The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-31 00:00:00

HLE SUSPECTED MURDER BY ACONITE

Last evening Mr, John Humphreys, Middlesex coroner,
resumed at the Grey Eagle Tavern, Grey Eagle-street,
Spitalffelds, the investigation into the circumstances of the
death of Mrs. Eliza Marna, aged 31 years, who was sup-
posed to have died from the effects of aconite.

Inspector Osborne, A division, watched the caso for the
police authorities. The vicinity of the court was densely
crowded in consequence of the deep interest excited by the
cage in the neighbourhood.

The deceased was the widow of a master tailor, and car-
ried on business at 34, Grey Eagle-street. She for some
months cohabited with her foreman, Mr Beecher, a married
man living apart from his wife. He had been a bankrupt.
Deceased and he did not live happily together. On the
evening of Thursday, tho 19th November, they had been
up stairs together about an hour, when he came down into
the kitchen. She followed directly after and caught him
by the arm, and asked him what he had been giving her.
Ho said to those present that it was only "some head and
stomach pills." She became so affected that shortly after-
wards she vomited violently. Severe convulsions of a
strange character, not dissimilar to those ordinarily re-
sulting from the action of strychnine, supervened in about
an hour, and continued with but little intermission until
she died at four o'clock the next morning. Dr. Gayton
made a post mortent examination of the body, but could
find no natural cause for death. The stomach was
sent to Dr. Letheby for analysation. No poison could be
found, but the vomiting might have dissipated the traces of
it had it been administered. Dr. Letheby stated, moreover,
that he could not reconcile the symptoms, which were very
remarkable, with natural causes. It was at that stage of
the inquiry thought that if poison had been used, the drug
would be found to be aconite and not strychnine. On a sub-
sequent meeting of the Court, Mrs. Beecher deposed that
Mr. Beecher was familiar with the use of poisons in his
business, and often talked about administering poisons on
rings. Mr. Beuley, a surgeon in the Hackney-road, deposed
that a young man had, some weeks ago, purchased an ounce
of aconite at his shop. He said that Mr. Beecher was not
that person, as the man who made the purchase was a fair
young man. Mr. Richards, surgeon of Woolwich, deposed
that about two months ago a young man came to his surgery
and asked for aconite, and was refused. He then asked
questions about the action and effects of strychnine, prussic
acid, and other poisons. Mr. Richards then, on being asked
if he could identify the party, said, " I cannot recognise
tor certain any person in the court as the man."

' When the proceedings were resumed last evening,
Mr. Pithrow, constable, stated to the coroner that several
parishioners had given him information, and were prepared
to prove that the party who was supposed to have gone to
Dr. Beuley's surgery had since that time dyed his mous-
tache and whiskers, which were then light, black.
It was also stated that Mr. Richards, after the court had
closed upon the previous occasion, had stated that, having
had an opportunity of seeing Mr. Beecher nearer than be-
fore, had recognised him as the man. It was found, how-
ever, that Mr. Richards was not now in attendance, but he
sent a telegram confirming the accuracy of this statement.
The Coroner said that even it' they could actually trace
aconite into the house of the deceased woman, and could
prove that it had been purchased by a party in the house, a
verdict of wilful murder would result in no good to the
ends of justice, but perhaps the reverse, as it would close
the case, and so shut out any further evidence. For though
Di. Letheby's evidence went to prove that aeceased had died
from aconite, yet no conviction could be obtained, as the
poison being volatile no trace was actually discovered ; and
those surrounding the deceased at the time of her death had
not, in consequence of their minds not being directed to the
action of the poison, given that minute attention to the
symptoms that would be necessary for legal purposes. The
best course to adopt under the circumstances—it being
clearly proved that deceased had not died a natural death
—would be to return a verdict that would leave the matter
still open for the action of the police.
The jury, after some deliberation, returned the following
verdict That the deceased, Eliza Marna, died suddenly,
at No. 34, Grey Eagle-street, Spitallields, on the 20th day
of November; and the jurors do further say that her said
death did not arise from natural causes,"
The proceedings then terminated.