The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-12-21 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS MURDE.R.

Our Renders wilt recollect that an extraordioary
charge was recently made at Bow-street against a
young mull of respectable connexions, named Henry
Coolor. by %Wham Keys who accused lion haw.
in employed and furnished him with pistols to
nitirder %lr. Shears, proprietor of copver-mills at
Atriton, and having a counting-house its Fleet-
market, together with his whole fainily. Cooke wits
Mr. Sheurs's clerk. The hint-trate' conside.eil
the (Marge unfounded, and liher.ited Cooke, who
subserviently prosecuted Kry, and who is 110 W
her sentence of trimsi.ortation. On Wednesday
morning Cooke, who was about eighteen years of
age, died, slier an illness of a few hour,, under cir-
cumstances of suspicion that he had been poismied.
The body was opened on Thursday last. when it
was ascertained that he died by poison. 'Thursday
slight as inves,igatuon was taken on the body at the
Geolge, in George-street, Christ Church,
iarssroad, before C. JESIMETT, E•ri. Coroner for
Surrey, when evidence to the following effect wits
giten
Mr. John Woman, of Christ Church, said decease.' had
been several years his lodger. Tuesday evening last he
came home at lottpast six from the c 1111 l iting.hisose, corn-
pl•imoir of sickness as his stomach ; he vomited vet y much ;
the sickness continued violent. and tar went to Dr. Pollard, a
artgl,bokir, fur it...atone. The Doctor being out, he went It
Kavud tune, 111111 it ',instil with two pills and a draught ; he
went to lied show tru. At eleven witness f d him more
coosposed ;he saw no ntore hint until fire 111'1(1 morning,
alien twill awoke by a inner like she falling of wine versus),
he ran mt., Couke's rennt. and found him prostrate on the
fleas, bun out senseless; hr assisted liim into le 11, and then
galled the servant to heti a list• and oinke tea, the deceased
having complained of extreme thirst. While 'kinking tea
he said to a init.'s, feilown pot something to the
beer' About seven I.'clark a nom aim wilt Emus to Mr.
fslwars's mills at Merton, call. d to know if Mr. Cooke, whose
Caner w,us forret in there, hid any message to send; de.
t 1.0.41 d. semi 1.1• father 111041 be informed he was very ill,
but hn ped toe • In Merton is.. the Monday Ten ntinnotor
ifierteards is 0n...5 want into his ro , and found him with
In. 'trash! out of Ix .1 I.VIT a beam, rift if he had been vomit-
ing, stud lying u non Ills sole; he gasped a and expired.
At the hints Its nartitittued " those fellons,' he named ou par.
titular in I uni.
_ _

Mrs 11etounn the (kennel! When hr first Corilphilted of
14601.114 She inquire) whether be had ate or drawl( ony
Ilia to olo..acree a ttls hint lie ►aid he had salt beef fur
slimier, mod shout it .11 it pod of table Ito tr at 11w coostatistz-
h use. Hr afterwards said that he fo :wed those fellows had
played tricks wills the Meer, for lie recollected it wes re—
n.as kahly sweet beer. He said he thought he saw
linos ahttr rltot;tur In the bottom of the snug, whirl might
be occasioned by the herr know:, bees warmed. Neat mono-
lag w belt she went lotto lot. room, the felt his baud; it Will
very cold, and lie appear. d cry weak lie saw', faintly,
Those frlloss" About to u floutuuuolesbefore he olwol, Is dr-
ained Dr. Pollard to lie twat for, but he oiled berme 11w
Doc-
tor arrivo J. He to ver menlioiled the 11.111 Its of the perantis
who gave him the beer.

Mr. Weimais liwther stated, that nfter Cooke's denth he
waited upon Mr. SI11:310, at the esuuthir-bsenve, to ineurrn
him of the CirCIIIIIMAIICe, and us-quaint I with the alliteussis
of deceased to the beer lie had drank; nod to requital the
tour might be searched fur. One of Me Shears's 5t11.4 mode
immediate inquiry for the sting anssisiz, the servants, e
timid not find it, lie then rolled in the desks and desired
they would endeavour to find it, sloth they did immediately
under the desk of the deceased. Tlsete Apo...tied io it a quan-
tity of white powder mixed with dot %If Slis•are sealed it
up nod delivered it to witness, by whom it was isausferted to
Dr. full a d.

v.
M. Pollard, of Christ Church, allied, that &leased ap-
plied to him on *faraday evening, complAilling of vomiting,
and pans in the stomach and h. 4J. Ile said that lie had
only drain• a little table.heer. The excessive vomiting con-
tinuilig, witness again asked what he had tato u ; and he
then said, that when he drunk the herr hr iiiiscrved white
powder at the bottom of the mug, and thought Nome of
companions bad harts playing !ricks Susie• medicine was
then given to hint, with proper directions; he was desired
by witsiemi to 0.30 bum what might be Oilmen from the stn.
mach. He saw 110 1114.1 pof hum uotil next morning, alien
lie was called its gnat haste, and found Cooke dead. Mr.
Woman delivert d a tin g to witness, which coniaiord a
quantity of white powder, and which being anal)mal, proved
to be mirk of arsenic He soilweipiently opened the body,
and found iu the stomach a quantity of a similar powder,
which by Maio found to be oityde of arsenic ; it had 'malacca
a meat inflanintatiun ao•1 ulceration in the atomack, and
occasioned death.

De. Callaway was present at the opening of the bushy, and
corroluor uteri Dr. Pollard's testimony. He as.i‘tual iu rot-
lyziog the mil:stances iis the mint cud in the aiontach, and
ascertained they are, oxyde of arsenic. Their expernuentur
were cuirotooated by others made at Guy's Hospital upou
part of the sobsimicr • so found, and the result moved was
the seine. iVitot as obsessed various portions of th,• sob.
stance• :ther itug to the inner mernhrance when the body was
Opened; the siwmaels and one of the limestones acre woo-
derably ulcerated, Bud ule.ah was 01114 occasioned.
Mr. Shears, jun. ►lsled, he had beets intlefatigale in his
exertions to discover by al the beer had been du awn
which Cooke bad drank, rollout success Hr hail about be
persons ou the premises, but could obtain nu evideirce upuu
the subj. et.
Morgan Deasey was warehouseman and cleat( to Mr.
Shear.. On Tuesday, at one u*cloek, lu• dined with de-
MAMA at au eating house ise the Old Bailey. Witassru
tr-
turnrd to lousiness. and deceased went another way, saying
he bad a place 1111101 at berme he returned. %%doers bad
been accost.. dto Jriuk a pint of table beer with the de.
ceased 11011' uliuner : he wailed fur him a colusideu able time,
and Or a destreul a buy isl straw bins s ..... e beer,abich he
inuniediately dud, in a pewter pot, and willows drank it.
Cooke came in al mot three o'clock. %%lusts,' shortly after.
ssaurls went into the counting•huuse, with the buteolion of
having some beer with Imo; he saw the lot pat which had
been prialuced by Dr. Pollard standing oil the corner of the
stove, full of beer, to warm. He was immethaiely culled
away upon business; was positive tha► the mug was nut oil
the li4lllT previous to the entrance of deceased. It was the
same mug he usually drank out of, :used was generally plnceul
trustee Coulte's desk. 'flue witness knew not by alarm the
beer was drawn, nor by whom placed on the stove. If be
haul not been sailed away he should have drank part of it
himself.

Frederick Wilson, moonier dell: to kir. Shears, remem-
bered deceased complaining at five o'clock rif being exces-
sively sick, and said lie had b en see ever sluice four o'clock ;
he put his 'minion his at atoll, and said be felt a burning
heat there.
The Coroner observed, that the beet evidence that could
he proctored hid been brought forward err v folly. Nn doubt
deceased had died is consequence of takntm the ii‘yele of
arsenic is the beer ; bow it came there, or by whom given,
remained unknown. All possible pains had heen taken to
being forward every person likely to have any knowledge of
the corcumstanms It remained for the Jury to &hetr a
verdict according to She best of their jndtmeoi•.
The Jury remained in consultation about four hours, and
at one o'clock on Friday morning returned Ibis verdtcl—
s• llied by poison, adonimintered by ruse person or periods
al present unknown."

A FACT.—On Sundry haw( the clerk of at itorlath
ni (h.ure►lrrshire had to uuouunt•r, that oil *oda
n INV the fon'llinhent w.mld hr ready to recruve the
tithes of tlw mud pnri►h ; awl all persoom then pie.
glerltlig to pay their ►rveral COMN/NtlifiONS Would
forthwith hr esebertered :—hot honest AMEN
h Id out Is still 11110 re threntriiing Tio t
if that• steglteied their eumpriiiitmt they would all
hit &rah be execosted."—( Bath Herald.)