The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-23 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.—The summons issued on Monday
last, at the suit of Mrs. Holly, against Mr. Edward
Meeser, a clerk in the employ of Messrs. Jansen' the
solicitors, of Tokenhouse-yard, charging him with hav-
ing unlawfully administered to the complainant some
deleterious substance, came on for hearing before Mr.
Alderman Wilson.
Mr. Messer attended with Mr. Bagley, his counsel.
Mary Holly said—l am a widow, living at 49, Old
Bailey. I was laundress to the chambers, at 4, Token-
house-yard, in 1849. In the November of that year the
defendant gave- me, at my request, 1 lb. of arrowroot. I
wished to pay him for it, but he would not allow me. I
locked it up in a drawer, and on the 24th of the same
month I gave some to my sister, and took some myself
on the 27th. I was taken ill about half an hour after-
wards, with a feeling of sickness and a swimming in the
head, accompanied by violent perspirations. Mr. Powell
was called in, but by whom I don't know, for I was too
ill to notice. I remained ill for two months, during
which time Mr. Holding and other medical gentlemen
attended me. My sister was very ill after taking the
arrowroot, and was taken on the 20th of Nov., to the
lunatic infirmary at Peckham-house. I saw the defendant
on the 26th and 27th, and he inquired after my sister. I
told him I thought there was something in the arrowroot,
and he asked me to take it back to him and he would get
it analysed. He also said, "Do you think I want to
poison you ?" I said I did not think any one had so
much animosity against me, and he then proposed that I
should let him have some of the arrowroot, and that we
should both have some for our supper on the same night,
and by that means be convinced that nothing was the
matter with the arrowroot. He asked me if the water I
mixed it with was bad. I said I was not aware it was,
and then went home, and subsequently returned with
some of the arrowroot to the defendant. I believe I
complained at this court about a week after taking the
arrowroot, but I was so ill and unconscious that I remem-
bered nothing of it until told by others. I asked the
defendant where he bought the arrowroot, and he refused
to tell me. He afterwards said he had it from Messrs.
Cqrbyn's' of Holborn, and subsequently that he did not
have it from that establishment. I inquired last summer
-at Mr. Corbyn's, and saw the defendant's father, who
assured me the arrowroot did not come from their firm.
Cross-examined—l was discharged from the service of
Mr. Jansen shortly after I was taken ill, and when I resum-
ed my duties as laundress to the offices in Tokenhouse-
yard it was in the service of another party, who held
the chambers on the ground floor. Three of my sisters
and two children besides, were also partakers of the ar-
row-root, and rendered very ill. About a week after
that I took it again, as defendant had requested, and
became sick during the night, and quite insensible, and
my mind has been deranged at intervals ever since. I
never complained to any of the other clerks in the offices,
nor do I remember ever having said that they were deal-
ing in incantations to ruin me, and throwing chemical
substances about to poison me, I had a black eye re-
sulting from taking the arrow foot, but I never said it
was caused by a black smell in the offices. I applied
three or four times to this court, and the same number
of times at the Mansion-house, but could not get the
case inquired into. On one occasion I was told at
this court that my case was remembered, and that I was
mad. In 1850, I wrote to the Lord Mayor, and saw
him at the Mansion-house on the subject, but still with
the same result. I have always experienced the greatest
kindness from the defendant, and I cannot suppose any
reason for his giving me any deleterious compound. He
was also exceedingly kind, also to my husband, who
died in June, 1849.

Jane Pearce, a sister of the complainant, was
examined, but her evidence was immaterial to the
charge.

Harriet Hurst, the sister who had been confined in
Peckham-house immediately after partaking of the arrow-
root, was then brought into court to be examined. She
appeared excessively weak and afflicted with nervous
tremblings, which increased as she proceeded with her

evidence, till she at length sank back in the chair, unable
to articulate another word, and she was carried out of
court and her further examination adjourned. The evi-
dence she was able to give merely went to confirm the
part of complainant's statement that she took the arrow
root given her by Mrs. Holly, and was shortly after
taken ill. She was rendered insensible, and was totally
unconscious as to who attended her and how she got
into the infirmary at Peckham-house.
Anne Hurst, another sister, said—My sisters Eliza
and Harriet mixed the arrowroot they took on the 24th,
and I mixed it on the 27th, on which night we all par-
took of it—my two sisters and two children. My sis-
ters Harriet and Eliza were rendered quite insensible
within an hour after. On the 24th they became insen-
sible within five minutes, after taking the arrowroot.
My legs and arms were quite black and swelled, and I
experienced violent pains in my chest. The children
were affected with similar pains in the stomach, and
continued ill for a week after. _ .

vv
Eliza Hurst, also a sister of the complainant, said—l
took some of the arrowroot in question, and was taken
ill about an hour after with violent heats in my stomach,
and a feeling of sickness. I took it again on the 27th,
and within two hours after I became insensible. My
sister Anne mixed it, and we all had some, but Harriet
had the most. I remained unconscious for several days.
In the absence of the medical gentlemen who attended
the complainant and her sisters in their illnesses, the
evidence of the following surgeons was taken :
Mr. H. Hine Salter said—l was house physician at
King's College Hospital in 1851, when the complainant
came to me for advice. She appeared in a state of
tremulous agitation, very feeble, pale, and cadaverous
looking. She complained of frequent vomitings, almost
constant, whenever she took food ; faintness and sore-
ness of throat, tenderness of the region of the stomach
and continual pain. Lumps appeared in her groins and
the armpits, but were not confined to those parts, and
discoloured spot over her person similar to marks produced
from blows. I examined her person, and found her in
the state she described. I should have been at a loss to

ascribe a cause for the appearances alone ; but from the
symptoms also that she felt I should say she had taken

sOn/e irritant substance

Alderman Wilson—What would you call an irritant
substance ?—Witness—Arsenic, and any of the vege-

;able poisons, would produce such symptoms.
Alderman Wilson—But would the effect of having
;aken any of those irritants last for any length of time ?
—Witness—Yes ; it might last for several years ' • hut
he time varies in different cases. Ido not think such

symptoms would be produced without the aid of poison.
I have seen the complainant lately, and the same symp-
.

toms were still perceptible, although she was much
better. I have seen Harriet Hurst ; she is at present

labouring under violent hysteria, which may be produced
by almost any cause, I have also seen the children,
and they are occasionally afflicted with vomitings and
the same symptoms. I know the firm of Messrs. Corbyn
and Co. to be most respectable, and I think it extremely
unlikely that any improper parcel would come from
their house.

Mr. William Baker, a surgeon and apothecary, of
Blackiriars, said : Mrs. Holly came to me about eighteen
months ago very ill, and said she had been so ever since
she took some arrow-root. I gave her some medicine,
and she recovered, but frequently called upon me after,
and always greatly excited. When poison once enters
the system, it will sometimes remain there for life.
Vegetable poisons affect the brain, and will overturn the
reason, and produce convulsions, tremors, and derange-
ment for life. Mrs. Holly brought me some arrow-root,
and I tested it for arsenic and corrosive sublimate, but
found neither in it. I tasted it, and found it extremely
bitter, and it left a great heat on my tongue that I could
not get rid of for some time. If it had been genuine
arrow-root, it would have had no taste. I washed some
of it and discovered a brown sediment, which I compared
with nux vomica, and found it precisely similar.
Alderman Wilson : That is not a dangerous chemical,
for there is an immense quantity of it used in beer.
Witness : I am aware it is so used, but I do not
think it quite so harmless, for I had the cramp in
my arms and legs all night from only drinking a glass of
pale ale. I wished to try the effect of the arrow-root
on some of the animals that are born blind, as nux
vomica, kills that class of animals instantly, and Mrs.
Holly said she would try it on a bird, and in a few days
she brought me a sparrow which she stated the arrow-
root had killed. The effects of mix vomica might last for
years in the system. I mixed some nux vomica with
some pure arrow-root and then tasted it, and the simi-
larity between that and the arrow-root brought to me by
the complainant was such that I could not tell one from
the other.

The two children were then called, but their testi-
mony was of little importance, as their memory was
scarcely sufficient to speak with certainty to what little
they remembered of the circumstances.

Mr. Bagley proposed to call witnesses to prove that
the complainant was of weak intellect, and therefore her
testimony would be inadmissible.

Alderman Wilson said it did not appear to him that
Mrs. Holly was weak-minded prior to the time of her
taking the arrow-root, and therefore to prove that she
was so after that would not tend in any way to strengthen
the defendant's case, or weaken that of the complainant.
It had gone forth to the public that four applications
had been made at the Mansion-house, and also at this
court, one of which was stated to have been made to
himself, but of which he had not the slightest recollection,
without the complainant being able to obtain a hearing.
He was rather surprised at it ; and on hearing of the
case from a lady in his own ward he determined at once
to have the matter investigated, and therefore sent for
all the parties on Monday last, when the complaint was
at length entertained. Under all the circumstances, he
thought it was due to the public, to the complainant,
to the defendant, and to himself, that all the witnesses
who could throw any light upon the subject should be
examined ; a great deal of mystery was attached to the
case, and he did not think he should be doing his duty
were he to dispose of the case in its present stage. If
it should turn out that poison really was in the arrow-
root, it would amount to a felony, and the charge would,
therefore, be a very serious matter to the defendant.
The summons was then adjourned, the defendant
entering into his own recognisances in 1001., and giving
bail to the same amount, for his appearance.