Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-16 00:00:00

THE RICHMOND POISONING CASE.

TRIAL OF DR. SMETHURST.
CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.-M' ONDAT

The trial of Dr. Thomas Smethurst, for the murder
of Isabella Banks, at Richmond, which was abruptly
terminated at the last session of the Central Criminal
Conrt by the sudden illness of a juryman, was resumed
this morning, before the Lord Chief Baron Pollock, by
whom the case was commenced on the former occasion.
It *ill be recollected that the prisoner is charged with
the murder of a lady named Isabdila Bankes, by admi-
nistering to her constantly small doses either of arsenic
or antimony, or some other irritant poison. He was a
married man, but he had gone through the ceremony of
marriage with the deceased shortly before her death,
and he had induced her to make a will in his favour,
under which he would have come into possession of about
£l,BOO. It will not be necessary to repeat the whole of
the evidence in detail that was given on the former occa-
sion, as it must be fresh in the recollection of the public,
down to the period when the case was abruptly stopped
by the occurrence above mentioned.
At eleven o'clock the Lord Chief Baron, accompanied
by the Lord Mayor, and the sheriffs and under-sherifls
took his seat on the bench in the Old Court, and the
prisoner was then placed at the bar. He did not pre-
sent any material alteration in his appearance. While
the names of the jurors were being called over the
prisoner looked at each of them with great attention,
and several were challenged in his behalf. A jury hav-
ing at length been obtained, the prisoner was given in
charge, and the trial proceeded.

1 Mi.. Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Clerk, and
Mr. Merewether, conducted the prosecution ; Serjeant
Parry and Mr. Giffard were counsel for the prisoner.
Sirjeant Ballantine, in opening the ease, described it
as one of the most important and serious character. The
offence imputed to the prisoner was that he had
deliberately inveigled the deceased lady into his
power, and that he had then destroyed her life by
administering to her small doses of poison, and the
object of this act was suggested to be to possess him-
self of her fortune. The prisoner was a man of cen-
siderable chemical and medical skill, and he was well
acquainted with the nature of the different poisons, and
it was part of the case for the prosecution, that he had
made use of this knowledge to baffle, to a considerable
extent, the tests that were made use of by scientific men
to discover the presence of poison. It would be idle to
suppose that the jury were not acquainted with the cir-
cumstances of the case, as it had already been partly
heard, and the facts had been frequently before the
public ; but upon the present occasion they would, of
course, be guided solely by the evidence that would be
laid before them, and if they should be of opinion, when
they had heard all the evidence, that it was insufficient
to make out the charge against the prisoner, it was their
duty to acquit him. The learned sergeant then pro-
ceeded to narrate the facts of the case "at considerable
length, and nearly in the same terms as on the former
trial.

The evidence for the prosecution was then gone into.
Mrs. Smith proved that the prisoner and his wife and
the deceased lodged at her boarding-house in Rifle-
terrace, Bayswater, and that in consequence of her
observing what she considered to be improper familiarity
between the prisoner and the deceased, she gave the
latter notice to quit, and she left on the 9th of Decem-
ber.

Mr. Spice, parish clerk of Battersea, proved that the
prisoner and the deceased were married on the 12th of
December, and evidence of the marriage of the prisoner
and his first wife, in 1828, was also given.
We have not yet received the conclusion of the trial.

HERRING FISHERY.—The herring fishery in Scot-
land up to Saturday last was a failure. The weather
had been fine, and there was the prospect of improve-
ment, but in the meantime prices had advanced.
A number of experiments have been made at Chatham
for several days past, with the view of testing a new de-
scription of diving-dress for the use of the Royal Sap-
pers and Miners, the invention of Mr. Hinckes, who has
obtained a patent for it.
THE CROPS IN SCOTLAND.—The cereal crops in
Scotland arc light, and will be rather below the average,
but the quality promises to be very fine. Harvest has
commenced in some of the earlier districts. The potato
crop is good and quite free of disease.
FOUNDERING OF THE BLENHEIM, AND Loss OF LIFE.

—On Saturday the news reached Lloyd's of the loss of
the ship Blenheim, Captain Headley, in the Bay of
Bengal, and the loss by drowning of the lives of her
commander, the second officer, and eleven of her crew.
The Blenheim was one of the fine fleet of Indiamen
owned by Messrs. Duncan Dunbar and Sons, of Lime-
house. She was on her return voyage, and left Akyab
on 7th June for Calcutta. On the 16th she encountered
a fearful gale, which caused the sea to break over her,
and it becoming apparent she would founder, the cap-
tain and crew took to the boats, and had scarcely done
so when she went down. They succeeded in sighting
the land, and one boat reached shore on the isk nd of
Rawree ; the other, however, was swamped in the sv-
which swept the ly- - and th- ' •

captain, second mate,
boatswain,- cook, and nine men perished. The Blen-
heim was about 700 tons register.

Strcrrtinff *friligture.

LATEST BETTING

17,80 R lIANDICAP

3 to 1 against Starke (o.)
7 to 1 against Volatile (t.'

7 to 1 against Peeress (w.)
8 to 1 against Underhand.
12 to 1 against Borderer.

16 to 1 against Shafto (o.)
Ditto is reported scratched.

THE ST. LEGER.
6 to 4 against Promised Land (t.)
20 to 1 against Prelude (t.)

DERBY, 1860.
10 to 1 against the Wizard (t.)
11 to 1 against Buccaneer (t.)
12 to I against Nutbournel(t.)

SEFTON STAKES (AINTREE).
7 to 2 against Daw.
7 to 2 against Mountain Boy.
6 to 1 against Dreadnought (t.)
6 to 1 against Ranger.
8 to 1 against Jack Rossiter.
10 to 1 against Butcher Boy.
12 to 1 against any other.

A trotting match came off on the Aintrec-road last evening
between a well-known grey mare and a brown mare of Arr.
Thomas Ahbotts. Both went in harness, the grey winning
with the utmost case by 200 yards. •

TROTTING RACES OVER AINTREE COURSE

25TH Aucwsr,

corrected entry

The Aintree Stakes of 2 sous each, h ft, with 15 cove added, for
British bred horses only, under 14 hands, that have never
won £5O. The second to save his stake. Once round and a
distance. Seven subs.

Mr Thomas Smith's gr m Iris
Mr J II Burbage's b g Bobby
Mr Moffatt's bl or br m Alice

Hands In
.. 13 2
13 3
.. 14 0

Mr Nelson's br g Bouncer
Mr Coggin's ch g Manchester Tommy
Mr Hodgson's br m Kit

14 0
13 2
13 3

Mr 13arker's Roan Mare
SECOND RACI
The Sefton Stakes of 10 soya each, h ft, with 100 soya added,
for horses of all nations ; the second to save his stake, and
the winner to pay 10 sovs towards expenses. Heats : Twice
round and a distance, about three miles. Ten subs.
Hands In.
Mr Wilding's ro g Jacob (American) l4 2
Mr R Johnson nas br g Mountain Boy (American)
Mr Ammes nas b g Dreadnought (American) l5
Mr Lee nas b g Ranger (American) ................. 15 3
Mr Harlan's ch g Jack Rossiter (American)......,,.;
...... 14 ai
Mr G Lawton nas ch g Big Sam (American) .
Mr Thornton nas b m Daw
15 0
Mr Drummond nas b m Lady Godiva l7 0
Mr Ford nas b g Butcher Boy
Mr John Ellis nas Brown Mare l5 2
15 2
THIRD RACE.
The Croxteth Stakes of 5 sovs each, h ft, 50 sovs added, for
British bred horses only. The second to save his stake, and
the winner to pay 5 sovs towards expenses. Heats : twice
round and a distance, about three miles. Seven subscribers.
Hands. In.
Mr Bastien's eh g lackey l4 0
Mr Ammes' b m Lady Godiva l7 0
Mr Whitmore's br m Daw l5 0
Mr Moffatt's gr g Sailor Jack
Mr Parker's b m Peggy l4 2
Mr Cole's ro g Tommy
Mr Staveley's b m Little Fanny l4 2
FOURTH RACE. _

The Knowsley Stakes of 3 Wov;eaCii,Vit, with 25 sovs added,
for British bred horses only. The second to save his stake
Once round and a distance. Eleven sub

Mr Cole's ro g Tommy
Mr Ammes' b m Lady Godiva
Mr Parker's b m Peggy
Mr Lupton's ro h Charlie
Mr Whitmore's br m Daw
Mr Moffatt's gr g Sailor Jack
Mr Moffatt's b g Butcher Boy
Mr Staveley's b m Little Fanny
Mr William Nelson's Lady Harkaway
Mr C. Holt's ch m Maid of All Work
Mr liodgson's b in Kit

Ira Ids. In
14 1
.. 17 0
14 2

15 0
15 0
15 2

15 2
13 2