The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-27 00:00:00

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THE POISONING CASE AT BIR-

MINGHAM.

BIUMINGUAM, MAY 25.—This morning Mary Ann Lawless
was placed at the bar, before the sitting magistrates at the
Public Office, on the charge of attempting to poison her hus-
band and two other persons. The first witness called was
the husband of the prisoner, who stated that en Tuesday
afternoon last a Mrs. Murray called in at his house, and his
wife being then out, he asked her to sit down and wait,
which she did. Shortly after that the accused came in with
some soft soap in her hand, and went up stairs, tell-
ing witness to make the tea. He refused, asking his
wife to do it, and at the same time invited Mrs.
Murray, who bad a child about two years old with
her, to stop to tea. A young man, a friend of
the parties, was also in the room. The prisoner,
having made the tea, poured out three cups, one for
Mrs. Murray, another for witness, and the remainder
she drank herself. There was no unpleasant taste in that
tea, but, on making some more, witness observed his
wife take from her breast a small paper packet, which he
thought at the time was tea, and, having poured the con-
tents into the teapot, she threw the paper into the fire, and,
having poured some more water into the teapot, dealt out
another cup of tea to the other parties and herself, but did
not drink more than two spoonfuls of it. Witness and
Mrs. Murray, while drinking their cup of tea, found that •it
burned their mouths and throats, and asked the prisoner if
she tasted anything the matter with it, to which she replied
that she had made it strong. In the course of a few minutes
the witness, Mrs. Murray, and her child, who had also
partaken of the tea, were all suddenly, seized with violent
sickness, pains in the stomach, and burning heat in the
throat.

The greater portion of the above evidence having been
corroborated by Mrs. Murray, the surgeon who was called
in to attend the sufferers was next examined, and deposed
to the state in which he found them, and tne remedies he
applied.

Mr. Woolrych, a practical chemist, deposed to having
analysed a portion of fluid ejected by the husband of the
accused, which he found strongly impregnated with arsenic,
and also found a small portion adhering to the sides of the
teapot, _

An assistant to Mr. Browett, chemist and druggist, said
he supplied the prisoner with a pennyworth of soft soap and
a pennyworth of arsenic on Tuesday afternoon last, a short
time previous to the administration of poison to the com-
plaining parties, the prisoner stating that she wanted it for
the purpose of mixing it with the soft soap to clean Led•
steads with.

After hearing the evidence of the police officer who ap-
prehended the prisoner, when she said it was only a bad job
he (the husband) was not dead, the prisoner was committed
to take her trial at the next assizes for the county of
Warwick. -

The only cause that can be assigned for the commission of
this wholesale attempt at poisoning is the unhappy way in
which the prisoner aud her husband lived together.

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.

Yesterday, Mr. Wakley, M.P., held an inquest at the resi-
dence of Dr. Ogeir Ward, Leonard-place, Kensington, on the
body of Mr. George Robert Michael Ward, Barrister-at -law,
aged forty-six.
Dr. Ogier Ward deposed that the deceased was his bro-
ther, and had been two days at his house on a visit. On
Saturday morning the witness entered deceased's room at
seven o'clock, and found deceased awake. Witness asked him
how he felt, and he said, " Very well." Witness persuaded
him to get up, and when he left the room deceased was put-
ting his stockings on. Witness then went down to his own
dressing-room, and while dressing Mrs. Ward came into the
room to tell him that the deceased was getting out of the
window of his room, which was on the third floor. Wit-
ness instantly hastened up stairs, and on opening the
door of deceased's room, saw the window open to about
the height of one square of glass. On reaching the
window, he looked out into the area, expecting to
find deceased there, but could not see him ; he then saw
that the dressing-glass which stood on the table under the
window was knocked down, and was lying half on the
window sill and half over it. He made a pull at it, but
could not get it loose, and on a second pull he loosened it, and
at the same moment he saw the deceased fall. He did not
see deceased before, as the looking-glass prevented him, but
whether the deceased was holding by the glass or by the sill
of the window under the glass he could not say. Witness
saw deceased fall with his arms extended upwards, and he
turned en one side, just before he fell on the rails, one spike
of which entered deceased's abdomen and injured an artery,.
into which wound witness put his hand. Deceased was got
off the spikes with great difficulty, and carried into the house.
By the CORONER—Deceased had been suffering from acute
delirium for some days. Deceased sent for witness on the
Tuesday previous, when witness found him in great mental
distress, and deceased said be felt as if he could almost cut his
throat. Deceased had never attempted self-destruction, but
was a man of high religious principles, and abhorred any-
thing of the kind. In the course of Friday, witness got a
medical friend, at Hackney, to visit deceasad, and it was
arranged that deceased should be removed to that gentle-
man's house the next day. Witness should say, that de-
ceased disliked that arrangement, and thought to escape from
the house, although he made no objection to it, and had as-
sisted in packing his things. Deceased was blind of one eye
and very near sighted with the other. Witness had no idea
that deceased, in getting out of the window, intended to
commit suicide, but was convinced that he intended to avoid
going to Hackney. Mrs. Ward became aware of the cir-
cumstance by seeing her window darkened by deceased's
legs. Witness's firm impression was, that deceased was not
aware what part of the house his bed room was situated, and
thought he was nearer to the balcony than he was, and could
drop on it and get to the other house. Deceased died about
an hour after the occurrence.

The jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased died
from the effects of the injuries he received by falling from a
window, being at the time of unsound mind."

THE WHOLESALE MURDERS IN
NORFOLK.

FURTHER DISCLOSURES.

HAPPISBURGII, SUNDAY NlGHT.—Great as the excitement
was throughout this part of the country on the discovery of
the recent horrible cases of poisoning, it has been renewed
and increased considerably by the circumstance of the Secre-
tary of State, Sir James Graham, having expressed his in-
tention to re-investigate the circumstances attending the
mysterious affair. A Government officer has already ar-
rived, and assisted by Mr. Superintendent Smith, of the
Ludham division of the Norfolk Police force, and Colonel
Oaks, the chief constable of the county, have been Making
private inquiries, the result of which not only confirms what
was stated at the Coroner's investigation, but goes far to clear
up the matter, and point out the perpetrator of the diabolical
crimes.

It seems that the cases of poisoning which have occurred
in this neighbourhood are more numerous and appalling
than was at first imagined, and that the report of the in-
quests before the county coroner will give but a poor idea
of what has been done in this dreadful system. Suspicion,
not stronger than that which now exists, with reference to
the cause of death of many others, led to the exhumation of
the bodies of four persons, and that of old Balls. The evi-
dence at the inquest proved that four out of the five had
been poisoned, and the probability of Balls intentionally
administering it. In addition to these deaths, there were
several other grand-children of Balls, whose deaths were as
sudden and as suspicious, and hence arises the supposition
that if a strict inquiry were made respecting their fate,
there would be found to have perished by similar means,
within ten years, uo fewer than twelve grandchildren of the
deceased Jonathan Balls, eight belonging to hie daughter
Mrs. Green, and four to the other daughter, Mrs. Pestle,
the subject of the recent proceedings before the coro-
ner, who died, after being attacked all alike. To this
list may be added Balls and his wife, both clearly ascer-
tained to have perished from arsenic; and yet, in all these
very suspicious deaths, only one inquest was held, until the
inquiry consequent on the shocking discovery. All the
children were in the habit of visiting their grandfather's
house. By several parties it has been proved that old
Balls was in the habit of buying arsenic for years past; for
what purpose was not learnt. There are a few residing in the
vicinity who remember Balls's father and mother dying sud-
denly, and in a very suspicious way, similar to the other
deaths, twenty-two years ago : they came to live with him,
and shortly afterwards perished. It also ought to be stated,
that during the last few years many labouring men who
were in the habit of mixing greatly in Balls' -society, and
visiting him at his house, have died after two or three
days' illness, and from a cause far from being satisfactorily
explained. These numerous deaths, all of a similar
character, coupled with the circumstance of old
Balls being known to have been guilty of several
wicked acts, has naturally given rise to a general opinion
throughout the district that these persons have beep poisoned
in the same way. As has been mentioned, Balls was in the
habit of perpetrating several disgusting transactions, and ac-
cording to a statement made to us by one of the heads of the
police, has been twice charged with the serious offence of
arson, and was generally termed in the village a mischievous
old man.

One fact shows very clearly, that Balls was alone in this
dreadful affair, which unfortunately was lost sight of by the
coroner and jury. When the last child of his daughter, Mrs.
Pestle, died, the mother became alarmed, and said she would
preserve the membrane which the child threw up and gave
it to the surgeon, Mr. Hewett, to be examined. This circum-
stance was stated at the coroner's inquiry, but it did not come
out in the medical testimony, though the piece of membrane
in question had been examined. On Mrs. Pestle stating
her determination, the old man replied, " Oh, don't do that ;"
but she still declaring her intention to do so, he must have
taken the poison immediately afterwards, for he was a corpse
in a few hours. It is deemed remarkable that these repeated
deaths did not excite the suspicion of the vicar of the parish,
the registrar, the surgeon, or the rural police.
It is stated that there has been a feeling amongst the
magistrates of this county that the expenses of coroners
inquests should be reduced, that inquests should not be held
so frequently, and even that a circular has been sent to the
officers of this very parish, impressing upon them the neces-
sity of carrying out their suggestions.
It is anticipated that the preliminary inquiry
be
nate this week, and report of the result will probablywill te
for-
te
to the Home-office. Whether any 'more bodies will
be exhumed and examined will, no doubt, depend upon the
official inquiries.

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Tuesday,
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During the --------"cross-exabmy ix.tintoin
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to a road being upon a level. After denying it several times, the
architect said that " if it was upon a level, there was a hundred feet
mhatP°ltinits tnoot you mean to say
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no one joined more heartily than the Learned Gentleman himself.
DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A WIDOW LADY.—Yeater-
clay afternoon, Mr. G. J. Mills, Coroner for Middlesex, held an in-
quest at the Mother Red Cap, High-street, Camden-town, on the
body of a widow lady of independent property, named Queene, aged
forty, who resided in Barham-terrace. It appeared from the evi-
dence of the son of the deceased, a youth of fourteen, that he last saw
his mother alive in her drawing-room on Friday afternoon last, about
a quarter before two o'clock, when he left home to go to school. Ou
his return shortly after five o'clock, on entering the apartment, he
found her suspended by the neck from a hook in the wall by a rope.
He instantly gave an alarm, and she was cut down by a policeman
and a neighbour. She had for some time past been exceedingly
desponding, and rive or six months back threatened to destroy
herself. He on many exasions thought she was not right in her
mind, and on Thursday, seeing the hook in the wall where he had
never seen such a thing before, he was so strongly impressed with
the conviction that she meant to destroy herself, that he went and
brought in a policeman. On Thursday evening, whilst lying on the
sofa, deceased fancied she saw a large bat fl) ing about the apart-
ment, and that it had taken refuge in a bird-cage in the room, and
she begged of him (her son) to catch it. When he left home for
school on the Friday she called him to kiss her, and behaved most
affectionately towards him. She frequently complained of pain in
the head, and would stand with her hands to it for a long time to-
gether. She was under medical treatment for it. When she read of
cases of suicide in the paper, she would express her horror at people
taking away that life they could not give. The jury returned a ver-
dict, " That deceased hung herself in a state of insanity."

REGISTRATION OF THE PRINCESS, WITH CONFLICT OF
PARisuEs.--Yesterday morning Mr. Le Breton, clerk to the guar-
dians of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and Mr. Leonard, the•registrar of
that parish, repaired to Buckingham Palace far the purpose of regis-
tering the birth of the infant Princess. Hitherto the royal progeny
of her Majesty have been registered by the St. George's officials, and
wrongly registered, as the parishes divide at the palace, the greater
portion of the palace, including the royal apartments, being in St.
Martin's parish, whilst the grounds are im that of
„St, (Norge, Ham.
ver-square.