 4:eactions. I noticed she bad twitching of the muscles
tcget facet and when that occurred the teeth were brought
h, and
pawls.the fingers bent towards the palms of the
craze f The head was thrown back slightly. Mr. Dove
LaseZredlar• Morley. I was at the medical ;school, and
, a vay to the surgery, and there found Mr. Dol.re.
him. '',.‘alorley was absent 1 was fetched, and returned with
were u;',n. our way, I remember his saying, "If my wife
coronet 'tie would there be a coroner's inquest, or would the
cots require an examination ?" I said I believed the
de:tree Jurisdiction only extended to accidents, sudden
as ex es' or Poisoning. Then he said, would Mr. Morley have
had tinl'mation. I said, most likely, because he generally
atopee_e examinations. Nothing was said about a pot
requir'e.,. When I said most likely Mr. Morley would
Never cc 7: examination, he said, " I am sure my wife. would
itailtttinrafaaera9lity.)o' NI said,
" I know you have an antipathy,
Slid to one in your father's case." He
IfTl.'t_tabstance that he should have an objection. I saw
*twee kind again on the Thursday night. She then had the
rctierlestt of attack, but more violent. She was sensible.
asking her whether she felt any pain between the
and B,Shoulders2 la the cheat as it were, when the attacks were on,
foitkel said she did, very violent pain. I also asked if she
et,.at the mouth and bit her teeth, and either she or
five tc"lthain said she did not. I remained with her from
*bee 11l u minutes. I don't think she was getting easier
olive 4e,ft• Elletson did not tell me that he had had a
knovershattort with Dove about Palmer's case. I did not
stryeb ▪ a day or two ago that Dove had received
- t -
Jett_ vrice.eeeini:s peacock, surgery-boy to Mr. Morley, was then
retac ed• I have known Mr. Dove since December last.
weeks ember a conversation with him about a month or five
leekeeego• He ordered me to make the medicine. He
the :4 on the shelf and saw " tart. of antimony," and at
•
hie 'll,4pe ti.me said, "This is what, I suppose, Palmer killed
seke"e With." I made no observation upon that. On the
thee Shelf there was strychnine. He said, " I suppose
Iles_e.atlit test strychnine ?" I said, " Yes, they can."
eteeg°l " • They can test all minerals and vegetables except
kr; Morley
a second time ; and I said, "Yes, they can, for
Poise, "eY tested it in the stomach of a young woman who
le. l.„,ed herself, at New Road End." I was present when
fiesrCletson gave Mr. Dove the second strychnine, not the
death It would be about a fortnight before Mrs. Dove's
Stemnm H 8 called and said he wished to have some more
atemie, as he had killed one cat ; that he had put some
Avef nine on some meat, that one cat had got some and
eh, °and dead. These were the only two occasions that I
head Mr. Dove say anything about poison.
qhflr• Thomas Nunneley, F.R.C.S.E., of Leeds, was then
e:ll:tined, and at great length described the symptoms the
ti
ofeeeeaeed exhibited, and generally corroborated the evidence
ofef Morley as to the discovery of strychnia, in the body
deceased, pronouncing as his deliberate opinion that
chnia was the cause of death.
itt
telY Elizabeth Fisher, single woman, was then examined: I
ei lived as servant with Mr. Dove, in Cardigan Place.
efore I left, Mrs. Dove had been confined to her bed, but
hi'leyer saw any twitchings. I knew that there was poison
patille house, but did not know what it was, but that there
ek 'P(4°ll. On the 10th February, Sir. Dove said he was
itelneg to Mr. Morley's for medicine, and he would bring
tat: Bnrne poison to kill the cats. We were troublded.twwitahs
eaten and they came in and ate some fish. I said
troubled bY the rats, but Dove said cats. We were not
oled with them, they only came across the wall. When
he sraa e back from Mr. Morley's, on the 10th February,
aake4- he was going to give the cats some poison, and
twee me to give him a plate. I did so. He then put
poiacitixteat on the plate, cut the meat open, and put some
°un.etweett. He then took the plate out and put it
aorae a.°g kennel. He also gave me a piece of cheese, with
told 4,-°4°4 °n it, to put in my bed-room to kill the mice. He
'Zelda een the 12th that the meat was gone. On the
said eY) the llth as it rained on the Monday, Mr. Dove
taeat:e doubt the rain had washed the poison out of the
theUn lie said he would give the cats some more poison.
In Us Priday, he asked me if I had seen any. I said no.
/ aor
_evening of that day, between eight and nine o'clock,
the kit'ciferneywlnilowhite cat in the yard, dead, underneath
dead,
t:ad, and that it .
fWhen I told him I had found
e which e had lightened me very much, he asked
and whit °I
them : the grey and white one, or the yellow
ash e one ? I told him it was the grey and white one.
the Me on Saturday morning that
he had buried it in
• the yellslace ; and I saw no more of the cat, the poison, or
sea
the w mid White cat. Mr. Dove told me that he kept
- son
hear hoz in his razor box, but I never went to look. His
Yr kept up stain on the bedroom ohiumeypieee.

+,le prisoner,