The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-21 00:00:00

THE ESSEX POISONING

•
RAMSEY, SEPT. 20.—This afternoon Mr. William
Cudd, the coroner for the northern division of Essex,
opened a judicial inquiry into another of those zuysteri-
oua cases of poi:oniii* have for so lung a tiine
baffled the ingentiit. of the police end the science
medical men.
The inquiry, as may be imagined, created intense in-
terest in the town, and judging from the present aspect
of affairs, it seems more than likely that the investiga-
tion will be a protracted one, in consequence of the large
number of persons who are involved in it. The inquiry
which was held to-day took place at the Nelson's Head,
in this town, upon the body of a man named Britton.
The CORONER having sworn the jury, said he had
opened the case they were about to investigate, in conse-
quence of the interest which, on the one hand, was at-
tached to the matter, and the painful rumours which had
obtained general circulation. The inquiry would involve
matter of the most grave and most urgent importance.
lie had on the present occasion ordered the exhumation
of a body which had been interred nearly four years, a
course he admitted somewhat unusual, but at the same
time, one which he thought was perfectly justified by the
circumstances of the case. Mr. M'lmies (the superin-
tendent of the police), under the direction of Captain
M`Hardy, and with the ;assistance of Mr. Ratigan, had
made close inquiry into the matter, and the result was
that it was found absolutely necessary to institute a rigid
examination.
The first witness examined was John Collings, a car-
penter of Great Oakley, whose depositions were to the
following effect :—I have seen the body of the deceased.
I saw it exhumed. I knew the deceased for some years
before his death. I made his coffin, and attended his
funeral. lle was buried at Ramsey in the month of
October, 1844. The coffin I have this day seen taken
up is the one I made for Nathaniel Britton. The ini-
tials N. B. on the lid stand for his name. I put him in
the coffin. There were also on the lid the words,
" Aged sixty years, 1844." I are certain the body I
have seen is the one I put in the coffin.
The CORONER—Deceased was a member of a benefit
club at Great Oakley, was he not? The witness—Yes,
he was a member of the May Bush Friendly Society at
Great Oakley.

The CORONER—At his death Si. were to be paid to his
wife? The witness—Yen; by the rules she was entitled
to that sum; but we did not pay her the whole amount,
because we thought she would nut defray the expenses of
the funeral.
A Juror—l suppose yvn generally pay the money to
the wife? The witness--Yes, invariably ;when there is
no suspicion.
The CORONER—Did :Mrs. Britton apply for the
money after her husban•d's death? The witness—
Yes, and she was greatly dissatisfied because we paid
her only 1/. 18s. We settled all the bills consequent
upon the funeral first, and then we paid her over the
balance.

The CORONER.—Who ordered you to make the
coffin ?—Witness—The nurse. Mrs. Britton never came
into the room while I was merauring her husband for the
coffin. When I called at the house she said I could go
upstairs to the room where hear husband was.

-The next witness called was William Barfield, of Little
Oakley, who said—l knew the deceased when he was a
fellow-labourer with me. He always appeared a healthy
man. On-the day he was te4cOn ill he was working with