The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-01 00:00:00

The Supposed Murder at Guildford.

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Yesterday afternoon Mr. Capron, the borough
coroner, resumed, in the Council Chamber, Guild-
ford, the inquest on the body of Elizabeth Waterer,
the young woman found in a bedroom at the Coach-
makers' Arms beerhouse, North-street. The ser-
geant, Mahaig, who was found lying by her side
with his throat cut, was present. He was exceed-
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ingly weak, and looked much dejected.
The evidence taken at the former sittings of the
Court was read over by the Coroner, who asked
Mahaig if he wished' to propose any questions to
the witnesses, to nod or shake his head. He, how-
ever, declined to ask anything.
Professor Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, who, at the
instance of the Secretary' of State, had made an
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h canalysis of the stomach, was then examined.
He sa:d that on the 19th of Noe ember he re-
ceived. from Mr. Philips, at Guy's Hospital, two
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by Mr. Phillips; the other portion (No. 2) had not.
in either. On Thursday last Mr. Phillips met him
at Guy's Hospital, and he showed him the results he
had obtained. They applied 'an additional test, and
the result was that neither by chemical test nor by
the microscope could they detect strychnia. In order
to judge whether their premises were correct, they
introduced a very minute quantity of strychnia, and
the result was that it produced ad the usual chemi-
cal changes, showing that strychnia would have
been detected had it been present. Mr. Phillips
handed him a sixpenny packet of Butler's " Vermin
Killer." It weighed 15 grains, and be found on
testing it that it contained strychnia w ithout crys-
tals. He had since made a further analysis, and
found it was chiefly composed of flour end soot, and
two grains of strychnia. Four grains was sufficient
to kill a woman. He had analysed these packets
before, and be found them to vary greatly. He
found no soot in the stomach of the deceased. A
person might die from a small portion of strychnia,
and yet none would be found in the stomach, as
some portion of it would be taken into the blood by
absorption. The poison which kills is usually not
that which is found in the stomach, but in the
blood, where it mortally operates. The large quan-
tities of food in :he stomach, rapid absorption, and
other causes would prevent in some measure the
operation of poison on the stomach, and of course
it would not be so visibly perceptible in the stomach
itself. He bad heard what Mr. Phillips had said
about an indication of the presence of stry eh-
nia, and he could account for it. One of
the tests for the poison gave a very strong colour to
the organic matter in the stomach, and led to the
presumption of the presence of strichnia ; but they
also applied a colourless test, which indicated no
such presence. From the general state of the organs
of the body in this case, as described, he should
think that strychnia had probably been in action ;
at least the contracted state of the heart, the con-
dition of the tongue, &c., were compatible with
such a supposition. The state of the heart and lungs
was the chief point they looked to for indications of
this poison. He should not consider that death
from suffocation would produce such appearances as
those here presented. There did not appear to be
any escape of blood from the seats of pressure on the
neck, the marks on which he could not refer to any
violence of that kind. There might, indeed, be
gentle pressure, so as not to produce marks of
violence, but he should hardly be inclined to assign
the death to that cause. In two recent cases of
murder by strangulation there were clinched hands
and marks of violence. The non-rigidity of the body
after putrefaction was not an evidence of the absence
of strychnia. In answer to the Coroner, Professor
Taylor said he summed up the result of his exami-
nation thus :—That the condition of the heart and
lungs of the deceased are more consistent with death
by strychnia than any other cause he knew of; that
the absence of any indentation or laceration of the
neck, the absence of effusion of blood in the parts
corresponding to the marks seen on the outside, and
the absence of any signs of resistance of the body
when alive, are adverse to the supposition that the
deceased died from strangulation ; and that the
absence of congestion of the heart and lungs is also
adverse to the theory of suffocation. Professor
Taylor added that, though he did not wish to make
any suggestion, yet he thought that all the facts of
the case as detailed in the evidence might be ex-
plained by the supposition Of the deceased having
taken about one-fourth of the powder. She could
not have swallowed much of it, or some colouring-
matter must have been detected in the stomach or
its contents. He could not believe that she died a
natural death.
Wm. Humphreys, recalled, identified Mahaig as
the man whom he had seen in Elizabeth Waterer's
company on Sunday evening, Nov. 1.
The following letter from Mahaig to the sergeant
major of his regiment was then read:—
Guildford. Nov. 3, 1863.
Sir,—l presume in sending you these few lines, as I know
you are always a good friend. I send you this as a favour.
I hope you will accept the same for me, as I am about to
take my departure from this world. And I hope you will
take care of yourself as regards company, as it has brought
ins to this ruin ; but I give no blame to them. I conclude
with my best respects to all the sergeants.
JOSEPH MAHAIG.
My medal I will forward to the colonel. Good bye.
The next letter was found in the bedroom of the
beerhouse:—
Guilford, 3d of the 10th month.
Dear Mother,—l think it rather strange your not
answering my last letter which I sent. I think it very un-
kind in your not doing so In a short time you will send
to me a long farewell, as I am about togo with Joseph K.
Mahaig, of the 3d Regiment at Aldershot. I think my
time will be very short in this world, as I am very much
attached to him. I blush when I intimate this to you, but
as a mother, you must know what youth is. As I have made
up my mind rather than part with him to partake of some
deadly draught. But do not blame him for this; as you
will see in the news of the limes or hear of both our names.
Very likely he will get the blame for this ; but I hope as
regards my declaration you will contradict it. Dear mother,
I now kindly bid you all farewell, and as we will not meet
in this world I hope we shall in the world to come. My
boxes are at Guildford railway station, there is two in num-
ber. If you will go there you can have them. There's also
a dress at nay place, which you can ask the cook for. I roust
conclude at present. Good evening, with my best respects
to all inquiring friends. May God of Ills iefiaite mercy