The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EV LNIS G, MAY 9, 1864.

for striking his grand blow. At his suggestipn
Madame Pauw procured from the office of the etat
the certificate of her birth, which would be requi-
site to be produced to receive the amount of the policies
after her death, and which could not have been wanted for
any other purpose. When he had got together all the papers
required, ho told Madame Pauw to keep her bed, and give
out that she was worse than ever. At the same time, as she
complained daring this ♦oluntary sequestration that she lost
the price of some lessons she was giving to a person residing
in the Grand Hotel, La Pommerais said he would make up
the amount to her, and pay her the price of the lesson every
day. Madame Pauw did not leave her room after Nov. 12,
and always wore a nightcap, as if she were ill, in order the
bet ter to deceive the doctors, who it was expected the com•
panies would send to visit her. La Pommerais said he would
make her take something to cause agitation, a promise well
calculated to render Madame Pauw disposed to take unhesi-
tatingly whatever he might choose to give her, and to prevent
her from being frightened by any disagreeable symptoms
which might follow.
But La Pommerais' injunctions to secrecy did not prevent
Madame Pauw from telling several of her friends and neigh-
bours what she was hoping for. "If the thing succeeds," she
said, "my fortune and that of my children is made." She
repeated frequently, that on the policies being brought up she
was to have 3,000 f a year. All she had to do was to make the
doctors believe that she was really ill, and to keep her bed for
about a fortnight. On November 13 she wrote to her friend
Madame de Bidder, to beg her to come the next day to
spend the evening. The tone of her letter indicated content-
ment and hope, and contained a promise to tell Mme, de Bid-
der "all about it" on the morrow. But La Pommerais sent
word to Mme. Pauw that he should come to pass Saturday
evening with her, and as he wanted particularly to be with
her alone, the rendezvous with Madame de Ridder was
countermanded. No sensible change, however, yet appeared
in the health of the pretended sick person. On the Monday
at five o'clock she dined in company with the two Misses
Biord and their mother. She afterwards begged a neigh-
bour, Madame Delattre, to get a bottle of essence for her,
and she made a toilette with a care and attention which
showed her to be in very good health. She expected a
visit from La Pommerais. He came about eight o'clock.
He stayed with her a long while, and nobody else saw her
till the morning of the next day. At half-past six the widow
Pigerre, who came as usual to bring the bread, was surprised
to find the key outside the door, whereas it was Madame
Pauw's habit to take it inside. This woman went into the
bedroom and found Madame Pauw in a terrible state. Her
face betrayed great suffering ; Peer bed and all the flooring
near it were stained by vomiting. Madame Pigerre at once
called up Felicite and Adelaide Pauw, who slept in the en-
tresol. They came up directly, but their mother told them
that she had only an indigestion, and wished to be left alone.'
Therefore they went to their own room. At eight o'clock
La Pommerais came again, and, as in the evening, remained
for a long while alone with Madame Pauw. It was evident
that she was in a dangerous state. But he called for no as-
sistance; he spoke to no one about her, and left her suffer-
ing as she was. She felt no uneasiness about herself. She
knew that to get the 3,000 francs a-year it was necessary
that she should appear to be seriously ill I Besides, La
Pommerais had re-assured her. She said to her daugh-
ter Felicite, " He tells me that I have the :cholera, and
that I shall be ill for 24 hours." Now, the word cho-
lera did not at all frighten her, because La Pommerais told
her that he had had it himself and had cured himself in 24
hours by means of a medicament which he would bring her.
So far, therefore, from asking her daughters to nurse her,
she ordered them to go to school as usual. But after they
were gone she got worse and worse, and received no atten-
tion, except from her neighbour, Madame Delattre, who
came to her every now and then. At 1 o'clock, Dr. Gan-
jirtot, who she had often consulted, came to see her. He
really believed that she had fallen downstairs, and when he
learned !rota Madame Delattre that she had not followed
his prescripilons, he became very angry, and went away
without examining her, and without her attempting to
keep him. Shortly after this, and at about 2 o'clock, La
Pommerais came again, and was again alone with her. He
prescribed nothing, and left her still suffering. At half-
past six Madame Pauw died, just as Dr Blackey, who had
been sent for by Mdlle. Hurlmond, arrived. La Pomme-
rais returned for the third time at eight o'clock. Mdlle.
Hurlmond, whom he met on the staircase, told him of
Madame Pauw's death. This news caused him no sur-
prise, no emotion. He went upstairs, coolly approached
the corpse of her who had so long been his mistress, as-
sured himself that she was really dead, and then withdrew,
leaving it to be supposed that her death had really been
caused by a fall on the staircase. " That is all nonsense,"
exclaimed Mdlle. Hurlmond, " Madame de Pauw never fell
downstairs." And as La Pommerais appeared to insist,
" Don't answer (she said to him), you know well enough that
I knowall about Mme. de Pauw's affair." "Ho but too well
knew also (says the indictment) what was the crane of this
woman's death, and of that cause there cannot now be the
slightest doubt—Widow de Pauw was poisoned by La Pom-
merais in the evening of Nov. 16, The accused was the last
person who saw her that night. He admits that she was
seized with that vomitin g which furnishes to science the proof
that poison must hav e been administered some moments be-
fore. The next day he saw her twice ; he was again alone
with her, and nothing could have been more easy than to
repeat the dose of poison if he thought it needful. He alone
had an interest to commit the crime, and he had evidently
imagined it at the moment when he made Madame de Pauw
effect those insurances which cannot be explained by any
other hypothesis."
It is alleged that as soon as Madame Pauw was dead
efforts were made by La Pommcrais to get the whole of the
money from the eight insurance companies, and that many
letters were writieu by Madame Pauw at his dictation,
which it now seems were to aid him in his work.
Several of these were received by her relations, particularly
her father and sister, the day after her death. The letters
tell them that she is vary ill, and beg them to come imme-
diately, if they would find her alive. These letters, the first
not dated, were put into the post in the evening of Novem-
ber 10, a few moments after Madame Pauw had breathed
her last. It was the accused who got her to write there let-
ters six weeks before they were sent, She told Mdie. Hurl-
mond at the time, and according to the expression of this
witness, it pained her so much to write them that she cried
about it. A host of other statements arc made in the in-
dictment against the accused, and it is said that there is a
second charge against him of having poisoned his mother-
in-law, Madame Del.ay, by digitalis, in 1861, What kind
of defence will be made remains to be seen.

The Treatment of the Poor in Bethnal-Greerl,
- -
THE OFFICIAL INQUIRY.
On Satniday forencen, at 11 o'clock, Mr.Fernall rammed
this investigation at the ini,thual-green Workhouse, Vic-
toria- park.
The Commissioner proceeded with the case of Mr W.
Runcieman, a relievieg officer, charged with neglect and
misconduct is the case of a peer family named White. It
was for neglecting to bury a full-grown child ; and also
that when the father—Wm. White, a small hawker, living
at 19, Weatherluad-gardens. Crab-tree-row, Bathnal-
green—applied to Mr Runcieman to have the child buried,
he not only refused, but called the applicant "a common.
impostor and a pauper, that he would have locked him up,
and that he would not give him a box fur his child or any-
thing else, and then walked away."
Mr. Pearce, barrister, instructed by Mr. White, solicitor,
defended Mr. Runcieman.
Mr Wm. Runcieman, examined by the Commissioner,
deposed that he was a relieving officer Of the third district
of Bethnal-green for one year and eight months. He remem-
-1 ered that on Monday, the 29th of February, the man
White came to him for an order for the doctor for his wife,
who was near her confinement. Witness gave him an order
on Dr. Massingham. The next morning White came and
asked to have his child buried. Witness asked had he got
a certificate. He said he had not. Witness then took notice
of the man, who seemed to have takes a little liquor. He
was excited. The man said his child was born dead, bat
witness told him he could not take anyone's word in such a
matter, and he must have a certificate. The man made use
of bad language, and left. Witness entered the application
in the book, but not the reason for its refusal. White's
case was not then in the books, as entries were not
made about medical orders. He ktvw that medical
orders were relief. The number of orders issued was re•
ported weekly to the guardians. The names of the appli-
cants were not reported. He issued about 30 orders a-week.
He did not call White a pauper or impostor. On the Tues-
day he visited White, he did not eater the room as de-
scribed by White, for he knocked at the door, and it came
open. Facing the door was a bed on which lay Mrs White
(Ann Bradshaw), and outside the clothes White was lying
down asleep. Two other children were there, but witness
did not see them eating anything. Bradshaw told him the
child was dead in the room, but he did not see it. A napkin
he saw covered it. Witness said he had not inquired into
the circumstances of the family before giving tho medical
order.

The Commissioner said that should always be done. It
was not fair to the doctors, who were not overpaid, to send
orders for them to attend persons not entitled to their aid.
The witness said that the Whites' house was in a deplo-
rable and ruinous condition as to furniture. The bedding
covered the woman well. There were chairs and a table,
and common ornaments on the mantelshelf. There were
some halfpence, perhaps 6d., on the shelf, There were po-
tatoes in a saucer, and half a loaf of broad on the table,
There were tea and sugar, apparently two ounce of the first
and half a pound of sugar, and perhaps half a pound of
meat also on the table.
The Commissioner—Neverthless, did it seem that it was
a poverty-stricken place.
Witness said that there was poverty the result of impro-
vinence, but he saw nothing to need relief at that particular
time, fie knew Mr Massingham had not ordered nourish.
ment. Witness sat down to ask questions, when a dog flew
from under the bed at him. lie jumped up very suddenly
and said that they should not keep such a dog in the place.
He asked a few questions. White got off the bed. Witness
said that he ought to make some effort, and said that he
(witness) was glad his wife was getting on well• Witness
then saw that he was partially drunk. Witness had often
seen White, and knew him to be of violent character, and
had heard him in the streets using bad language and quar-
relling and abusing Ws wile. IL) was a bad man, far wit-

fleas had seen him a quarrelsome drunkard. 'Witness left
the house and White followed and laid hold of witness's
cloak. Witness had asked him over and over again for the
certificate of death, without which he could do nothing►, and
be (witness) desired to get away from him, as he was not
really accountable—he was drunk. When White caught
hold of witness's cape he made a blow at witness, when the
latter, for his own protection, seized hold of his wrist. Next
day witness got the ticket (produced) from Dr Massingham,
certifying that Ann White required tea, sugar, and oat •
meal. Witness gave that nourishment at White's house,
He also got a certificate of death and ho gave a coffin, and
the child was buried by the parish, Jane Collins brought
him the certificate.

—.—
Ann Bradshaw said that she lived with Wm. White, She
had three children-11, 6, and 2 years respectively. She
made and sold six gross of fish •baskets in Billingsgate
weekly. She paid 73 6d for the materials for one gross and
sold the manufactured article at 93. That was not con-
stantly, however, as she could not get the stuff to make
them. The stuff was a fiat rush that came from India. The
trade was for about six months in the year. Mr Runcieman
came into witness's room about 1 o'clock. Her husband had
only laid down a few minutes before, and he was not asleep
or drunk. What Mr Runcieman said about his being a
drunken, quarrelsome man was not true, and she could
bring neighbours to contradict him, for they lived nine years
in the one house. Mr Runcieman did not knock, but came
right into the room. There was no dog in the room, but
there might have been one in the yard, and she heard one
barking there.
Cross-examined by Mr Pearce—White never kicked wit-
ness. No Bible lady nor any ens else saw White drunk and
ill-using her. -Witness got beef about three or four times
(about ill) each time) during the three weeks of her confine-
ment. She thought she ought to have got it oftener, or
when she got the bread, &c.
Mr Runcieman said he gave relief in kind on the recom-
mendation of Dr Massingham, although he said to the doc-
tor he thought it was not required. It was given for three
weeks, and then witness stopped it because he saw the
woman in a public-house. Ho reported the circumstance
to the guardians.
Ann Bradshaw said that was not true.
In answer to the Commissioner, Mr. Runcieman said that
she was not drunk. She was only taking a glass cf beer.
The relief ceased by order of the guardians in consequence
of his report.
The book was put in, and it was stated in it that relief
was stopped because the woman was " not here."
Mr. Runcieman stated that he should have reported if he
saw the woman out. lie did not mean to imply that there
was anything wrong in her going into the public-house, but
that she was quite well. The doctor had ceased to attend
her. She did not attend before the board, though she had
an order, and that alone would stop relief. He never used
I bad language, or was unkind.

After other evidence,
The Commissioner said that reckless people like thellThites
hardly deserved relief.
The inquiry was then declared to be closed.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

THE " SPECTATOR" ON THE DARKENING HORIZON.

—rhe horizon is darkening fast. Almost every in-
cident recorded this week points to a rapidly ap-
proaching crisis, the outbreak of that European war
which we have for five months foretold as certain if
England shrank from her clear duty of enforcing
justice as well as peace. Had we fulfilled the Pre.
mist's accepted the Swedish offer, and sent
ten eg
of the line to the Dannewerke as

proof that we were in earnest, there would have
been no war, and we should have dictated a compro-
mise which by doing justice at once to Denmark
and Germany would have removed all heartburn-

sags. The Ministry or the Court, whichever it was,
shrank from that just course, and now the nation
must pay the penalty which always falls on those
who will not submit to injustice, yet are not prompt
to demand redress. The Conference after two post-
ponements met at last on the 29th of April, but as
we predicted the very first proposal was made an
excuse for delay. The Germans, forsooth, had no
idea that any one would ask for an armistice, no
instructions whether to accept or reject it, and
though the telegraphs are in order waited three
days more. When the instructions arrived it was
discovered that they covered a great deal too much,
that Prussia in particular was striving to dictate
terms as to a conquered foe, and the consequent re-
monstrances furnished one more excuse for another
appeal for fresh orders. Conference therefore stands
postponed to Monday next, by which time we doubt
not Count Bernstorff will have the gout, or Herr
von Beust will be recalled to arrange pressing Saxon
business, or Count Apponyi will feel it necessary to
inquire at Vienna what he is to do if
the Prussian should chance to disagree with him.
The game now visibly playing is one of delay,
delay intended to allow Prussia to occupy all
Jutland, and Austria to send her fleet to the Baltic.
It the allies could but gain three clear weeks undis-
turbed, Jutland would be swept bare, Funen entered
by the Prussian army, and the Austrian fleet an-
chored off Copenhagen. Fortunately for Denmark
and Europe, however, there are limits to the for-
bearance even of the British Government. It is clear
amidst all the guarded official statements that this
last insult overcame the Foreign Secretary's pati•
ence, and that Vienna has been assured that if, in
spite of promises, the Austrian fleet quits the North
Sea the Austrian fleet will cease to exist. The
Aurora has been despatched to watch its progress,
and a squadron ready for action lies waiting in the
Dewns. Austria,it seems probable, will on this
point give way to an irresistible mandate ; but the
collisiun has not tended to diminish the irritability
of diplomatists, or the inexplicable arrogance and
security which are expressed at Berlin. The official
journals of Prussia not only talk of the final absorp-
tion of Schleswiginto Germany, not only demand
compensation for all the expenses of a war of inva-
sion, but inform Germany that should the British
fleet sail the Prussian Envoys will be at once with-
, but has demanded a
fashionand of Napoleon 1.," the
with-
drawn. Marshal von Wrangel not only permits his
eJutl
soldiery,,r eq uie
tti
ooravage t
Jh
first instalment" being /96,000, and transported
the municipalities which olie,cted to the extortion.
Tile fortifications of Fredericia are sentenced to
destruction, and in short the Prussians deal openly
with Denmerk, upon which they have never declared
user, as a conquered country. The chatter about the
Prince of Augustenhurg has entirely ceased, the
Prussian Chambers are silent and content with some
expected develo;linent, and if the signs visible on all
hands may be trusted. , Herr von Bismark intends to
insist on tame which would make Holstein and
Schleswig and lutloied provinces of Prussia. As-
sured, as he thinks, that En,giond will not inter-
fere, and prepared to defy France, ho talks of the
"sacrifices made by the Monarchy" and the justice
of compensations as if already convinced that,
Europe had sentenced Denmark. Arrogance of
this kind when manifested by the Minister of a
despotic State whose armies are in motion points
almost invariably to war. These are serious signs,
but more serious still
is the change which is passe
ing over English opinion. Parliament is, as is usual
before action, quiet to apathy, just as awl:epees sit
hushed when the music tells them the denouenz.ent
is at hand ; but there is a kind of low growl coming
up audibly from every side. 'inn country is wearied
out. Originally very apathetic, almost. unable to
understand the quarrel, and full of traditional be-
lief in German inertness, the English people have
the galla.nt
watched the inciafints of the campaign,
recognise
resistance made by men in whom they
themselves, the needless slaughter for the sake of
military display, the cruel requisitions upon unre-
sisting farmers, the yet more cruel insults poured
upon men who died defending their own soil with
an ever-increasing indignation. Men sympathi▪
se
acutely whenever they can entirely understand the
suffering, and there is not a country i
gentlemann
England but reads of the destruction of homesteads
like Ravnhavn, the breaking up of of Lin
the
of Lin.coln sh.i▪
re
devastation of farms as like those
as if the people of Boston still *lio banish, with
a sense of personal pain. That pain is the sharper
because it is felt at last that there runs through
ail these acts a spirit of insult towards England
as well as Denmark, that this country is being
humiliated in the face of the world, 1 cough too
proud to be " susceptible," unable even to
conceive why Prussians should resent a
monument recording a fair defeat, our c ountrymen
are not at heart delighted with others' acorn. A
feeling that it is almost time that words should give
place to action is spreading fast through the land,
and will very speedily snake itself heard in unmis-
takeable tones. The Cabinet, hampered by,a hun-
dred difficulties of which Parliament never talks,
has waited for support, and new there is no course
of action, so be it decided, of which the country will
not approve. If France will join to secure the weak,
"the alliance will ha accepted with pleasure; but if
not, it is not from the treseleries that England re-
ceives her orders. Finally, the to of f the Danes
will, we suspect, acce!crate the decision of states
last
-
men. The politicians of Copenha ing
is en soem at
to perceive that a groat cause this world no
security against a great wrong, and are talking in
their despair of schemes as,dangeroug to Europe as
their annihilation would be. With Schleswig gone
and Jutland ravaged, the islands have scarcely a
polities.l existence, and may es well reap the advan-
tages of their inevitable deniendence. "We must,"
says; M. Hall, through the pagbladet, " apply direct
to Berlin," and terms obtained from Berlin will in-
volve the permanent dependence of Denmark en the
great Power which grants it peace. Germany
ruling the Baltic—that is a change which may not
be dangerous, but which the older statesmen of
Ear, pe, men like Lord Palmerston, who know that
unless the Baltic is free Russoe is supreme in the
North, and like Napoleon, who remember that
Sweden is really an arm of France, will undoubtedly
held to be so, With rulers alarmed and populations

irritated, a madman like Herr Von Biemark to drive
both to extremes, and English Princes accepting
orders at the hands of a Prussian King, the horizon

on every side seems visibly closing in:

TUE LONDON REVIEW" ON POPE PIrS
COURAGEOUS ALLOCUTION ABOUT POLAND.--The
thunders of the Vatic have once more broaen over

the head of an Emperor. The Pope, moved no
doubt by a high sense of duty, and by a profound
feeling of indignation at the wrongs inflicted by
the Czar upon the Roman Catholic population of
Poland, has just delivered a very remarkable allo-
cution iu a consistory held at Rome. The unani-
mous voice of the civilised world will echo the

charge which he has solemnly brought against the
Sovereign of Russia—that, after having driven his
subjects to insurrection, he is now endeavouring,
under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion, to
deprive them of all that is characteristic of their
nationality, or endeared to them by political or re-
ligious feeling. Considering the persecution which
s undoubtedly been exercised in Poland against
the priests and professors of the Roman Catholic
religion, his Holiness would undoubtedly have been
wanting to his position had he not joined in that
general protest, which seems to be all that the world
can offer. by way of stemming the tide of ruthlees
oppression. This allocution is not without political
importance, for it tends to keep alive in Roman
Catholic countries the animosity which recent events
have excited against Russia. Nor is it unmarked by
a degree of political courage, for which the Pope
deserves full credit. It will not be forgotten at
St. Petersburg, and if ever the question of main-
taining the temporal power comes up for discussion
amongst European statesmen, it will probably exert
a material influence upon the policy of Russia.
Pius IX. could not be blind to this probable effect
of his address : and he is therefore entitled to the
praise of having at least dared and risked something
for the sake of the unfortunate Poles—praise to