The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-13 00:00:00

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ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
HOME ClRCUlT,—Chelmsford, March 12.

THE POISONINGS AT CLA.VERING.—Atthe conclusion
of the former trial the jury were challenged by the
Counsel for the prosecution, and it was some time before
a fresh jury could be empanelled. At a late hour the
prisoner aas again arraigned upon another indictment,
charging her with the wilful murder of James Chesham,
another of her children, by means of poison.
The same counsel were engaged in the case.
The evidence was precisely the same as on the former
trial, with the addition that it was proved there was a
much larger quantity of poison in the stomach of the
deceased child than appeared in that of his brother.
Mr. Sergeant JONES again made a most able and
forcible address to the jury, commenting upon the ab-
sence of all direct proof that the prisoner had ever been
in possession of any poison, and also calling their
attention to the fact that had been deposed to by all the
aitnessces, that the prisoner had always borne the cha-
racter of a most kind and affectionate mother, and that
therefore it was most improbable, if not indeed impos-
sible, that she should have perpetrated such a diabolical
act, as to murder two of her children, without there ap-
pearing to be any assignable motive for it.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE, in summing up, said the
case was a very proper one to be fully inquired into, as it
appeared perfedtly clear that there had been two most
mysterious deaths by poison within a very short period,
and the question for the jury was, whether the evidence
made out that the prisoner was the person who adminis-
tered that poison.
The jury, after deliberating for some time, returned a
verdict of Not Guilty.
At the sitting of the Court this morning, Thomas
Newport, the person whose name was alluded to in the
former trials, and who, it appears, is a farmer, and a man.
of some property at Clavering, surrendered in discharge
of his hail, and to plead to an indictment that had been
returned against him by the grand jury.
The indictment alleged that Sarah Chesham had un-
lawfully administered to Solomon Taylor, the illegitimate
child of one Lydia Taylor, .a large quantity of poison, or
some other deadly ingredient unknown, and that
she did thereby kill and murder the said child, and
Thomas Newport was charged with a:ding, coun-
selling, and abetting her in the commission of the felon)
and murder.

The defendant pleaded not guilty.
He was also arraigned upon an indictment for misde •
rl3 eanour arrisiug out of the same charge, and to this he
also pleaded not guilty.
It was then stated that an arrangement had been made
that the trial should stand over until the next assizes,
and he was liberated upon entering into a reco2,nizance
in the sum of 4001., and finding two sureties in 2001.
each.

Sarah Chesham was then placed at the bar to take
her trial as the principal in the murder of Solomon
Taylor.
The prisoner, who appeared quite colleted, and ex-
hibited almost indifference to the result during the whole
of the proceedings, was seated during the trial.
Mr. M. Chambers, Mr. Wordsworth, and Mr. T.
Chambers conducted the case for the Crown. Sergeant
C. Jones and Mr. Charnock again appeared for the
prisoner.
Mr. M. Cisamneas, in opening the case for the prose-
el/time called tipan the jury to dismiss from their minds
all that they alight heve hea-d, or that had come out on
the evidence in the inquiry regarding the two former
charges. The only object of those who conducted the
prosecution was to endeavour to ascertain the truth,
and they had no desire that any prejudice which might
be created by former proceedings should at all affect the
prisoner. He therefore requested the jury only to pay
attention to the evidence that would be produced in
support of the:specific charge against the prisoner, of hay
ing, by means of poison, or some other deadly ingredient,
caused the death of an infant called Solomon Taylor,
and he would proceed to lay before them' the evi-
dence upon which that charge rested. The Learned
Counsel then proceeded to state the nature of the evi-
dence against the prisoner, and which will be found in
the following narrative, it being more intelligible in that
form :—lt appeared that in the commencement of the
year 1845, Lydia Taylor, the mother of the deceased
infant, went into the service of Mrs. Newport, who car-
ries on the business of a farmer, at Clavering, her affairs
being managed by her. sou, Thomas Newport, who was
included as an accessory in the present indictment.
There appeared to be no doubt that this Thomas New-
port carried on an improper intimacy with the prisoner
Chesham, who, as has already been stated; is a married
woman, her husband being a labourer, employed by
another branch of the Newport family. Very soon after
Lydia Taylor came into the service Newport seduced
her, and she became in the family way, and the moment
the fact was discovered by her mistress 'she discharged
her, and she went home to her mother's house at Ma-
nuden, a village in the neighbourhood of Clavering.
Newport never appeared to deny the paternity of the
child, and for some time. he gave money to the mother.
The child was born on the 16th of December, 1845, and
was apparently a healthy infant, and the mother and
the child continued to reside at the house of the
mother of the former, at Manuden, Thomas Newport
continually, as above stated, sending money to Lydia
Taylor for her support. It seemed that while
she was in the service of Mrs. Newport, the pri-
soner, Sarah Chesham, had been in the habit
of coming to the house, but she hardly knew her, and
about a month after the birth of the child, the mother
was somewhat surprised at the prisoner coming to her
mother's cottage to see her, and she then condoled with
her upon her situation, and made some observations con-
demnatory
of the conduct of Thomas Newport towards
her, and she at the same time caressed the child, and ap-
peared to be' very fond of it. The prisoner paid a second
visit to the mother, and, upon her saying that she was
surprised at it, and that she had nothing to give her, the
prisoner said; he wanted to take nothing from her, but
she had brought her something, and gave her a rice pud-
ding, an apple tart, some tea, and other articles. Upon
this occasion the prisoner took the baby from the mother,
and said she would feed it. The mother told her it had
been fed, and did not require anything, but the prisoner
persisted in taking the child down stairs, and when
Lydia Taylor went dOwn after her in a few moments, she
saw her in the act of wiping her fingers down her gown,
and there was
_an appearance round the child's mouth,
as though it had been fed, and it also appeared to have
been sick. The prisoner, it appeared, fed the child a
second time in this day, and immediately after she had
done so the infant's lips and face assumed the expression
as if something nauseous had been administered to,it,
and the prisoner herself exclaimed, " My God, Lydia,
it has tensed as callow as a rat." The mother asked
her what, she had been giving the child, and she
replied," only some sugar." The mother then observed
that the child's lips looked very slimy and while,
and it vomited, and it was with considerable diffi-
culty that she could wipe the stuff from its mouth and
face. From time to time it appeared that the child was
continually ill, and never recovered. Upon this (Tea•
sion, when the prisoner left, she repeated her protesta-
tions of friendship to the mother of the child, and in-
vited her to her own cottage, and it appeared that she
did go there to,visit her, and while she was there took the
child in her arms, and 'aid that its father would soon be

there. A man was at this time observed
veel csraniaCross
the fields towards the house, and
was Newport, and she wanted the motheranp d r insoteor go said i a
ndt
meet him. She refused to do so,
stairs.th Ate prisenerthis
snatched up the child and ran down
time it would appear the mother entertained some sus-
picions of the prisoner's conduct towards her child, and
she followed her immediately, and on getting down
stairs she saw her walking very fast by the side of the
field ; and she also observed her again wiping her
fingers down her dress, and the child appeared to have
been sick, and some sort of food was round its lips.
She asked the prisoner what she had given to the child,
and she replied that she had only given it a sucker, or
some sweetmeat, for it to suck. The mother took the
child away, and when she got home she observed some
spots upon the child's dress, and when it was afterwards
washed these places became holes, and it appeared as
though some corrosive substance had been throw upon
the dress to cause that effect. The child after this appeared
again to be very ill, and the same night, when the Pri
Boner accompanies her part of the way home, the mother
a second time saw the prisoner put something into the
child's mouth, and observed that it was sick immediately
afterpards, and during the greater part of the following
night the child was very sick and in convulsions. In June
1846, the mother went to service, leaving her child in
the charge of her mother, at Manuden, and it seemed
that the prisoner went to the mother's house, and she
was then observed to give the child something, which ap -
peered to make it sick directly afterwards, and it never
again appeared to be healthy, but lingered on to- the
27th of September, when it died. At this time it ap=
peared that there 'was no suspicion of the child having
come to its death unfairly, and it was buried in the usual
course ; but it appeared that when the circumstances
connected with the death of the prisoner's own children
became known, it was deemed advisable that the body of
the deceased infant should be exhumed, in order that
the stomach should undergo a medical examination.
This, it appeared, had been done, but no trace of any
poison was discovered ; and, in addition to this favour-
able circumstance for the prisoner, it seemed that there
were indications of disease which might have occasioned
the death of the infant.
The evidence was then gone into, the witness, Lydia,
Taylor, being subjected to a most searching cross-exa-
mination by Sergeant Jones ; she however persisted in
the statements she made in her evidence in chief, and
they supported in all the material points the opening of
the counsel for the prosecution.
Professor Taylor was then examined ; and his evi-
dence negatived entirely the fact of any poison or cor-
rosive substance being the cause of the death of the
infant, and also that; according to his opinion, it might
be accounted for by perfectly natural causes.
Mr. CUAMBERS. upon this evidence, said he did not
think there was sufficient to justify a conviction; and he
therefore withdrew from-the prosecution.
The jury accordingly returned a verdict of Not
Guilty.
Sarah Bright, 20, was indicted for the wilful murder
of her illegitimate child, known as David Gray Bright,
by administering to it a quantity of laudanum, and
David Gray, 21, a labourer, was indicted for feloniously
iecitine her to commit the murder.
Mr. Ryland and Mr. Hawkins prosecuted, and Mr.