Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-06-17 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, FRIDAY, JUNE 17 1859

SUSPECTED
CASE OF POISONING.

On Wednesday morning, the coroner for East Middlesex
resumed an adjourned inquest, respecting the death of
Zebra Royal, aged 21, who died from the effects of poison,
under the following suspicious circumstances. It appeared
from the evidence that the deceased had lived very unhap-
pily with her husband, who was a carpenter, lodging at No.
44, Gough-street. They frequently quarrelled, and on
Tuesday, the 7th instant, about two o'clock, she was taken
ill with violent vomiting and pain in the stomach. A lodger,
named Allen, was sent for, when deceased said that the last
thing she had taken was some coffee, which her husband
gave her. She said it was very bitter, and her husband
made her drink it. Some brandy was given to her, but
she became worse, when Mr. Webb, a surgeon, was called
who administered an antidote, but she continued to get
worse, and died on Saturday, the 12th. The deceased,
before her death, complained of a burning sensation in her
throat, and was very thirsty. On the night before the
deceased's death the husband left the house and had not
since returned. Ellen Stubbs, of No. 10, Grove-street,
Poplar, stated that she was present when the husband gave
the deceased some milk in a cup. She did not see him
put anything into it. None of the milk was left, the
deceased drank it all. Had heard the husband often swear
at the deceased. Heard the deceased exclaim, shortly
before her death, " God forgive him." Mr. Robert Webb,
surgeon, of Manor-terrace, Poplar, said, that he was
called to the deceased, whom he found suffering
from violent vomiting and purging. She complained
of severe pain in the stomach, which was hard
when pressed. She had small, quick pulse, and there were
evident symptoms of inflammation. Witness administered
remedies, bnt the deceased died on the following Saturday.
Witness had received some vomit from the mother of
deceased, which had been carefully preserved and sent sealed
up to Dr. Letheby, of the London Hospital, for anal} •
Witness had made a post mortem examin

body, and had found .the stomach and intestines much
inflamed and distended. • The mucous coat of the stomach
was abraded, and some portion was puckered up or blisl
tered. The other organs of the body were quite healthy.
The contents of the stomach consisted of coffee grounds,
&c., which, with portions of the body, were carefully sealed
up and given to Dr. Letheby. Dr. Letheby, the chemical
lecturer of the London Hospital, said that he had received
four bottles, containing portions of the deceased's stomach,,
intestines, one kidney, a piece of lung, and a quantity of
vomit. The stomach was much inflamed, and abraded.
The surface of the mucous coat was covered with coffee-
grounds. There were no solid particles of any kind adher,
ing to the stomach. There were no appearances of mineral
poison detected. On examining the vomit, witness
found a very acrid substance, the nature of which
witness could not at present state without further
analysis. The stomach was very much irritated.
Most probably the acrid substance he had dis-
covered was the cause of death. By a Juror : The poison
was of an irritant character, and had produced inflamation
of the stomach. The appearance he had described in
evidence could not arise from any natural causes. After the
examination of other witnesses, the Coroner observed that
it would be impossible to proceed any further in the case,
which had assumed a very seriou`g character, until Dr.
Letheby had completed the analysis. The jury concurred
in the opinion of the coroner, and the proceedings were
accordingly adjourned.

FRENCH OFFICER
CONVICTED OF SMUGGLING.

On Wednesday, at the Mansion-house, M. Edward
Roussel (said to be an officer in the French army), was
charged, upon the information of John James Dean, an
officer of customs, with having been concerned in importing
certain restricted goods, to wit three gallons of spirits,
contrary to the 232nd section of the Ciistoms Consolidation
Act, 1853, whereby he had rendered himself liable to a
penalty of £lOO, for which the commissioners of customs
had elected to sue. The defendant, through an interpreter,
pleaded not guilty. Mr. Cumberland, solicitor, said he
appeared on behalf of the commissioners of customs in the
case, which was rather an exceptional one. It seemed that
on the 7th instant, a free entry was passed at the custom-
house by Messrs. Carey and Sons, of Mark-lane, agents,
on behalf of the consignees, Messrs. Acheson and Co.,
of 27, Queen-street, City. The article was passed for
a cask of cider containing about twenty gallons,
and as having arrived in the Lord John Russell, a
steamer, trading between Dunkirk and the port of London.
The cask' of cider was landed at Brewer's Quay on the
followingday, when Mr. Dean, the. Customs officer on duty,
as usual in such cases, examined the cask, and on intro-
ducing an instrument called a spit into the cask, it
encountered some obstruction, and, at the same time, a
strong smell of spirits arose from the cask. Mr. Dean, in
consequence of this, had the contents run off into another
cask, and removed the head of the cider cask, when he
discovered a piece of canvass nailed inside, between which
and the head itself were confined four large bladders,
each capable of containing a gallon. Three of the
bladders were then full of spirits, but the fourth was empty,
hayinF, been perforated by the spit, so that its contents had
escaped and mixed with the cider. Mr. Dean at once
communicated with Messrs. Carey, or rather with their
clerk, Mr. Ward, who had passed the entry at the
Custom-house, and who attended at the wharf. He could,
however, give no explanation, but subsequently he brought
the defendant there, who had given •to him the bill of lading
on the previous day, and the letter of advice for the goods,
endorsing the bill of lading "Acheson and Co." On that
endorsement Messrs. Carey had acted. The defendant.
when Mr. Ward went to him, acknowledged that he had
endorsed the bill of lading without the consent of Messrs.
Acheson ; and he added a further endorsement that the
cask was to be delivered to him at his address, 34, Redcross-
street, Borough. Mr. Ward then told him what the
Custom-house officer had discovered, and then professed
to know nothing at all about it, and expressed his
astonishment at the discovery. It was, however,
quite clear that the cask was sent from Dunkirk by
the instructions of Messrs. Roussel; that the bill of
lading was endorsed " Acheson and C 0.," without
their authority, according to his own confessions,
and that it was by his instruction to be sent to
his private address. He (Mr. Cumberland) would prove
these facts by evidence, and there then could be no doubt
that the defendant had been concerned in importing three
gallons of restricted spirits, contrary to the Customs'
Act, and that he was, therefore, liable to the penalty 7
Witnesses were then called in support of Mr. Cumberland's
statement, and it was also shown that the spirit was merely
common spirit, with no particular name, and considerably
below proof, its value being 10s, and the amount of duty to
which it was liable £1 2s. 6d, ; but, at the same time, it was
admitted that he had endorsed the names of Acheson and
Co. at the request of Mr. Carey's clerk, and without any
fraudulent intention. The evidence having been interpreted
to the defendant, the Lord Mayor desired the interpreter to
ask him what lie had to' say to the 'char
ge Interpreter :
He says he had no knowledge of any spirits being in the
cask. He had been three months in England, and has been
in the habit of going frequently to the Custom-house, and
that it was quite impossible he could have been so foolish as to
be concerned in this affair in any way. The Lord Mayor: Tell
him that the law regards him as being cognisant of the fact.
Interpreter : He says it was not spirits that is drinkable
at all. The Lord Mayor : No ; nor is it imported for the
purpose of being drank. Interpreter : He wishes to know,,
then, why there is a duty on it ? Mr. Cumberland : There
is a duty on all spirits. Interpreter : He denies that-he
had any knowledge, in anyway, of fspirits being in the cask.
The Lord Mayor : Tell him that that does not avail him in
such a case as this, and that all I can do is to mitigate the
penalty to the smallest amount. Interpreter :He wishes
that Mr. Ward would speak for him. Mr. Ward (clerk to
Messrs. Carey) said he .had only a business knowledge
cf the defendant, who, however, from, the fact of his
having had to' manage some small transactions with
him, seemed to regard him as a friend. He might, how-
ever, express his belief, that, the defendant had no
guilty knowledge of the spirit being in the cask of
cider, which he believed had been sent to him as a present
by some friends in France. As to the spirit, it was of a
kind which was used by the French peasantry, for cooking
purposes, in the absence of coal, and no doubt The defendant's
friends thought they would send him some of that as well,
and so they secreted it in the cider. Mr. Cumberland :
There can be no doubt that the cask was sent over by his
own instruction. The Lord Mayor : If not, it would not
avail him. All that I can do is to mitigate the penalty to
the lowest amount, and he must pay a fine of £25, or go to
prison for six months ; but he can if he pleases, memorialise
the Commissioners of Customs for a further mitigation.
Mr. Ward: When can he memorialise ? The Lord Mayor:
Immediately. To-morrow, if you like. Mr. Cumberland :
And if they do memorialise am I at liberty to communicate
to the commissioners your lordship's :impression that the
facts 6f the ease are such as not to warrant any further
mitigation.. The Lord Mayor ; Certainly, The defendant
was then removed in custody.

AWFUL- OCCURRENCE

IN THE BRISTOL CHANNEL

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.

A dreadful catastrophe took place on Tuesday at Watchet,
a small port on the British Channel, by which no less than
fourteen or fifteen persons have lost their lives. On Mon-
day, a steamer of the name of the Neath Abbey left Bristol
on a pleasure excursion to Watchet and Minehead, taking
with her some 400 or 450 passengers. She was to return
to Bristol on Tnesday, and for that purpose, having left
Minehead in the afternoon, anchored off Watchet about three
o'clock, a mile and a half from the shore. Boats belonging
to the place were put in requisition to convey the passengers
to the steamer, and several parties had reached her in safety,
when it was seen that one of the boats, distant about half a
mile from the shore, was evidently sinking deeper and
deeper into the water, while the people on board were waiv-
ing their hats and handkerchiefs, awl shouting and screaming
as if in the extremity of peril. The people in another boat,
some distance behind, on observing this, jumped on to a ledge
of rock, up to their waists in water, leaving only three men
in the boat, who pulled her as fast as possible towards the
sinking boat in front. All their exertions, howe: er, were
fruitless. Just before they reached her, a heavier sea than
usual caught her broadside. In an instant she capsized,
and men, women, and children Were floundering together
in the waves. Before the hinder boat could come up almost
all had disappeared. Two young women were dragged on
board by their hair, one of whom is doing well, while the
other is not expected to recover. The bodies of two men
were brought on shore, but they were quite dead. It is
computed by an eye witness that at the time the boat sunk
there were at least fourteen persons in her, besides the two
rowers, and therefore there must be at least fourteen who
have perished. One young woman, with her infant clasped
in her arms, floated for a long time, supported by her
clothing, but all efforts to save her were in vain, and
she and she and her child perished together. None of the
names of the victms have as yet been ascertaied, but they
were all natives of Bristol, in which town the greatest
excitement prevails amongst the relatives and friends of the
excurtionists who have not yet returned to their homes.