The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-03 00:00:00

IIIURD_ER BY POISONING.
LEWES, MONDAY EVENING.--This day an inquiry
was resumed at Chiddingley (a small village some
eight or nine miles distant from this place), before.
Mr. Gell, one of the county coronere, and a respect-
able jury, of which the Rev. Mr. Vidal was foreman,
concerning the death of an agricultural labourer,
named William French, who appeared to have died
from the effects of arsenic. The deceased, who was
about 35 years of age, had been married nine years,
and with his wife Sarah Ann French, lived in the
above village. He was generally considered a sound,
healthy man ; but a day or so previous to the 7th of
last month he was taken suddenly ill, and died on
that day. The suddenness of his death induced the
Coroner to hold an inquest on the body, and there
being no reason to suspect at the time that any un-
fair treatment had been pursued towards the deceased,
a verdict of " Died from natural causes" was re-
turned. Circumstances, however, subsequently came
to light which led Mr. Flannagen, the superintendent
of the constabulary of this district, to institute further
inquiries, and the result was the apprehension of the
widow of the deceased. The Coroner forthwith
opened another investigation, and elicited very im-
portant information in respect of the fate of the de-
ceased. It appeared that in the same house where the
Frenches resided lived a couple named Felling. On
the evening of Wednesday the 7th, Mrs. Felling, as
she was in the habit of frequently doing, went in to
see Mrs. French. She saw French, asked him how
he was, and he said he was better. Later on the
same night, about half-past eleven, Mrs. French
rapped two or three times ache partition which di-
vided her apartments from those occupied by the
Pellings, and said, " Make as much haste as you
can." Mrs. Felling got up, and on Mrs. French
lee-
ting her in, she observed, " I think my husband is
gone." She seemed much alarmed and Felling, who
is a shoemaker, went for the aid of Mrs._Funnell a
neighbour. Mrs. French then stated her husband
was first taken ill after Christmas eve, and that he
vomited; She also added that he was labouring under
a rupture. The examination of the women Polling
and Funnell brought out the fact that a young man
of the name of James Hackman had often been seen
at French's house. He was generally seen there in
the evening, and the last tiae he was noticed there,
prior to the death of FrencE, was on Tuesday the
6th. The next time he was seen was on Thursday,
the day after the deceased had expired. Hackman
had often been observed there when French was at
home, and it did not appear that French had com-
plained of Hackman's visiting his place. Hackman
one evening called upon Mrs. Funnell and wished
her to go to deceased's house, as Mrs. French bad
fainted.
A variety of evidence was gone into as to the
treatment of the deceased, and it seemed that he had
complained, as far back as Christmas, of pains in the
bowels; and some medicine was supplied him at the
surgery of Mr. Holman, of East Hoithly It was
evident, however, that the illness which ended in his
death was of a sudden character, as his brother, who
worked upon the same farm with him, was not aware
of his indisposition until between 12 and one o'clock
on the morning of the Bth, when he was called up,
and went and found him dead. The wife said that
he was unaccountably sick, and that he was ruptured.
The brother had not heard that he was so before, and
he asked her how he ;went off. She said he turned
in his bed and said, " You are my wife, baint you ?"
and then died. On the Mondayprevious to his death
Mrs. French was met by a woman named Sale, and
she said that she bad been that way (the way that
led to the church) once too often. Sale asked her
whether that was when she went to get married,
and she answered " Yes." It was mentioned
that she was apparently in a joking mood
during the conversation, and perhaps it may be here
well to remark that they seemed generally to be living
on good terms together. With respect to her apply-
ing for and procuring arsenic, some rather strong and
probably conclusive evidence was adduced. On the
day before French died she is described as baying
visited the shop of Mr. Uriah Clark, of Dicker, and
asking him whether he sold arsenic. She stated she
wanted it for a farmer. She, however, was told that
it was not kept there, and she went away. Naomi
Crowhurst, the wife of Owen Crowhurst, a farrier,
at liorsebridge, deposed that about three weeks ago,
in the beginning of the week, she recollected seeing
Sarah Ann French, the widow of the deceased, come
into her kitchen to see her servant, Harriett
Wilmshurat. When she came in she asked for
two pennyworth of arsenic. She (Mrs. Crow-
hurst) at first said she had not got any, and then
asked her what she wanted it for. Mrs. French re.
plied she was overrun with mice. After some fur-
ther inquiries, however, and being cautioned as to
how she left it about the house, she was served with
a small parcel of white arsenic. Mrs. Crowhurst
did not weigh it, but wrote the word " poison" upon
it, and told her to be very careful, as many people
might mistake it for megnesia, and that several
people had been poisoned by it. She replied, "Oh !
has there ?" She tendered one shilling its payrgect.
She was charged 3d. for the packet, and recelved
back the change. On the 27th inst. Mrs. Criw-
burst saw Mrs. French at a public-house called The
Gun. At that time she was dressed as a widow,
and it was suggested, in order that there should be uo
mistake about her iclevitification, that she should dress
herself in the apparel she had on when she procured
the poison. She did sc, and Mrs. Crowhurst reeog-
nised her as the person who had purchased the arsenic,
as she had stated. Mrs. French remarked that she
bad never seen her before, but the servant, Harriet
Wilmshurst, was called, and she confirmed in every
respect the testimony of her mistress. She also
had
no doubt of Mrs. French being the
Pe who was supplied. with the packet
On Mr. kuperintendent Flannann,
of arsenic.
ofconstabulary,arrest-
ing purchased de any
superintendent the
in her life, but that ,her late husband had
therseoenßeuPeshe stated that she had n
arsenic
destroying mice. The superin-
tendent halfpennyworths at Mr. Nokes's,
d sbe
had heard the rumour
lbsosutgchhtrtiwstomas,
for
tendent said he suppose
added elf any poison
hefound in him he must have
isremarked that she had, and
was very low at Christiania
expected coming in, and she had
about his 'death. bhe
taken it himself," as
said that he had not been
come from chapel;
taeboeuhteesromupe
hbiisllssphir.eits.sthbmee
had
attended by any medical that he was t k
He, was better
with vomiting and aftere in iYhe bower.
on Sunday night,
Y on Wednesday be
died
examination of the body, and
little better, buton that night.
walllar. Holman, the surgeon, spoke of the result of
on Monday, worse opnainTuesda
_Air. Alfred S. Taylor, the eminent professor of
chemistry of Guy's Hospital, deposed to making the
the. ost mortems
usual analysis of the contents of the stomach, and
finding arsenic in sufficient quantities to cause death.
The inquiry had not terminated when our re-
port left.

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Osborne's
sPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
32 ttoo Grr LINCOLN
nL
TRIALLSH v
gs...hTEA.:K:EEe
Sheriff--taken
ffnirt .a k e
e_'s Lady Agnes—taken
9to 2 agst Mr. I he
3 to 1 agst Mr. 6 to 1 agst Mr. Inman's Maildntof Lincoln
LINCOLN Ng g jL,5,8 Maria STEEPLECHASE.
36tonk
LINCOLN HURDLE RACE.
2 to 1 agst Mr. Martinson's View Hallos
3 to I agst Mr. E. Jones's Melford
LINCOLN TWO YRS OLD STAKES.
5 to 2 agst Mr. Mare's t out of Horton Yates's dam
3 to 1 agst Mr. Wright's Broughton
to 1 agst Mr. E. R. Clark's Poetess
METROPOLITAN HANDICAP.
Offers to take 20 to 1 about Hesse Homburg
CHESTER CUP.
17 to 1 eget Mr. Martinson's Nancy—take 18 to 1
25 to 1 agst Mr. S. Stanley's Confessor—take 30 to 1
30 to 1 agst Mr. Parkinson's Grand Duke—taken
33 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Ariosto—taken
33 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Scarecrow—taken
33 to 1 agst Mr. Merry's Ringleader—taken
33 to 1 agst Mr. Saxon's The Black Doctor—taken
35 to 1 agst Lord Waterford's Cockcrow—taken
40 to 1 agst Mr. Wilkinson's Neasham—taken
40 to 1 agst Mr. J. Osborne's Iklerry Bird—t freely
40 to 1 agst Mr. J. Pilling's High Sheriff—t freely
50 to 1 agst Duke of Bedtord'a Hesse Homburg—t
50 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Hippolytus—taken ~
The only bets against Nancy were 2,000 to 100 aid
900 to 50. Her admirers, however, were as numerous
and eager as ever, insomuch that after the first half hour
17 to 1 was the highest offer. Of the other animals
quoted, Ariosto, Grand Duke, Confessor, Cockgrow,
Merry Bird, High Shea:lff, Neasham, and Hippolytus,
were most in request.

DERBY.
8 to 1 agst Mr. Merry's Hobbit) Noble—taken
12 to 1 agst Lord Zetland's Augur
14 to 1 agst Mr. J. Stanley's Orelio—taken
15 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Claverhouse—taken
20 to 1 agst Ld. Ribblesdale's Lapidist—taken freely
20 to 1 egst Mr. Stebbing's Alfred the Great—taken
20 to 1 egst Sir R. Pigot's Ftlius—taken and after-
wards offert d
25 to 1 egst Duke of Richmond's Homehrewed—take
30 to 1
30 to 1 agst Mr. Dorrien's Chief Baron Nicholson
toentleabdeinm:
50 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's Ambrose
The transactions on the above race,• h
heavy, showed a great steadiness in the wthtre
favourites and Alfred the Great, and a marked improvt-
went in Lapidist, Filius, and Homebrewed.

DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT OIFORD.—Some twenty
years ago a learned and eminent physician (Dr. Bourne)
died at Oxford, where by a long
and successful practioe he
amassed a large fortune. The house in which he resided,
until a few weeks ago, has been in the occupation of the
family; but the executors having sold the house, it Was
requisite to have an auction to dispose of the furniture
Previously to that taking place the executors went over it,
and in a wardrobe, which it is believed has never beenopened since the physician's death, they found a cabinet,which, to the agreeable surprise of those patient, contained
nearly 60() gaineai.