The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-22 00:00:00

FATAL POISONING CASE.

NEWCASTLE, SATURDAY EvEsiNd.--Extraordinary
interest has been excited in the town of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, and throughout the whole of that popu-
lous district, by a case which appears to resemble, in
some of its features, at least, the tragedy in which
Tawell, the Quaker, was the principal actor. The
whole of the facts were brought out befofe a coroner's
inquest, held a few days ago, and on Saturday, before
the borough magistrates; but as the evidence is of
great length, and much of it very irrelevant, it seems
desirable to present, in a more compendious form, the
leading facts in this serious and somewhat mysterious
case.

The deceased's name is Elizabeth Anderson, a
widow, about 34 years of age, who resided with a
Mrs. Wilde, in West Blandford-street, Newcastle.
She generally passed as Mrs. Jenkins, the wife of
Henry Jenkins, a wholesale and retail confectioner, in
Dean-street, a man of substance, who had cohabited
with her since her husband's death. On Wednesday
morning he was at her lodgings, but what then trans-
pired between them is not known. He left about 12
o'clock, and about two in the afternoon Mr. C. Wild
called on a neighbour, who, on going up-stairs, found
that Elizabeth Anderson was lying in the bed quite dead,
with her clothes upon her. There was nothing in the bed-
room out of which the deceased could have drunk but
a glass of water, and in the sitting-room adjoining,
there was also a glass which appeared to have con-
tained porter. Mr. Boyd, a surgeon, living in Marl-
borough-crescent, adjoining, and Mr. Jenkins, were
immediately sent for, and both shortly afterwards
arrived. On Mr. Boyd making inquiries of Mrs.
Wilde, she stated that the decased bad only taken
something to eat and a little porter, and had then,
according to her usual custom, gone to lie down, from
which time nothing more was seen of her till she was
found dead. Mr. Boyd tasted the water and the por-
ter, but detected no poison in either. After he had
got home Mr. Jenkins went to him and asked what
steps should be taken to get the deceased buried,when
he told him that a certificate as to the cause of death
was necessary ; but that, under the circumstances, he
declined to give it, at the same time recommending
him to go to the registrar, explain the circumstances,
and say that he (Mr. Boyd) thought she had died of
disease of the heart. Mrs. kVilde subsequently waited
on him, and afterwards Jenkins again, and at last he
gave him a certificate that she had died of disease of
the heart, having attended her about twelve months
previous for symptoms of that disease. In
the evening Mrs. Wilde called at the West-
gate police station with the certificate, and requested
Inspector Little to give her a line as to her character,
that she might present it to the registrar ; but that
officer, on hearing the particulars, informed her that
he should report the matter to the coroner, and take
his opinion upon it. Accordingly, on Friday, an in-
quest was held at the Marquis of Blandford Inn, be-
fore J. G. Stoker, Esq., and in the afternoon a post
mortem examination of the body was made by Mr.
Carr and Mr. Boyd, both of whom declared that the
deceased had been poisoned by having taken, or hav-
ing bad administered to her, a large quantity of essen-
tial oil of almonds ; and they considered that, from
the quantity taken, death must have ensued almost
immediately, and that it would have been barely pos-
sible fur her to have walked from the sitting-room to
the bedroom after taking it. They also stated that
it was quite impossible that she could have destroyed
or secreted a vessel which contained the poison after
she had taken it ; that essential oil of almonds was
not used or sold medicinally, but was principally used
by confectioners and cordial makers to give a flavour
to the goods which they sell.
The CORONER, in adjourning the inquest to Wed-
nesday, the 23d instant, said the case was one of a
most extraordinary nature, and after the distinct
evidence of the surgeon there were many suspicious
circumstances connected with it. It was clear that
the deceased could not have taken the poison while in
the bed, or the bottle must have been found, and it
was a remarkable circumstance that no bottle or ves-
sel had been discovered near the place. He would
like to take time to consider what they should do
with Mrs. Wilde, or what other steps they should
take to elicit the truth.

Every effort has since been made by the police to
throw light on the suspicious affair, and the stopper of
a glass bottle has been found in the ash-pit adjoining
Wilde's house, which, on being examined, proved to
be strongly impregnated with the essential oil of al-
monds. Other facts and circumstances having come
to the knowledge of the police, they (acting under
the orders of their superiors) apprehended Jenkins,
whilst enjoying his evening glass, at the Shakspere
Inn, on Friday night, and Mrs. Wilde, on Satur-
day forenoon, and they were brought before the
magistrate, at their usual sitting on Saturday.
Mr. Inspector Little asked for a remand till
after the inquest, which was granted. The
evidence in possession of the police has not transpired;
but it appears that on the day after the death of the
deceased, the coroner called at Mrs. Wilde's house,
and finding that she had a certificate from a medical
man, declaring the cause of death to be disease of the
heart, informed her that it would not be necessary to
hold an inquest. Just as he left the house, Jenkins
came in, and on being informed by Mrs. Wilde of
what the coroner had said, one of them was overheard
by the mother of the deceased (who was in the
house) to say, " There is no fear ; it is all right."
The prisoner Jenkins was represented by Mr.
George Foster, a solicitor, and appeared much af-
fected by the painful circumstances in which he is
placed. They both protested their innocence, and
were committed to the gaol—the ll:rich refusing an
application to allow Mr. Foster to have an interview
with his client.

The unfortunate woman was lately in London with
Jenkins, and it appears has left a box at her lodgings
there. Information has been given to the metropoli-
tan police to seize the box, as it is expected some letters
will be found from Jenkins, as he returned almost
immediately, and she remained several weeks. Se-
veral rumours are afloat of a criminatory nature, but
it would be unfair to the accused to publish these
whilst the case is under investigation.

NEW ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA
VIA NICARAGUA.
(From the New York Herald.)
The new route to San Francisco, via Nicaragua, it is
now settled will be open and in complete operation by
the Ist day of July next. Public attention has often
been called to this route by the press; but the company
to whom belongs the right of way through Nicaragua,
have never, until now, thought proper to communicate
any of their proceedings. They preferred to remove
all obstacles to the successful and speedy transit be-
tween the oceans, and when reacly to begin transporting
passengers and freight, than to boast of what had been
done by them.
Mr. Vanderbilt a few weeks since returned from Nica-
ragua, whither he went to establish a line across that
isthmus. The company's arrangements are now com-
pleted, and on the Ist day of July next, such of our
citiv.-tns as desire, either to go to or return from San Fran-
cisco, will be able to select this route, if they please with
the confidence that they will reach their place of desti-
naaion in as speedy a manner as possible.
The line, we und.-rstand, is made up for the present,
as follows:--Mr. Vanderbilt is to run a line of steamers,
of the first class (among which is the celebrated Pro-
metheus), between New York and San Juan de Nicara-
gua. From the latter place the passengers will go in
steamboats constructed for the purpose up the river San
Juan to the lake, thence across the lake to Virgin Bay,
and thence by a good road built by the company to San
Juan del Stir, on the Pacific, a distance of 12 miles and
30 chains. Thus the entire land transit between New
York and California will be reduced to the short space
of 12 miles.

On the Pacific Ocean our enterprising citizen, Mr.
William H. Brown, has entered into a contract to run
between San Juan del Sur and San Francisco the
steamers Pacific, Captain Bailey, and the Independence,
both of which are now on their way, and one now build-
ing, and to be shortly completed to be called the San
Francisco.

These steamers are all new, and two of them have
already earned reputations for speed second only to that
of the Prometheus. Mr. Vanderbilt is also building a
new steamer for this line at the yard of Mr. J. Simon-
son, and we have reason to believe that ere long we
shall have a weekly line between New York and San
Francisco, vial Nicaugna.

The more routes we may have to the Pacific the better
it will be for the public. There is nothing like com-
petition in this as in all other business. Numerous com-
plaints have been made by travellers of the inconve-
niences to which they are subjected in going to and re-
turning from California, which competition will no doubt
remedy. We therefore rejoice at the prospect of soon
having another line in operation between New York and
our new State on the Pacific.

TREATMENT OF THE SWISS REFUGEES
FsßuEigNseCgHivesAß.UthTeHfool:olwTinlgESextract
The ur BY
YCorier THE
of a dispatch from the Swiss charge d'affaires at Paris
to the Federal Council of Switzerland, dated the 9th
inct. :
" This morning, four refugees coming from Switzer-
land have presented themselves at the Legation, and
complained that they have been made to travel on foot
from Mulhouse to Tontere by Besancon, while their
baggage was sent on by the roulage. Tbey stated that
they were treated very harshly all the way, accom-
panied by the gendarmerie for three-quarters of a league
from Mulhouse., and that some of them only received 30,
others 50 centimes per league. I immediately called
upon the Minister of Foreign Affairs to remonstrate in
my turn against such proceedings. The Minister an-
swered that he was extremely annoyed at them, and
that ho would not fail to desire his colleague of the In-
ter i
terra tnos
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agreed between us. I shall call again to-morrow upon
the Minister, to obtain the assurance of the execution of
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