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

TIIE SLOW POISONING CASE.

DARLINGTON, Friday.--This case was resumed to-
day. Mr. Ford, solicitor, London, for the defence.
The Clerk of the Magistrates read a letter from Mr.
George Smith, the solicitor for the prosecution, which
stated that in future, in consequence of the great ex-
pense attending the prosecution, Mr. Rymer would
alone appear. _ _

Mr. Rymer stated that Professor Taylor would attend
here by order of the Home Secretary.
Dr. Halsewood was then called to prove the exami-
nation of the body ; and Superintendent Robert proved
its delivery to Mr. Thomas Andrews, chemical assistant
at Guy's Hospital. Mr. Thomas Andrews further proved
its delivery into the bands of Professor Taylor on the
Bth of August.
Dr. Alfred Swains. Taylor, Professor of Chemistry
and Medical Jurisprudence, at Guy's Hospital, which he
had held for 24 years, being sworn, said he had analysed
the remains which he had received from Mr. Andrews,
in the presence of Dr. G. Rees. He commenced the
examination of the remains on the 10th of August, and
found, first, the seals of the packet unbroken, and pre-
cisely the same which had been forwarded to him by
letter, by Drs. Robinson and Haslewood : these are the
seals now produced. The cover of the large jar was first
removed. There was a small jar inside, labelled " the
liver," Gr*. R. Then, besides that, in the large jar were
four bladders, well secured and labelled, marked " No.
1, intestines," "No. 2, part of the lungs and heart,"
"No, 3, liquid from the abdomen," and No. 4,
"the rectum," the lower portion laid open. First
examined the liver, of which part only bad been'
sent. The quantity sent weighed 21b. 4oz. The
liver was enlarged from disease, and was of a pale greenish
yellow colour, and the structure very soft and filled
with oily matter. It was diseased, called by me-
dical men "fatty degeneration." The liver had already
undergone putrefaction, without any appearance of ab-
scess, or of any disease, except enlargement and conver-
sion of fat into oil. Then proceeded to make a chemical
analysis. Examined the outside closely with a magnify-
ing-glass, and could not detect powder or other suspicious
appearance about it. There was a portion of newspaper
adhered to one part, which was removed, and first ex-
amined for arsenic. There was no arsenic present in the
paper. Then took an ounce of liver entirely from the
inside, and separated from it a small quantity of arsenic.
They weighed out four ounces, and from that obtained
a still larger amount of arsenic. The day after,
in company with Dr. Rees, examined 13 ounces
of the liver,, and from that arsenic was also ob-
tained in still larger proportion (a portion of the me-
tallic arsenic deposited is now produced). Before the
examination the whole of the instruments used in the
analysis were submitted to close investigation, and
were entirely free from arsenic. The muriatic acid fre-
quently contains arsenic, but in this instance it was en-
tirely pure, Witness would mention, at a trial in Wells,
Mr. Brands and he went into three chemists' shops, and
on the examination of the best muriatic acid he found it
to contain arsenic. This he thought it neces3ary to in-
form the bench, but in the instance before them he would
undertake to swear that the water, the muriatic acid,
and the opper were entirely free from arsenic. The

_ .
muriatic acid in this instance was made by himself, The
heart was next examined ; it had been cut open, leaving
the cavities exposed. The muscular substance of this
organ was firm, and the valves free from disease. The
heart weighed 61 ounces, about the average for a woman.
It was cut into two parts, one being analysed by Dr.
Rees, the other by witness. Dr. Rees is assistant phy-
sician 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.
About 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 an 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 solution, not in
powder. The intestines were then examined. They were
partly entire, and partly cut open. They had 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 about 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 salad
portion of arsenic detected. The rectum or lower bowel
was then examined. It had been partly cut up so as to
expose 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. In 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 conclusion which witness drew from his 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 deposited there at a pre-
vious bsorption during life. Third, that the quantity of
arsenic yielded by the different 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 in 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 "fatty de-
generation" presented the appearance of disease, being
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 found
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 or
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 fr.-iin
arsenic roust 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 war
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, because no trace of it in powder could
be found. It was impossible to say how the arsenic
bad been taken, because the poison is FO 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 that 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 t 3 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 evidence
sufficient hall 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.