The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-17 00:00:00

ALLEGED WIFR POISONING BY

STRYCHNINE..

For the past five days the coroner of the district, Mr,
John J. Shoo, has been inquiring at Clogheen, county Tip-
perary, into the cause of the death of Mrs. Johanna Burke,
wife of the clerk of the Waterford Uni n, the result of
which is that Mr. Burke has been committed to the county
gaol, the verdict of the jury being that Mrs. Burke had
died on the 11th of April from the effects of strychnine ad-
ministered to her in medicine, which she had received from
her husband, Richard Burke, in Waterford. The particu-
lars of the case, as revealed in a very voluminous evidence,
extending over five days, appears to be of the most painful
character. A servant girl in the employment of the de-
ceased stated in the course of her evidence—" I asked the
deceased, the evening of her death, if I would go to the
well for water; she said no—to go to the river ; I did so,
and returned to the house ; deceased got a cup, and put it
into the water ; she said that she wanted it for the medi-
cine ; she said there was a very bad taste on that physic ;
I asked her which was the camomile or the physic the
worst; she said the physic was ; she then got up and went
to the:door ; she was not long when she called me three
times ; she said " Oh, take me, Nelly, Nelly, Nelly ; she
told me to get some water for her; I put some in a cup
for her, but she was not able to hold it; she then said,
" Catch me, and lay me down, Nelly," and she fell on the
ground trying to discharge her stomach ; she said " Bad
cess to that blackguard medicine ; she said " Oh, Nelly,
Nelly, I am dying, I fear; I then went for her sister,Mrs.
Mooney, and when we came in she was working in con-
vulsions ; she told mo there was more of the medicine in a
small box, with a loose cover on it, in the parlour, and said
she would show it to Dr. Walshe ; she also said that day
that she would take the medicine that night which her hus-
band had sent her from Waterford, From the testimony of
Mrs. Mooney, the sister of the dead woman, wo gather that
the deceased had a "little property, which she had to mind.
Her husband lived in Waterford, but it was not from any
misunderstanding they did not live together. She was
subject to fits of epilepsy. On Monday, the 14th of April,
she took a cup of tea and some bread and butter in my
house, and left, to all appearance, in her usual good health.
About half-past eight I was called by her servant, who
called to me at the door, and said, Come out I come out I
herself wants you,' and on entering the house of the de-
ceased found her lying on her back on the kitchen floor.

;he then said, ' Lift me up, lift me up.' 1 called for a pil-
low to raise her head, but sho still said, Higher, higher ;
Oh lift me a little higher.' She then asked to be turned
on her side, which I did ; sho then said, Oh, Annie,
Annie, I believe lam dying.' I said it would be nothing,
that it was only an attack of a fit of epilepsy. Sho said,
Oh, no no no; don't you see it is not.' She then raised
herself sn her side, and threw up her limbs violently. She
again said, ' That is not an hysteric fit. No, no, my sister, I
am dying, and I would rather die in your arms than in any
ono else's in tho world.' She again said, ' God forgive
them that caused this.' About three weeks ago
the deceased came into my house with a parcel
of medicine in white paper, and a bottle con-
taining some liquid. She said she got it from her husband.
I knew him to send her medicine before on one occasion.
At the time deceased was showing me the medicine she said

16 wad not worth losing dd by it. Some days after this she
said, ' I think I mill take the medicine he sent me.' 1 said,
'Do not mind it.' The deceased never told me she took
any medicine. On Sunday last (13th) deceased brought a
letter into me, which she got from her husband, containing
two half notes. In the letter ho alludes to the medicine,
and asks did she take any of it. There is another letter,
in which he tells her how to take the medicine. On the
evening of the deceased's death the priest questioned the
servant what she had taken; she said she had taken medi-
cine she had got from Waterford. I started at this."
Hanna Mooney states—" These was a sideboard removed
from the house of the deceased the night of her death, in
order to make room to wake her. The head constable came
to me about 10 o'clock, and asked me to examine the side •
board for medicine. 1 also found a white paper, with a
powder in it, whick I gave to Head Constable M'Mahon
next morning. " That powder was handed
over to Head
Constable Hatton, who subsequently submitted it to Dr.
Blythe, Professor, Queen's College, Cork, for analysis, and
in his evidence the learned Professor says :—" I recognise
Constable Hatton here. He came to me on the 24th of
April last, at my house in Cork, and handed me three
articles, one of which was a white paper parcel, on which
was written Dose of salts of 'magnesia, to be dissolved
in cold water, and taken at bed time,' The package
contained a white powder. The next was a brown
paper package securely tied and sealed with five
seals. On two of these seals were the letters
H. H.' in German or Saxon eharaetere. This contained a
I jar holding it small portion of intestine, a stomach which
was slit open so as to allow a portion of the contents to escape
into the jar, and the third was a bottle containing a fluid.
While in my possession no person could have interfered
with these in any way, either at my own house, or at my
laboratory at the college." Dr. Blythe then said, "The
result of the analysis is, that the deadly poison strychnine
was found in the stomach of the deceased." The powder
was found, upon being placed under a powerful microscope,
to be of a mixed crystalline nature ; the constituent parts
being about 78 parts of epsom salts to 11 parts of carbonate
of magnesia, and 11 parts the deadly poison strychnine. It
might be said to contain nearly 12 per cent, of strychnine.
Judging, therefore, from the symptoms shown previous to,
" she suddenness with which the death is reported to have
ana 'm of opinion that the death of Johannah Burko
occurred,
dminist ration of the deadly poison stry ch-
was caused by the
nine. In concluding his a, •_"
to the jury, the coroner thus
•—" You have the powder
put the cardinal fact of the case. --tton, brought and
touted by the head-comtable given to ittivv,.

My dear Wife,—l arrived here on Monday morning; and
have had no time to write since, being engaged attending a
trial,-Varroll v. Peet, a paper containing which I send you.
I hoyo you are better now than when I saw you. Indeed,
your breathing and pulsation, resembling an old country
watch, was frightful. Lose no time in using the medicine
which I send up to you.—Yours, Scc,,

RICHARD BURKE.
There is a letter dated on Saturday, the 12th April, in
which he speaks of the salts, and on the 16th she takes it,
and in half an hour after is a lifeless corpse. From all
these circumstances it will be now for you to consider, gen-
tlemen of the jury, if you are to exclude Mr, Burke from
any responsibility in this transaction. I believe I have laid
all the evidence necessary before you. You may now retire
to your room, and consider your verdict.
The jury retired, and in about twenty minutes after they
returned into court, when the verdict was handed to the
coroner. The verdict simply ran :—" That the deceased,
Johanna Burke, came by her death at Clogheen, on Mon-
day, the 14th April, from the effects of strychnine, in me-
dicine which she had received from her husband, Richard
Burke, in Waterford."

The Coroner, having read this aloud, asked if they had
all agreed to it, to which they all returned an. affirmative.

The Coroner—ln that case, Mr, Burke, I must order you
into custody.
Mr. Burke—Very well, Sir.

The warrant was then made out, and Mr. Burke, accom-
panied by an escort of police, was brought from tho court
house to the barrack, preparatory to being sent forward to
Clonmel.

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

QUEENSTOWN, MAY 16.

The Royal Mail Company's steamship Persia,
from New York on the 7th inst., arrived here at
2.30 p.m: to-day, with 234 passengers and 808,560
dots. in specie.
She landed 20 passengers, and 66 sacks of mails,
and proceeded for Liverpool at 3 p.m. ; all well.
The Persia has accomplished the passage from
New York to Queenstown in nine days.

(PER PERSIA, via QUEENSTOWN.)
NEW YORK, MAY 6 (Morning).
Jefferson Davis and other Confederate leaders are
reported to have arrived at Yorktown on the 30th
ult., and, after a consultation with the leading
Generals, all acquiesced that Yorktown would
prove untenable, and should be evacuated. General
Magruder alone was of opinion that it was not
advisable to evacuate the position.
General Johnstone issued the order for the evacua-
tion on the Ist inst.
The evacuation commenced on the 2d, and was
completed on the night of tlw 3d.
The Confederates left a large amount of guns and
camp equip9ge, which they could not remove for
iear of being seen.
As soon as the evacuation of Yorktown was
known the troops under the command of General
M'Clellan were put in motion to pursue the Con-
federates.
On the 4th, two miles from Williamsburg, they
came up with the Confederate rearguard, which
was found to be strong.
The Federals being in want of infantry, and
night coming on, the pursuit was postponed till the
morning of the sth.
Later telegrams will give further details of the
pursuit.
The Federal gunboats proceeded up York River
simultaneously with the lend forcer.
Deserters state that the Confederates at York-
town numbered 100,600 men.
General M'Clellan officially reports that all along
the lines the rebel works proved to have been most
formidable, and says, " I am now fully satisfied of
the correctness of the course I have pursued. The
success is brilliant. You may rest assured its effect
will be of the greatest importance."
General Halleck has telegraphed to the War De-
partment that important movements would take
place at Pittsburg Landing immediately.
The steamers Ella Warley, Bermuda, and Flore 4
have been captured while endeavouring to run the
blockade.
Mr. Seward has officially notified to the Foreign
Ministers that Federal mails under military surveil-
lance will now be allowed to pass to New Orleans
and other ports lately occupied by the Confederates.
He also announces that a collector had been ap-
pointed to New Orleans, and that the
preparations were making to modify the blockade
necessary
s
0
ffraormasNtoewpeormeietalnismiatnedd
one shipmentsorm otore otherbem aclortepto or
which are now closed by blockade. The time and
conditions will be notified by proclamation.
The Confederate General commandtiongdeafetnSdavthatiat-
nah has announced his determination
city to the last extremity.
it is reported that the steamer Nashville ran the
Wilmington blockade with a cargo of gunpowder
and army stores. She passed through the fleet of
seven vessels, all of which threw shells at her with-
out inflicting any damage.
Refugees from Memphis report that the Federals
occupied Baton Rouge without opposition, and
that General Butler had landed his forces at New
where large quantities of cotton had been
Orleans,secured.
The Union citizens of New Orleans have held a
meeting, at which enthusiastic demonstrations have
taken place.
Some refugees state that there would be little
opposition to the passage of Federal gunboats up
the Mississippi.
Southern accounts generally represent that no
foreign flags will be
tion of property where there is any chance of its
falling into the hands of the Federals.
The French Minister, Ali Mercier, arrived at
Yorktown on the 4th. No solution has yet been
obtained of the reason of his movements.
A Memphis despatch says that the stores in New
Orleans were being emptied of molaises and sugars,
which were being thrown into the river and streets.
The Hammonia has arrived out.

EVENING.

General M'Clellan officially reports from the
Federal bivouac in front of Williamsburg on the
sth inst.:—

" I find Johnstone in front of me in strong force,
probably much greater than my own. Gen. Han-
cock has taken two redoubts, brilliantly repulsing
the rebels.
" I do not know our exact loss, but fear General
Hooker has lost considerably on our left. I learn
from prisoners that the rebels intend disputing
every step to Richmond. I shall run the risk of at
least holding in check while I resume my original
plan.
" My entire force is undoubtedly considerably
inferior to that of the rebels, but I will do all I can
with the force at my command."

A despatch from Yorktown, dated the sth inst.
reports that the first indication of the Confederate
rearguard having been reinforced was the fact of

MAY 7, Morning.
General M'Clellan officially reports from the
headquarters of the army of the Potomac at Wil-
liamsburg, under date of the Gth inst. :
" I have to report tho Federal occupation of Wil-
liamsburg as the result of the battle of yesterday.
Hancock's engagement resulted in turning the left
wing of the Confederate line of works.
‘1 General Hancock was strongly reinforced, and
the confederates abandoned their position during
the night.
irgre have 1,000 prisoners, and 1,000 wounded
prisoners.
"The rebel works are very extensive, and ex-
ceedingly strong.
"The
Federal
but loss
General Hooker's division
is heavy,
innot large in other divisions.
Hancock only lost 20 men.
iti s

"The weather is fine.
"Our great difficulty is in getting np food on
account of the roads."
General M'Clellan's despatch terminates thus :
" We have other battles to fight before we reach
Richmond."

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, MAY 6, EVENING.
Money is abundant, and freely offered at 4 per
cent.

The deposits in the New York banks have in-
creased within the last fortnight by 15,000,000 dols.
United States' Coupons (Sixes) have been sold at
102-1, and are now quoted at 102.
7 dols. 30c. Treasury notes are quoted at 3 per
cent. premium.
Gold 21 per cent. premium.
Exchange inactive. Bankers' bills, 114
Large speculative sales have taken place in
stocks. New York Central, 882; Illinois, 631-,
Erie, 391.
Cotton inactive. Middling upland, 27c. Flour
heavy, prices declined ss. Corn and wheat de-
clining. Provisions steady. Coffee very firm.
Sugar steady. Molasses, good inquiry.

MEXICO.
(PER PERSIA, via QUEENSTOWN.)
NEW YORK, MAY 6, EVENING.
Mexican advices state that at the preliminary
meeting of the Allies at Orizaba, on the 9th April.
General Prim demonstrated that the London Con-
vention did not authorize the attitude taken by the
French, and that the Allies had no right to im-
pose upon the Mexicans a form of government
displeasing to them.
The French representatives declared that they
were resolved not to continue treating with the
Juarez Government. General Prim declared this
to be a breach of the treaty, and equivalent to a
declaration of war by France on Mexico. He
should therefore 'withdraw from Mexico with his
forces.
The Mexican Government was informed of the
result of the meeting of the allies, the French at
the same time stating that since the agreement at
Soledad new vexations had been practised upon
Frenchmen, and violent measures had been adopted
to smother the wishes of the country and truo
public opinion.
General Doblado replied that the Government of
Juarez was willing to treat with the Spanish and
English for a settlement of their claims, but that
the French would be resisted to the last extremity.
According to later adcices, the French represen-
tatives bad issued documents, dated Cordova, April
16, stating that war is now ('dared between
France and the Juarez Government, and urging
all Mexicans to rally round the French flag, and
give their country a stable Government.
The French will commence active operations oc.
the 20th inst.