The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-25 00:00:00

SATURDAY EirgiVlNn: AUGUST 25 1855

(Thursday) week, about ten o'clock in the morning, I•vvas
fetched to 33, Hill-street. When I got there I went up stairs
into the t,econd-floor front. There were Mr. Hugrard, the
police-60rgeant, Mr. Cripo. arid the prisoner present.
saw the body of a female lying across the bed, with her
feet resting upon a chair, the back of which was to-
wards the window. I removed the shawl which covered
her, and found the night-gown was s tturated with blood.
I removed a handkerchief from her throat, and f mod
she -was colourless, perfectly dead, cold, and stiff. I said
I could do nothing, and went down stairs.
Mr. Arnold—Were you enabled to form any opinion
of when the deceased died ?—Witness—Only from the
conversation I had with the prisoner. I asked at what
time it occurred, and she said, "Six this morning." She
said, iu reply to my further inquiries, that she was pre-
sent, that her mother got out of bed to obey the calls of
nature, and in a moment afterwarls she beard say, "How
wet I am f I am dying," and she (prisoner) looked up and
saw her mother covered with blood. She thtn stated that
t,he lifted her mother's legs on the chair as they were
found, as she did not like to see them banging over the
bed.

muriatic acid iu this instance was merle by him ,elf. The
heart was next examined ; it had been cus open, leaving
the cevitiee exp )s.d. The mte,reil substance of this
oreae was firM: feel the valves tree feorn flieease, The
heare weighed GI ounces, about the ever age fir a woman.
It ens cut into two parts, one being analysed by Dr.
Rees, the other be witness. Dr. Rees is assistant
phy-
srctan to Guy's Hospital. Both portions of the heart
contained arsenic. The analyses were conducted sepa-
rately, and exchanged for the purpose of examination
by each other. Some of the arsenic is now pro-
duced. The lungs were next analysed, but they
were so putrified that it was impossible to give any
opinion about their diseased or healthy condition.
A bout four ounces were submitted to analysis, and with
results similar to the previous investigations. (A portion
of the arsenic deposited on copper was now produced.)
The liquid from the abdomen was next examined It
consisted of blood of about one-third of au ounce by
measure. It was examined for any sediment of arsenic,
but there was no mineral sediment of any kind. The
liquid contained arsenic in a small degree, as witness
found on analysis. The arsenic was in melution, not in
powder. The intestines were then examined. They were
partly entire, and partly cut open. They bad on some parts
a dark red colour from inflammation. In one spot the
Mucous membrane was ulcerated. There was no appear.
ance of arsenic in or ah,est this spot. It was examined
by a magnifying glass. In some parts the intestines
and their contents were perfectly black ; this was a very
unusual appearance. Found that the cause of this colour
was owing to the presence of some preparation of iron.
One-half of the intestines was analysed, and a small
portion of arsenic detected. The r cturn or lower bowel
was then examined. It had been perdy cot up so as to
exiles() the inside. The inner portion in some parts was
reddened by inflammation. There was a patch of ulcera-
tion about the centre of its length. Ie another part of
the surface the same black-looking substance was found
which had been previously mentioned. The surface of
the rectum was examined by a magnifying glass, but
there was no trace of powder anywhere. The whole of
it was analysed, and a larger proportion of arsenic was
found than in the other portion of the bowels. It is a
common circumstance to find a larger proportion of
arsenic in the rectum than in the other parts of the in-
testines, from this cause, that when a person is poisoned
by arsenic it generally passes rapidly from its irritating
properties over the intermediate tract of the bowels.
The conc'usion which witness drew from hie exami-
nations and analyses were—first, that arsenic was
present in small quantities in all parts of the body
of the deceased which were submitted to examina-
tion. Second, that in the liver, heart, and lungs,
the arsenic was incorporated with the structure of these
organs, and that it had been depo .ited there at a pre-
vious absorption during life. Third, that the quantity of
arsenic yielded by the diff-rent parts varied, considering
the weight of animal matter to be equal in each analysis ;
greatest in the rectum, next in the heart, third in the
bloody liquid of the abdomen, fourth in the liver, fifth
in the whole intestines, and sixth its the lungs. The
fourth conclusion arrived at was that all the arsenic con-
tained in the parts examined was extracted. The whole
quantity extracted from the parts examined was estimated
at about one grain. Fifth, that the appearance presented
by the liver was not such as would be produced by arsenic;
it was owing to disease, there could be no doubt of it; the
lady had lived in a tropical climate, and the "tatty de-
veneration" presented the appearance of disease, tieing
originated in that way or in persons labouring under con-
sumption. Sixth, the inflamed and ulcerated condition
of the rectum and intestines might have arisen either
from the action of arsenic or disease. Seventh, that the
poison had probably been taken in small doses during
life ; and, eighthly, that the quantity of arsenic foued
in the body, and the circumstances under which it was
found, were quite sufficient to account for the death of
the deceased. Whether the person died from arsenic cr
not must depend on the amount of evidence before the
magistrates, because the quantity found on a dead body
might depend on many circumstances—on the vomiting,
purging, or loss by absorption, and passing off during
life ; and whether the deceased in this case died from
arsenic must depend on the symptoms during life and
the appearances presented by the body recently after
death. He was prepared to say most distinctly that
the arsenic had been given during life, because it was
found in the inner region of the heart, where it was
impossible that it could have been unless taken be-
fore death. His opinion was, that the arsenic, in
in this instance, had been taken in small doses, and
in solution, becaues no trace of it in powder could
be fount]. It was impossible to say how the arsenic
had been taken, because the poison is so quickly
absorbed, that whether in beer, milk, food, or medicine
its effects were entirely the same. There was no such
thing as morbid action for the production of arsenic ; it
was impossible tbat the poison could he produced in any
such manner, and the remark of Orfila, that arsenic
was found in every substance, was afterwards withdrawn
by him, and the error stated to have arisen solely from
the use of impure acid in analysis,
After the examination of Professor Taylor, two bas-
kets of drugs were produced, many of the medicines
being of a very deadly nature, but the whole of them
were correctly labelled, and with the exception of one,
on which sweet spirits of nitre was placed, all had
answered to their specific character, and no suspicious
circumstances attached to them. No solution of arsenic
had been found.

On the conclusion of the case for the prosecution, the
Bench, in answer to a question from the solicitor for the
prisoner, stated that their opinion was, that evi,lence
sufficient ha l been produced to warrant them in com-
mitting the prisoner for trial, and the defence was,
therefore, withheld for the present, and the prisoner
removed to gaol.

WIND AND WEATHER REPORT.

FRIDAY. August 24.
stations. Course of Wind. State of 'Veather.
Greenwich .. S. W. Partially cloudy
Lothhury
Manchester
Sheffield E.N.E Cloudy.
Stoke-on-Trent ... S.
Carlisle
Lancaster ...
Mary port .
Whitehaven
Leeds
Southampton S. W Unsettled.
Cowes S. W Cloudy
Portsmouth
Poole
Derby S. W.......... Cloudy.
Nottingham S.W Cloudy.
Leamington W Unsettled.
Leicester W. 5.W Cloudy.
Bristol S. W Cloudy.
Plymouth
Exeter...
Gloucester
Cardiff S.
Ffaverford west ... S. W Fine.
Swansea NV Rain.
Lowestoft
Cambridge S. W Fine.
Yarmouth
Great Grimsby
Boston S. Fine.
Gainshorough S.
Shrewsbury... S. W .....
Harwich. S.
Brighton W Fine.
Holyhead
Dublin S.
Liverpool
Hague
York
Aberdeen .. .. S
Dundee . .
Perth
Edinburgh a NV. ......... Rain.
Berwick
Scarborough
Sunderland E. ....... ~... Cloudy
D...rlington E. ............ Cloudy.
Whitby
Hull E. ............ Unsettled.
Strood 5 W ... Partially cloudy.
Tunbridge