The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-20 00:00:00

Yesterday morning an inquest was held by Thomas
Wakley, Esq., the coroner for the •western division of
Middlesex, at the workhouse, Hampstead, touching the
death of the late John Sadleir, Esq., M.P. for the bo-
rough of Sligo, who was found dead on Hampstead-heath
on the morning of Sunday last, under the melancholy
circumstances already detailed in The San.. Many of the
relatives and personal friends of the deceased were pre-
sent during the inquiry : amongst them were Mr. Wm.
Sadleir, the eldest brother of the deceased ; Mr. Francis
Scully, M.P. ; Mr. L. Murrough, of the firm of Ken-
nedy and Murrough, Dublin ; Mr. Robert Keating,
M.P., Mr, Clement Sadleir, Mr. Anthony Norris, Mr.
John Henry Doyle, etc.
The jury proceeded to view the body, which lay in a
plain coffin, in an out-house in the workhouse yard.
There was very little change in the features of the de-
ceased, except, perhaps, that he looked somewhat older
than he really was.

Mr. Manning, solicitor, appeared to watch the, pro-
ceedings on behalf of the relatives of the late Mr. Sadkir.
Mr. J. Elwyn, of Gloicester-place, Hyde-park-gar-
dens, said he was butler to the deceased gentleman. He
bad seen the body and identified it as that of his late
master. He was member of Parliament for the borough
of Sligo, and was 43 years of age. At half-past 11 o'clock
on Saturday night he saw his master in the dining-room
of his own house. He did not know at what time he left
the house, bat it must have been between that time and a
quarter to one in the morning. When witness went to
take his tea-things away his master refused to allow him
to do so twice. At a quarter before one he went to
fasten the front door, when he found that his master's
great coat and hat wale gone, and that he had left the
house. This did not surprisp bite, AR his master fre-
quently went out late on business. Witness then went
to bed. _

Joseph Bates was the next witness called. He said
—I am a labouring man, residing at Na. 7, Braustone-
court, Hampstead. I found
.the body of the deceased
gentleman about 20 minutes to nine o'clock last Sun-
day morning. It was close to the rails of the bog at the
beck of Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead-heath, about
200 yards from the high road. The deceased gentleman
was lying upon his back, with his feet towards the bog.
His head was near to a furze bush. Ile had his
clothes on, but his hat was off and was lying at the
back of hie head. I did not go nearer to the body
than 20 yards until a man named Fudge came up.
Neither of us went up to the body, but Fudge told me to
stop there until he fetched a policeman. When the
policeman cauir, we all three went up to the body.
On the side of the body was a silver tankard and a
bottle. [The tankard and bottle were produced. The
bottle was labelled " Essential oil of almonds—Poison
—John Maitland, 16, Chester-place, Hyde-park-square.]
I did not touch the deceased to ascertain whether he
was cold. I was too confused to do anything. The
pockets were searched by the police-constable. First
the policeman found 2d. Then he put his hand in his
pocket and took out six sovereigns, a 51. note, and
12s. Gd. In his pocket there was a cambric handker-
chief, a pair of razors, and some other articles (the ra-
zors were identified by the butler as his master's pro-
perty.) The body was put on a stretcher and taken to
the Hampstead workhouse. No medical gentleman
was sent for while I was present. I saw no sign of
struggling on the ground, and the clothes of the de-
ceased were not torn in any way.
Policeman S 232 (Richard Howson), having corro-
borated the evidence of the last witness, added—l was
called to the body on S',uuday, about a querter before
nine in the morning. I 'found more than the last wit-
ness has descr,bed. There was a slight mark of the heels
where deceased bad struggled. I found a paper with
these words on it, "John Sadleir, 11, Gloucester-place,
Hyde-park-gardens." It was in his side coat-locket.
(Toe butler identified the paper as being in his master's;
handwriting.) Tho body was quite cold and stiff. The
oreaunjug was ou his right-hand side, with a portion of
the poison in it. It appeared to have dropped out of
his right hand. On his left was the bottle (the stopper
out), and the case of razors was about a foot away. The
leather with which the bottle had been tied down was
in his waistcoat pocket. The body was brought to the
workhouse. While the body was on its way to the
workhouse, Mr. Nichol!, a medical gentleman, was sent
fur. I found no other documents or letters on the de-
ceased other than that containing his name and address.
I omitted to state that I found a few lumps of sugar
loose in the pockets of the deceased.
Mr. Robert Nicholl, surgeon, of Hampstead, said—l
saw the dead body of Mr. Sadleir at 20 minutes before
ten o'clock last Sunday morning in the dead-house of
the workhouse. The body was quite cold and the limbs
were rigid. There was a most powerful odour of the
et-sential oil of almonds perceptible at the mouth. The
eyes were glistening, and were quite lifelike in their ex-
pressien. There was no froth at the mouth.
The Coroner—lt theta had not been the smell from the
mouth would there have been any proof externally that
the deceased gentleman died from poison ?
Witness—No, except the glistening of the eyes, and
that would not have afforded any satiefaetory proof.
Witness continued—l opened the body last evening.
There was no mark of external violence. There was some
post mortem congestion in the lungs and bronchial tubes.
In the heart there was E 2 valvular disease, but there was a
thickening of the left ventricle. The only cavity that
contained blood was the right auricle. Turoughout the
body, everywhere, there was a strong odour of essential
oil of almonds. The oesophagus was slightly reddened,
and contained whitish fluid in which the oil was distinctly
to be seen. In the stomach there was about ten ounces of
matter, consisting of undigested food. I took six ounces
of that, and extracted an ounce and a half of essential oil
of :-.lmunds—one ounce by distillation, and half an ounce
simply by filtration. Embedded in the coats of the stomach
and lying on them were numerous black particles, which
I have examined under a microscope, and believe to he
powdered opium. They were quite perceptible to the
naked eye, and were strewn along the surface. The odour
of essential oil of almonds was so strong that it filled the
whole room. The liver was healthy, but ou the under
surface there we; a patch of discolouration, which was
distinctly blue, and the gall bladder was quite empty. I
cut into the patch of blue, and found it to be quite super-
ficial. The kidneys were congested, otherwise they weie
healthy. The brain and membranes were congested, but
there were no signs of inflammation. The brain was se
eiern and as hard as it could be. There was a slight effu-
sion et the base, which was probably thrown out at the
time of d'!atb. I opened the ventricles but found nothing.
I have no cieubt that the deceased gentleman died from
the effect of the essential oil of almonds.

The Coroner--Ai,parently nothing can be clearer.
Mr. J. Elwyn, the butler, was recalled. He identified
the tankard found near Lis late master. When lie left
his master on Saturday night he was quite alone. He
had not seen the bottle before, hut he took it from the
maid servant about a quarter past nine o'elcck on Satur-
day evening. It was wrapped up in paper. While, wit-
ness was laying the cloth for dinner, at about five mi-
nutes to seven o'clock, Mr. Sadleir told witness to take
a paper to Mr. Maitland, the chemist, and told him he
was to get something which would cost a sovereign,
which amount Mr. Sadleir gave him. The paper pro-
duced was in Mr. Sitsfleir'a handwriting, and contained
the following :—" Get from Maitland a bottle of the
essential oil of bittor almonds', I do not know the quan-
tity wanted, but. Kenyon writes to me to bring 1/. worth.
Pay my bill at Mait'and's." Maitland lives at Chester-
place, Hyde-park-square.
The Corrner—Who is Kenyon ?
Witness—A gentleman at Dublin, I believe. Oh, no!
I am told Kenyon was Mr. Sadleir's groom. (Itappeared
from information given to the reporter by a friend of the
deceased that Mr. Sadleir kept three hunters at Leigh-
ton Buzzard, and that Kenyon was his groom.)
Witness continued—He went to Maitland's, but the
wsi•tint who served him did not tell him it was poison.
Witeess concluded it was for a hair wash, as his roaster
told him to wash out two bottles. As Maitland did not
send it quickly, Mr. Sadleir directed witness to go for
it, and he, being busy, sent the kitchen-maid. That was
about twenty minutes or half-past nine o'clock. When
it arrived witness took it in to him and placed it by his
side. Mr. Sadleir was, he thought, looking over seine
writings, but he did not speak. Witness had lived with
Mr. Sadleir 15 months. He was a sober, temperate man.
He would drink one glass of sherry, or, perhaps, two,
but nothing after, when ho was alone. He had not
noticed any change in his master's manner during the
last month or two, but he had a great deal of writing
to do. He had not been under medical treatment.
Nis Nis manner on Saturday was the s -
astousdu?in-
except that he came home unexpected y
nes. He generally dined at his club—the Reform
—in Pall-mall. Ho never Icnew his master to make any
attempt on his life during the time he lived with hi m.
He found him a good master, and since he became used
to his ways he was better than before.
By a Juryman.—He never know Mr. Sadleir to carry
his razors about with him except when he went out to
sleep. He did net think he ever took opium, or that he
ever bad any in the house. He never heard such a thing
mentioned.
Hannah Bishop said she was kitchen-maid in the late
Mr. Sadleir's establishment. She went on Saturday even-
ing, between 9 and 10, to Mr. Maitland's for a parcel. The
going to give it to Mr. Sad-
leir himself, and witness said she would give it to the but-
ler, as she was not in the habit of seeing Mr. Sadleir. Mr.
Maitland's assistant then cautioned her against leaving it
about, as it contained poison. On returning home she
gave it to the butler, and did not see anything more of it.
When she went out she posted a letter given to her by
the butler. It was addressed to " Mrs. Sadleir, MDR-
r Clonmel (Mr. Sadleir's sister-in-law)." She had
fetched anti-bilious pills from Maitland's fur Mr. Sadleir
before, but never opium.
'l'l.e Coroner—Nothing could be plainer than that Mr.
Salleir's death was caused by poison, and that it was ad-
milikered by his own band. The only question now for
the jury was, what was the state of mind of the deceased
at the time he committed the act ?
Mr. Anthcny Norris said—l reside at No. 2, Bedford-
row, and am a solicitor. I was intimately acquainted
with the deceased gentleman. I raw him last alive
shortly before 11 o'clock on Saturday night, at his house
in Gloucester-square. I had no appointment with him,
but I went up there and was with hius about half an
hour. I have known him since 1543, and have freguently
transacted business with him. lie engaged in
_ _