The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-23 00:00:00

THE ANTIMONY POISONINGS AT

LIVERPOOL.

ACQUITTAL OF THE PRISONER (WINSLOW)
AND MIS RE-ARREST ON THREE OTHER
CHARGES OF MURDER.
LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.
This morning the court was again inconveniently
crowded in every part. The interest in the case was
heightened by the impression that the prisoner's
counsel would make a powerful appeal to the jury.
. Mr. Digby Seymour, in rising to address the jury
'on behalf of the prisoner, said he rose under a feeling
9f the weightiest responsibility, and, after a touch-
ing appeal to the position in which the prisoner
stood, he proceeded to advert at considerable length
to the medical features of the case, pointing out the
discrepancies in the statements and the differences.
in the opinions of the medical men who had been
called, especially drawing attention to the opinion
of Dr. Taylor in his work, that the administration
of poison must actually have caused death in order
to sustain a charge of murder, whereas it was ad-
mitted by the prosecution, to a certain extent, that
it only accelerated death. The learned counsel
commented with great force and severity on the
evidence of the several witnesses who deposed to the
prisoner wishing them to purchase antimony for
him, which, he contended, had entirely failed, and
concluded by calling upon the jury to find a verdict
of not guilty.
The learned counsel spoke for three hours:
After a short adjournment,
His Lordship proceeded to sum up the evidence.
He said this was the first case, so far as he recol-
lected, in which a charge of murder had been at-
tempted to be established-wader. circumstances like,
those involved in the inquiry- before them, and the
learned. Attorney-General had laid down the law
with great freedom. His lordship read the statute
under which the charge was preferred, which was
to the effect that a person administering anything
to a person, or so abusing them with intent to kill
them whilst labouring under disease, and such ad-
ministering or abuse accelerating death, shall be
guilty of murder. Now if the jury believed the
prisoner did administer antimony to deceased with
intent to kill her, and that her death was accele-
rated by it, if they saw their way clear they would
find him guilty of murder. They had heard the
evidence of Dr. Edwards, Dr. Taylor, and the
other medical men, who all agreed that antimony
was found in the body of the deceased in such,
quantities as to have accelerated her death, and if,
then, they agreed in that conclusion, the next point
they would have to consider was, by whose hand
that antimony was administered. The learned
judge, having read oi,er the evidence of the wit-
nesses who deposed to the prisoner having on seve-
ral occasions desired them to purchase antimony
for him, commented upon their testimony, and said
it was certainly improbable that if the prisoner in-
tended to poison the deceased, he should first ask
one person and then another, in such an open man-
ner, to purchase for him the means to effect his
deadly purpose. One of the most important fea-
tures in the entire case was, that on the morning
of the 10th of June a cup containing cooked sago
was found in the bedroom of deceased, in which,
upon analysis, antimony was found. That poison
had been placed in this sago the jury could have no
earthly doubt, and the prisoner had admitted to
Inspector Horne that he cooked the sago for de-
ceased on the morning of the 10th, but that he put
no antimony in it. If the jury were satisfied that
the prisoner's was the hand that administered the
antimony, and that in doing so he intended to kill
the deceased, then they would find him guilty, but
they must be perfectly convinced of this beyond
any doubt whatever, otherwise it would be their
duty to acquit him.
The jury consulted for a few moments, and
without leaving the box, returned a verdict of not
guilty.
The prisoner's counsel applied for his discharge,
which was immediately granted. As he was
leaving the court, however, he was again arrested,
and conveyed to Bridewell, on the charge of poison-
ing Mrs. Townshend, William Townshend, and
Samuel Townshend, the sister and nephews of Mrs
James.

He will be brought before the magistrates to-
morrow.
The greatest possible excitement prevailed in the
precincts of the court.