The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-07 00:00:00

TRE SUN, LONDON,

ing, and who engaged her for some time in conversation
about her business, at the conclusion of which he poured
her out some more of the ale in a glass. She felt no
unpleasant sensation after drinking the first draught
of the ale, but in a few minutes after drinking the
second she was seized with the most terrible cramps
and pains in the stomach, accompanied by extreme
dizziness in the head, and violent sickness. She told
the prisoner she felt very ill, but he treated it lightly,
and, feeling that her senses were leaving her, she
hastened out into the yard, in the hope that the air
would revive her; but, instead of that, she there
became rapidly worse, fell into a state of insensibility,
and was totally unconscious of everything that after-
wards occurred to her until on the following morning
she found herself in bed at the house of a person
named Howse, in New-street, City-road, with whom
she had formerly lodged, and of which fact the pri-
soner was well aware. She was there attended by a
surgeon, but was afterwards removed to the house of
her mistress at Hampstead, and thence conveyed to
ttie University Hospital, of which she had been an
inmate till a few days ago. It seemed from the
witness's evidence that the prisoner had twice ab-
sented himself while in her company, but upon what
pretence in the other instance did not very clearly
appear.
No less than three medical certificates were put in ;
the first by Sergeant Hockaday, of the S division,
from Mr. R. Pottle, of Bath-street, City-road, who
first attended the prosecutrix, which stated that, hav-
ing found her labouring under all the symptoms of
poison, he adopted the necessary means to discharge
the contents of the stomach, resulting in the positive
detection of a considerable quantity of laudanum,
which, if allowed to remain any longer in the system,
must have been attended by the most serious conse-
quences ; the second from Mr. Harris, of George-
street, Hampstead-road, stating that, upon being
called in to visit her, at her mistress's house, he
found her in a perfectly comatose state, usually
preceding convulsive fits, and that, feeling her
position to be dangerous, he ordered her instant re-
moval to the hospital ; and the third from Mr. Ed-
ward Franklyn, house surgeon of the University
Hospital, describing that, upon being brought to that
institution, the young woman was in a state of utter
insensibility, and was not sufficiently restored until
Monday last to be capable of leaving the hospital.
When called upon for his defence, the prisoner
entered into a rambling statement of great length,
mostly irrelevant to what was stated against him,
and the only material portions of which were an accu-
sation against the prosecutrix of being an immoral
person, and a general denial of having administered
anything of a deleterious nature to her. He further
stated, that upon leaving the company of the prose-
cutrix, who he then considered had partially reco-
vered from her illness, he returned to his master's
premises, from which he was sent for to the house of
Mrs. Howes, who threatened to send the police for
him if he did not come instantly, and that upon
entering the place he found the prosecutrix in a
fit, and was satisfied that she must have purchased
the poison after they had parted, and taken it to
destroy herself, as in the course of their previous con-
versation she had told him she had the most unhounded
affection for him, and could never be happy with any
one else.

The prosecutrix was recalled by the magistrate,
and closely questioned as to whether there was any
truth in the prisoner's allegation that she had taken
the poison of her own volition ; hut she denied:it in the
most emphatic manner, and declared that she had had
no opportunity to do so, even if so inclined.
Mr. ARNOLD thereupon ordered the case to be ad-
journed for the production of the medical and other
necessary testimony, but consented, in the incomplete
state of the evidence at present, to accept substantial
bail for the prisoner's future appearance, if he could
procure it.

assistance while the prisoner was stabbing me about
the hips. My head was then hanging over the bed-
stead, and I was trying to make my escape. I heard
Catherine Hall call out ' Murder.' A young man
burst the room door open, but the prisoner continued
holding me down by the hair of the head and jobbing
at my body. The young man entered the room, and
he assisted me to escape, and I got out of the room
with nothing on but my chemise, which was one mass
of blood."

The prisoner was then committed for trial, and the
witnesses bound over to prosecute.

MYSTERIOUS DEATHS IN RAT-

CLIFFE.

On Friday forenoon, Mr. W. Baker, Coroner for
East Middlesex, resumed the inquiry he ha 2 opened
a few days since, at the Queen Catherine public-
house, Brook-street, Ratcliffe, respecting the deaths
of Mr. Andrew Witham, tin engineer, aged 68, and
his wife, Ann Witham, aged 58, who died within a
few hours of each other under somewhat remarkable
circumstances, at their residence in Caroline-street,
in the above neighbourhood.
Mr. Fearnley, a solicitor, attended to watch the
evidence on behalf of the relatives of the deceased.
Mr. Donne, an attorney, was also present to watch
his own and other parties interests.
The male deceased, at the period of his demise, was
possessed of 1,0001. in household property, the whole
of which he made over in a will to Elizabeth Taylor,
an elderly female, who acted as nurse to him, two or
three days before his dissolution. He died on Tues-
day, the 25th ult., and his wife on the Sunday pre-
vious. No medical man was called in to attend them,
but Mr. Buchanan, a surgeon, having occasion to
call at the residence on the 22d, saw their state, and
prescribed some medicine for them. Their deaths
taking place, and reports being circulated that poison
had been administered to them, the contents of their
stomachs were handed over to Dr. Letheby, the pro-
fessor of chemistry at the London Hospital, for ana-
lysation. In the stomach of Andrew Withatn there
was about half an ounce of a thick brownish-green
matter. It had a peculiar odour, strongly resembling
that from mice. It was examined by six persons
conversant with the odour of medicines, and they all
agreed that it was strictly identical with that from
hemloot and its preparations. Dr. Letheby could not
state positively that the deceased had died from the
influence of poison, but he entertained strong suspi
cion of the existence of hemlock. The stomach of
the female also had the same odour.

Mary Anne Paine said that for the last six weeks
she had acted as a kind of under nurse to the deceased.
Mr. Witham was tronbled with violent retellings, and
used to throw up great " filth" from his stomach. He
was confined to his bed the whole of the six weeks,
and was obliged to be lifted out and into his bed.
His wife was somewhat similarly affected. Mrs.
Taylor, the chief nurse, gave them their medicine.
Mrs. Witham had taken some medicine composed of
laudanum, distilled vinegar, treacle, and honey, being
recommended to her by a man of the name of Pocock.
CORONER—Did you ever hear Mr. Witham say
anything about his will ? Witness—He used to tell
Mrs. Taylor day after day to get herself righted, and
get his will made out in her favour, for he did not
know any one more deserving it, as she had behaved
to him like a sister. His relatives never visited him.
His brother, however, from Nottingham, came to
see him on the Saturday before his death, but he
scarcely spoke to him.
CORONER—When was the will made out ? Wit-
ness—On the Wednesday before his demise. Mr.
Donne, a solicitor, was sent for, who drew out the
will. The property was to go to the wife should she
survive him, and then to Elizabeth Taylor, the nurse.
It was read over to him, and he seemed perfectly to
understand it.

Frederick Green, a hairdresser, living at No. 69,
Caroline-street, stated that he had been accustomed
to share Mr. Witham for the last eighteen months.
He was called in as a witness to the making of the
will. Mr. Doune read it over to the deceased, but
he could not say if his mind was in that sound state
as to enable him to understand it. Mr. Doune put
questions to him, and he merely replied " Yes." He
believed that he was not in a sound state of mind at
all times. He complained of a weakness in the head
and a shortness of memory.
Charles Collins, a labouring man, also spoke to
being sent for to act as a witness to the will. He
could not say that
,the deceased really understood it
when it was read over to him. _ _ .

Mr. Francis Thomas Doune , a solicitor living at
No. 1, Princes-street, Spitalfields, said that on the 3d
of September, 1846, he made out a will for the de-
ceased, by which he left the whole of his property to
his wife. On the 18th of last month Mrs Taylor,
the nurse, called upon him and required his assistance,
stating that Mr. Witham wished the property to be
left to her. He advised her to hive a legacy and be
done with it, but it was not acted upon. On the fol-
lowing day he called at the deceased's residence, and
received his instructions. It was difficult to get
answers from him, but he gleaned the necessary in-
formation in the course of conversation. Mrs. Taylor
was present, and explained that it was Mr. Witham's
desire to leave his property to her after his wife's
death. On the 20th he visited the house, and read
the will over to the deceased. He explained it to him,
and he nodded assent.

Mr• Fearnley—l believe you held the pen for him
to put his name to the document? Witness—l di.l.
Being very weak, Mrs. Taylor presented him the pen,
but I told her she must not assist; I therefore held it,
and she touched the top and moved it.
Mr. Fearnley—Now, you say Mrs. Taylor called
upon you, and intimated that the deceased wished to
leave her his property. The next day you called and
got your instructions, oxplain a little more how you
gleaned information from the deceased ? Witness—
Why, I heard what he desired, and then I put ques-
tions to him ; as I before stated, it was difficult to get
answers from him, but all that transpired left the con-
viction on my mind that he wished to leave Mrs.
Taylor his property.
Mr. Fearnley—But he was very imbecile ? Wit-
ness— He might be as regards his health, hut not with
his mind.

Two constables of the K division stated that they
had been to the several chemists and herbaldists in
the neighbourhood, and at Mr. Atcherley's, in Rat-
cliffe-highway, they ascertained that hemlock was
purchased as often as twenty times a month.
The inquiry was again adjourned.