The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-29 00:00:00

MURDER AT ALFOR,D.

We have already stated a man named John
Smith had been fully committed to Lincoln gaol for causing the
death of Sarah Arrowsmith, by poison. The Inquest was-held
at the White Hart, Alford, before Mr.-King, the Coroner, .on
the body of the deceased, The hill being sworn, viewed the
body, which had been previously opened by the surgeons.
Thomas; Hausler and Thomas Allenby, constables of Alford,
stated chat they received the cakes and flour produced at the
house of Mrs. Arrowsmith, on Tuesday afternoon. They had
received information that six persons had been poisoned ; and on
going to the house saw the deceased, two other women, and
three children, in a most melancholy condition. They were dis-
patched to apprehend John Smith, who, they were informed
by the deceased, had given her the flour of which she had
made the cakes. They secured Smith in the middle of the
night in a cottage at Little Steeping, belonging to Mr. An-
cient, his employer. They told the prisoner the suspicions that
existed against hum, and asked him where he got the flour that
he gave to the deceased ? He said that he bought it at Louth.
Eliza Smith—ls sister-in-law of the prisoner; went on Tues-
day to take tea with Sarah Arrowsmith, and saw her make cakes
of some flour, which she said was given to her by the prisoner.
Partook of one of the cakes; was burnt in the throat and in the
stomach ; was so ill she thought she should have died. Drs.
West and Pell gave. her an emetic, and she got better; is now
very ill, and it will be a long time before she recovers.
Mr. j. Robinson—ls a chemist and druggist at Alford. Re-
members the evening of Thursday, the 4th of December. On
that evening the prisoner, • John Smith, came to• his shop and
asked for 1 pound of white arsenic. Supposing that lie wanted
it for agricultural purposes, he asked him no questions, but
served him with it, for which the prisoner paid him 9d. The
arsenic was a strong poison, and was in a pulverized state when
sold. Supposed the prisoner wanted it for the purpose of wash-
ing sheep with the lotion. Had known the prisoner for many
years; he was in good employment, and was a remarkably so-
ber industrious
.young man.
,• Mr. Tyson .West, surgeon, of Alford, was called in on Tues-
day afternoon, to see six persons who had been poisoned, at the
house of Mr. Arrowsmith, at Alford. Was shewu some cake and
flour in a bag, and found they contained a considerable quantity
of the white oxide of lirsenic. He gave them into the custody
of the constable, after taking a quantity of each, upon which he
made experiments, and by a elsymical analysis proved that a
very considerable part, perhaps one-sixth of the whole, was •
arsenic. The deceased was in convulsions, and two females,
named Dobbs and Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, were very ill, and
three children were dangerously so. Did not think Mrs. Dobbs-
would recover. The youngest child, Human Arrowsmith,- ap-
peared in a hopeless state; was told that the prisoner was the
father of this child, and the deceased the mother. Thursday
she died; had opened the body since death, in company 'with
Mr. Pell, and found the stomach greatly inflamed, and the
inner coat corroded, and partiallY destroyed; they extracted
About half a grain of arsenic from the stomach after death;
her deaths was most certainly occasioned by her taking arsenic;
she was abOut eight months advanced In pregnancy. The
child was destroyed, no doubt, by the mothertaking the poison.
Mr. Pell, surgeon, of Alford, corruborated the above ;
,and
• the Jury, after examining the flour and cake produced by 'the
officer, expressed themselves satisfied with the evidence, and
returned a verdict of Wilful Ilturder Against John Smith, and
the Coroner issued his warrant accordingly.
After Smith had been committed to prison, he expressed a
wish to see the Magistrates, the Rev. Mr. J. Parsons, who has
been indefatigable in the investigation of this melancholy affair,
and the Rev. H. (I. Smithies, upon whose warrant tie was first
committed. 'They being at some distance, Mr. Wilson, the
Magistrates' clerk, paid bins a visit. Smith said that he bought
the arsenic to kill rats with, and that he got the flour at Louth ;
hut how they became mixed together lie declared that he did
not know, and persisted in his.ufocence of the charge against
Sunday the body of this unfortunate young woman was in-
terred in Alford Church-yard. In the course of the Sunday,
the clergyman of the parish, and the dissenting ministers, dwelt
upon the subject of her violent death, at the different places of
worship, in addressing their congregations.
Since the prisoner's confinement in Lincoln Castle, he eon-
tinkles to appear unconcerned at his dreadful situation.

NITITEItIOUS AFFAIR.--Ors Saturday morning
List (the 20th inst.), the body of • a respectable
man, apparently about 50 years old, was dis-
coverectin the canal near Lichfield, and taken to
the Wellington Inn...A respectable Jury was
empanelled, when no evidence appearing by
which it could be known how the deceaSed came
by his death, a verdict was returned, " Found
drowned." From the following circumstances,
detailed to us by a gentle Man who saw the body,
there is much reason to fear that the unfortunate
man had met with foul play. The deceased'ap-
peared to have been a stout healthy man, was
about 5 feet 8 inches high; his dress consisted of
a blue coat with gilt buttons, black waistcoat,
and pantaloons, and his hair was rather grey.-.
His stockings were marked with tl►e letter F. We
understand no property whatever was found upon
the deceased, and the pockets had •every ap-
pearance of having been rifled., Upon the
head there were. many ColltLUit..lli observable,
and the poor man's left arm was broken between
the .wrist and the elbow. A • hat was found on
Sunday morning, sUppOsed to belong to the -de,
ceased, in a hedge near to the place where: the
body., was found the preceding day.--(Birming-
haqz Ch 7.9444.)