The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-22 00:00:00

THAMES.

An old Cambridgeshire man named John Hillard, who
carried a basket containing blackberries, was brought before
Mr. Ballantine, charged with selling poisonous berries of the
deadly nightshade, and causing the deaths of '1 ho:nas Parker,
late proprietor of the Veteran beer-shop in the Whitechapel-
road, and a child named Jones, aged three years, who died
in the London Hospital.
Police-constable Bird, 105 B, stated, from a descriptio
which he received of a man who had been selling poisonous
berries in the neighbourhood of Whitechapel, he apprehended
the prisoner that morning in Stretton-ground, Westminster,
while he was vending blackberries, and on taking him into
the presence of Mrs. Parker, the widow of the man who died
in the hospital, she at once recognised him as the man who
sold her what he described as nettle-berries on Saturday la.t,
which she formed into a pie, and said be had murdered her
husband.

Mr. BALLAWIINE supposed an inquest had been held on
the deceased persons? Inspector Donegan, of the H divi-
sion, said there had been, and it was adjourned until Wed-
nesday, for tde purpose of affording time to apprehend the
man.

Mr. BALLANTINE required evidence on which he could
either remand or commit the man.

Donegan said Mrs. Parker identified the prisoner, and said
he sol,l her the poisonous berries. She was at present at home
and very ill.
Mr. BALLANTINE—She might as well be in Heaven. What
you are telling me is not evidence. Surely some other per-
son saw the prisone: selling the poisonous✓ berries.
Donegan—Yes, sir; an old man was pri-seut when Mrs.
Parker purchased the berries of the prisoner.
Mr. BALLANTIXE—Where is he? Donegan—l have been
looking after him this afternoon, and cannot find him. I shall
see him to nileit I have no doubt.

Mr. BALLANTINE—Then- I will commit the prisoner till,
to-morrow, :tad I shall then expect some evidence.
The prisoner was then remanded till this day. The other
persons lying in the various hospitals, who were attacked
with severe illness after eating poisonous berries, are, with
one exception, going on favourably.
John Stevens, a powerful swarthy man about 50 years of
age, better known by the name of Gipsy Stevens, pro-
prietor of the large Crown and Anchor booth erocted at
various fairs, and who has for come months pas:: been the
landlord of the Multerry-tree public-house, in Stepney, was
brought before Mr. Ballarcine, charged with committing a
Murderous assault on Trinity Stevens, his wife.
It appeared from the evidence that at a late hoar on Wed-
nesday night, about 11 o'clock, Mr. Janes St an a bill dis-
counter, residing in the Old Jewry, was passing toe Mulberv-
tree when he hearda woman within the house ,hrielcingl.ully
and calling out "Murder." Ile immediately rushed • up-stake
into a room and found the prisoner beating his wife, ivh,) was
lying stretched on the ground bleeding copiously from a
severe wound on the head, which Stevens had just before
laid open with a fender, and knocked her down. Stevens
knelt on his wife's chest, and beat her head on the floor iu
Mr. Swan's presence. The gentleman interfered, called the
police, and gave the prisoner into custody. Mrs. Stevens,
who is a gipsy, was conveyed by the police in a cab to the
London Hospital, where her wounds were dressed. A certi-
ficate from the house surgeon, Mr. Wordsworth, aros put in,
stating that Trinity Stevens was received into the hospital
with a severe wound of the scalp, and that she was at pre-
sent in danger therefrom. She was subsequently removed to
her own home, and in the course of yesterday she was
visited by Mr. Bride, a surgeon, residing in Jamaica-street,
Commercial-road, who found her in a very dangerous con,li-
lion. Besides the wound on her scalp she Lad received very
severe bruises.

The pri,oner offered no defelce or excuse for his bratiEty,
and

Mr. B&LLAWTINE remanded him for a week, and said laa
should take no bail for him.

SUSPECTED POISONINGS.

NEWPORT, ESSEX, Auo. 19.—The magistrates acting
for this division of the county, the Right Hon. Lord
Braybroke, chairman, were occupied nearly the whole
of yesterday at the gaol of this town, in investigating a
eharge preferred against e. married woman, named Sarah
Chesman, for having attempted to poison the illegiti-
mate male child of Sarah Taylor, a resident of Mann-
den, a neighbouring village. In consequence of what
has transpired since her apprehension for the al:win
alleged offence, active measures are being adopted with
a view of ascertaining whether the deaths of two of her
children, which occurred in a very sudden and mys-
terious nanner, were not also the result of some foul
play. .The prisoner is the mother of a large family, and
with her husband lived in the village of Littlebury,
near Saffron-Walden. The mother of the child, a
single woman, while in the service of a farmer, at
Clavering became enciente by him, the result of which
was the infant in question, and he was adjudged to pay
the usual weekly amount towards its support. A few
weeks after it had been born, and while the parent was
staying at her mother's residence at Maunder), the pri-
soner, who was a.perfect stranger to them, visited her
upon a pretence not yet explained. On seeing the
child, she evinced great fondness towards it, took it up
in her arms and nursed it. Immediately ararwards it
became violently sick, fell into strong eonvu:sions, and
has since assumed a wasting appearance. On that
occasion it was surmised that the prisoner had ad-
ministered something poisonous to the infant, but
as in most villages there bclg but little assis-
tance at hand, she made off. In a few months,
however, the mother weaned the infant, and went to
service, leaving it in charge of the grandmother, and in a
day or two the prisoner again made her appearance to
inquire after the condition of the child. She expressed
the deepest concern respecting it, and apparently mani•
fested the greatest kindness towards it. Tue grand-
mother had to leave the h-use for a few seconds, when
the prisoner instantly took up the infant, and said she
would go too. She then went out, and on proceeding a
short distance from the house, she turned a corner, and
immediately afterwards she was seen putting something
into its mouth, and she was then seen to wipe her fingers
on her gown., The child was almost instantly convulsed
and manifested the usual symptoms of being poisoned,
The mouth was besmeared with something similar to
yellow salve, and the prisoner was accused of baring

attempted to destroy it. She however decamped, and
escaped detection until Tuesday week, when
she was apprehended by Mr. Superintendent
Clarke, of the constabulary force stationed in
this district. On the child being taken from her
she was noticed to throw something into the hedge,
but on being accused of endeavouring to poison the in-
fant, she was seen to remove what she had apparently
thrOwn there. A little girl spoke to seeing in the mu-
cus the child had expectorated two yellow pills, all of
which, however, she had unfortunately destroyed,
thereby preventing their analysis. At the prisoner's
dwelling a number of galleypots, filled with various sorts
of ointment, were found, which the bench ordered
to be forwarded to London to undergo a strict
chemical examination. A great mass of evi-
dence was adduced, and the Chairman, after
consulting his brother magistrates, determined uron
committing the prisoner to Chelmsford fur trial at the
next assizes for the attempt. The magistrates in
the course of their investigation having received infor-
mation of a must suspicious nature relative to the death
of two sons of the prisoner, which were interred in
Clavering churchyard, instantly communicated with the
county coroner, who as promptly ordered the exhuma-
tion of their bodies. This was accomplished on Monday,
and nothing could exceed the sensation that prevailed in
the village. The holies, which were much decomposed,
were found in one coffin. The medical gentlemen in
attendance possessed themselves of what was left of the
contents of their stomachs, which will undergo analysis
at one of the London Hospitals. The boys were of the
respective ages of ten end twelve years, and died in
January, 1845, The eldest is represented to have been
well on a Sunday at 2 o'clock, and a corpse late in the
evening. The other one died on the Tuesday following.
They are stated to have been very hearty lads. The
coroner, at a late period of the day, opened the inquiry,
and after taking evidence identifying the bodies, ad-
journedit.