The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-24 00:00:00

SALE OF POISaYS.

An inquest was held yesterday evening at the
Maid and Magpie public house, Stepney, before
Mr. Humphreys, coroner, and a jury, on the body of
Mrs. Rebecca Stephens, a widow, aged 37, who
committed suicide by swallowing a quantity of
oxalic acid in a liquid state.
The deceased had been a widow three years. She
was the mother of eight children, to whom she
was very fondly attached, and had insured the
lives of all in November and December, 1858, for
sums varying from £5 to £l5 each, and had paid
the weekly premiums regularly. She kept a
general shop, in Wellington-place, Stepney, and
was a very industrious and thrifty woman. Some
time ago she formed an intimacy with a married
man, named Seidergreen, a broker and appraiser,
and they had cohabited together for about eighteen
months. He was the father of four children, and
they lived with the deceased, and she was very kind
to them. The intercourse with Seidergreen proved
a very unhappy one. The deceased had been greatly
troubled for several months past, and was at times
very incoherent. She had also complained of her
head, and had informed her neighbours that if ever
they found the shutters up they must not be sur-
prised. About five weeks since she gave birth to a
child, which has since died, and this event appeared
to increase her afflictions and her disordered brain.
About a fortnight ago she was about to swallow
some oxalic acid, and was prevented by one of her
children, who threw away the stuff contained in a
bottle and rinsed it with water. On Tuesday morn-
ing the prisoner managed to send all the children
out of the way, and directed one of them, a boy
aged eight years, to proceed to a chemist's shop,
and purchase two-pennyworth of oxalic acid.
When the boy returned with the poison he found
the house closed and the street door fastened. A.
communication was made to the deceased's neigh-
bours, and they being unable to enter the house,
and no answer being given to their repeated knock-
ings, the police were sent for, and two constables
procured a ladder, and obtained admission at the
window of the first floor. The deceased was found
stretched on the floor of the room over the shop.
She was quite dead. A cup, containing a small
quantity of oxalic acid, was found upon a table
in the room. Mr. James Horton, a surgeon and
registered medical practitioner, of High-street,
Stepney, had made a post-mortem examination of
the body, and said that death was caused by swal-
lowing oxalic acid, and the stomach was very much
corroded.

In answer to a question by the Coroner,
Mr. Horton said the parcel of oxalic acid pur-
chased by the deceased's son was sufficient to kill
three or four persons. •
Mr. Stevens, constable of Mile-end Old Town,
produced two sheets of note-paper, found in the
deceased's room. They contained the following
words, in the handwriting of the deceased :
" To Mrs. Wiggett,—God bless you all, my own
hand has done it ; have mercy on my poor children.
Do not blame anybody but me.—R.S."
On the second note were the following words i
" My dear Sister,—One false step has led to
another--it has led to all this evil. Life is a bur-
then to me. God bless you all. lam quite heart
broken. May God forgive me. My own hand has
done it.—R.S. I cannot live."

The jury said there was no doubt the deceased's
guilty intercourse with Seidergreen had preyed on
her mind, and then expressed a very strong opinion
that chemists and druggists were highly culpable

--------
in selling dangerous poisons. The deceased had
been provided with several doses of oxalic acid
before she sent the boy for another parcel on
Tuesday morning. It was monstrous that che-
mists and druggists should be permitted to sell
deadly poisons to children.
The coroner agreed in all that had fallen from
the jury. This was a matter of the deepest im-
portance to the public at large. He should im-
pound the oxalic acid on the table and adopt some
further proceedings in the matter.
The jury then returned a verdict—" That the
deceased committed suicide, and was of unsound
mind when she committed the act."

ESCAPE FROM A LUNATIC ASILUJI.

At the Burslem Police-court on Tuesday, Supe-
rintendent Povey made an application to the magis-
trates, Messrs. Rose, E. T. W. Wood, and G.
Alcock, arising out of the following circumstances.
Mr. Povey stated that on Sunday afternoon he re-
ceived information that a, gentleman, named Pit-
man, who had been confined in Grove House
Lunatic Asylum, London, had escaped, and was
then in the town. He communicated with the au-
thorities at Grove House, and the following day a
keeper was sent down to take back the escaped
lunatic. He (Mr. Povey) was not at the police
office when the keeper called, but when he returned
'at half-past five he sent to the keeper and to Mri
Lester, with whom Me. Pitman was then staying,
to request that all necessary preparations should be
made for the departure of the latter by the last Lon-
don train. The keeper, however, trifled away the
time, and was too late for the train, He then handed
Mr. Pitman over to the care of a constable and went
off, returning to the office at half-past eleven o'clock
in a state of intoxication. Mr. Povey told the
keeper he should not allow him to have the charge
of Mr. Pitman until he had taken the opinion of
the magistrates. The same night he (Mr. Povey)
received a telegram from the Grove House autho-
rities requesting him to send back Mr. Pitman in
the care of an officer as soon as possible. It was
said that Mr. Pitman was perfectly harmless. Mr.
Rose said he had heard that the keeper was then
very drunk. Mr. PoVey said he had sent for him,
and he was present in court.. The keeper was
called, and fully substantiated Mr. Rose's state-
ment, being almost too drunk to stand. Mr. Walker,
surgeon, Burslem, was then called, and he stated.
that he was very well acquainted with Mr. Pitman,
who formerly resided in the neighbourhood with
his family, and was highly respectable. He had a
conversation with Mr. Pitman the previous night,
but he saw nothing to indicate that he was in an
unsound state of mind. He expressed a strong
wish not to be sent back to the asylum, where he
said he had been confined for twelve years. Mr.
Walker was of opinion that he (Mr. Pitman) was
not insane. Mr. Lester, chemist and druggist, of
Burslem, stated that Mr. Pitman dined with him
on Sunday, and expressed a strong wish not to be
returned to the asylum, and seemed very much
annoyed when told the keeper had arrived.
Witness had seen nothing like insanity in Mr.
Pitman's conduct, for he heard the keeper say
he was sorry he had come ; it was a great shame
that Mr. Pitman should be kept in the asylum, for
there was nothing the matter with him. The
keeper, on being questioned, confirmed Mr. Lester's
statement. Mr. Rose said he bad no doubt that
the magistrates had jurisdiction in a case like this.
It was a most outrageous case, and the magistrates
would be doing their duty not to allow Mr. Pitman
to be returned to the asylum before his friends had
been communicated with. It was very probable
that while in the asylum he had no opportunity al-
lowed him to communicate with his friends, and no
doubt there was a reason for it. It was then ar-
ranged that Mr. Pitman should be -placed in the
charge of some competent person to await the result
of any further proceedings the magistrates should
direct. Mr. Pitman, who was in the court, is a tall,
slim, gentlemanly man, apparently has suffered
much, but was exceedingly quiet, and showed no
evidence of insanity.—Birmingham Post.