The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-17 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—YORK, Dec. 15.
(Before Mr. Baron Watson.)

Charles Lister, 31, was indicted for administer-
ing:to Catherine Hankoy Ellis, a certain noxious
drug with intent to procure abortion.
Mr. Shaw prosecuted, and Mr. Blanshard de-
fended, the prisoner.
The prosecutrix, C. IL Ellis, who, owing to
weakness, was provided with a chair, stated in evi•
dente that she was the daughter of a butcher in
Dewsbury, was about 25 years old, and with her
sisters carried on the business of milliners at her
father's house. The prisoner, a neighbouring chemist
and druggist, had paid his addresses to her for
three or four years with the consent of the prose-,
cutrix's parents before Christmas, 1857, about
which tune an improper intercourse first took.place
between her and the prisoner, which continued till
about May following. Somewhere about the latter
end of March, 1857, feeling 'unwell, she Cinsiulted
Dr-.--iiinciaiffp, a practitioner at Dewsbury: As she
passed the prisoner's shop she told him where she
had been, and that the doctor had said she was in
the family way. She then said, " Prisoner told
me to take no notice of what the doctor had said,
who knew nothing. I had only a little cold, and
he would bring me something to set me all right.",
The following night he brought a small bottle of
liquid which I was to take off at once, which I did.
It only relaxed me a little. . A day or two
after he brought me another bottle, to be taken
as before. It made me vomit. The prisoner
called afterwards and asked if I had taken it
and inquired about the effect. I told him. He said
he expected it would make me sick. He came again
and saw me in the workroom, and gave me a bottle
of liquid and some powders. The bottle was to be
taken in two doses, and the powder in the middle
of the following Sunday when my sisters were at
church. I did not take it, however, then, but on the
Thursday morning, 'On the Thursday night I was
taken ill. I was stiff, sickly, and vomited severely.
I continued ill from the effects of the dose till the
middle of the next day. Prisoner came to see me
when I told him how ill I had been. He said, you
needn't call in a doctor, you'll be better. Before I
took the medicine he said that if was I poorly I had
no need to call in a doctor, because I should be all
right. 'Afterwards, about the beginning of May or
at the end of April, he came into our workroom,
and I went out with him into the passage, thinking
he had something for me. Here he gave me a bottle
of liquid and three powders. The liquid I was to
take in one dose, and the powders every half-hour.
I took one of the powders and a little of the liquid,
which made me very ill, and I could not take any
more. I tried a second powder, but could not take
it, and was sickly and shivering. One day in June
the prisoner asked me to go with him to Calms-
wood, near Dewsbury. I went. When there he
gave me three glasses of a bottle of liquid which he
took out there. He then took iny hand and said,
"Let's have a run down the field; it'll take the sick-
ness off." I ran down the field as well as I could. I
felt sick, and told the prisoner so. I kept the me-
dicine on my stomach for about three hours. I told
prisoner in the yard of our house, " I shall be ob-
liged to vomit." He said, " Yes, you will, I
have given you as much as would make 20 women
miscarry." I said, " Then it is as Dr. Hinchcliffe
told me. lam in the family way ?" I wouldn't
take any more at his hands. lie then left me.
I locked up all the medicine which he had last
given me, and which I had not taken. I locked it
up in my box.in my bedroom, keeping the key. A
day or two afterwards he called at our house. I
spoke to him at our room door, close by the pas-
sage. He asked me, if I had any of the medicine

left, to give it him back. I said•l could not get it,
as my sister was in the room. He said if I told
what he had given me it would transport hith. The
next day at dinner my father asked me for the key
of my box. I gave it him. He went upstairs, and
came down with the bottles and paper of powder
which the prisoner had given me. I was confined
of a full-grown child on the 4th of Nov. 1857, and
have ever since been iu bad health. I was a strong
healthy girl before I took the medicines the pri-
soner gave me.
On cross-examination this witness said, one one
occasion, when the prisoner gave her the medi-
cines, she complained of not feeling well, and
he a
thought she had a cold, and he said the medicinesnd
would cure her cold. When he told her had
given sufficient medicine to make 20 women mis-
carry it was the first time she was aware he had
given her medicine to procure a miscarriage. They
were perfectly good friends to tit time. The pri-
soner afterwards left Dewsbury.
William Ellis, the father of the prosecutrix,
stated that in consequence of something he had
heard his daughter say to the prisoner he got the
key of her box, and took from. it some bottles
and powders, which he delivered to Dr. liinchliffe,
who examined them in his presence,,and he after-
wards gave them to the police superintendent.
• The prosecutor's sister was called, who corrobo-
rated her evidence.
Dr. Hinehliffe proved that he was the medical
attendant of the family, and was consulted by the
prosecutrix in the spring of )857. In July the
prosecutrix's father brought him some bottles and
powders, which he examined. In one of the bottles
lie found oil of savin mixed with spirits of wine ;
another bottle contained black draught. The
pow-
ders were ergot of rye. The effect of oil of
savin
on pregnant women was to produce inflammation
of the stomach, bowels, and kidneys, and in conse-
quence produced purging, and perhaps miscarriage.
It was popularly believed to cause miscarriage.
Ergot of rye often, caused vomiting, and would not
stay on the stomach, and was used to expedite labour.
He did not think ergot of rye would produce any
effect on a pregnant woman unless she was already
in labour. It would increasd the effect of savin.
Savin in the latter months of gestation would have
a tendency to produce miscarriage. It had no
specific effect on the uterus. Five or six drops of

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' The pr:snner, who h2d been out alkiit,Y3 Sis -
taken into custody on the 2d of this wont /
Mr. 131anshard then addressed the jury for .the ..
prisoner,. contending that the prisoner had .given '
her the medicines she had taken for a cold which : j
4 believed. 'slid 10. d.,. and that the drugs were not
noxious when giVen in proper quantities, and only
I ??.:4 • i
niedicinally-.
His. TAirdship then summed u1a4,1 p.pl told ,the
jury ihere were three things fin em to de=
termi
ne :-1. Had ,the prisonet adtninistered any
noxious drug. to the tiroisetutrii? 02:-Viortlft.t w hieh
he administered a noxious are and, 3. Was it
administered with the intent to procure abortion 7
His Lordship then read over the evidence• as, to -
these points,. and left for -them to say whetherthat
which he gave to the prosecutrix to take was not
an administering to her, and whether that which
he gave her and which made her so ill, and the
effect's of which as a drug had been described by-the '
medical witness, was not a noxious drug; and hialy; '
whether, considering a the-prl- •
soner had not knowingly administered tlfieLlYil to •
her with intent to induce abortion. 'r
The jury, after a short consultation, -found 61';
prisoner guilty.
,Sentence was deferred._ .
• - . LIVEIWOOL, Dec. IG. •
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
Ann Coultass was indicted for the • Murder a
Williffifaniltass, her idiiit -Child, at St. lielen'S,-tai
the 21st brAugust last. -
Mr. Leresche prosecuted, and Dr. Wheeler de-
fended the prisoner.
The prisoner resided with her -tWo brothers as ,
their housekeeper, and in the same house a Mr. •
William-kwing; -and his wife and mother-in-laW, .
had lodgings. About a fortnight before the death -
of the boy, who Was seven 'years old, the prisoner
began to drink inctssantly—a habit into which, it
was stated, she had 'fallen sub Sequent to the death
_ _

of her own mother some twelve months before. She •
also .bought a razor, which she carried about upon
her person, and once during this tithe threatened tos
cut off her child's head, and thriatened to commit
suicide. 'At other .times she would sit moping and
in a melancholy condition, and weeping copionsly—
It appeared that when sober she was a " kind-
hearted,
steady, and creditable creature" (as one of
the witnesses described her)t though even then ad-
; dieted to crying frequently, and subject to low
spirits. She was inuch attached to the deceased.
On the day before the'murder site returned home-
in a state. of intoxication, and when reproached by
Mrs; Ewing for her neglect of the child, she took
out the razor and threatened to kill it. Nothing'
seemed to have been thought of this at the .
time, as she was so tipsy, but she was removed,
and the Ewings kept the child in their apart-
ment till the next (Sunday) morning. About
five :o'clock the prisoner took it from. them,
and proceeded to her own bedroom with it.
The boy was never after seen alive. The _ prisoner_
procured a floor-brush and hot water during the
morning, and the noise of cleaning was heard to
proceed from her room. About noon she came down,
and, in answer, to inquiries, said the child had had
two very bad fits, but was then asleep. She then
asked that a friend whom she had known'six years
(a Mrs. Hudspeth) might be sent for. Upon her
arrival she made various presents to her, consisting
of a purse, ornaments, &e., but the prisoner's man-
ner alarmed her, and she urgently required to see
the deceased. After some time the prisoner said,
" You make a great bother about Willy ; you might
think I had done something to him. Come and I'll
show him to you." Thereupon she led Mrs. Hud-
speth and Mrs. Ewing upstairs. When they
tered the bedchamber they found her child dead on
the bed, washed and laid out. On closer examina-
tion a linen bandage, stitched together behind,wai
round the throat, and on removing this a deep
wound, entirely severing the jugular vein, was dis-
covered. Mrs. Hudspeth exclaimed at the sight,
and the prisoner, flinging herself upon the body,
exclaimed, " Oh, my God, what have I done ?" The
police were sent for, and upon the entrance of the
constable into her room she hurried towards the
dressing-table. The officer, however, stopped her,
and afterwards found upon that table a razor with
fresh blood upon it. Her statement in reply to the
charge of murder was, " I have nothing to say to
it, but my brothers have not behaved to me kind:y
for some time."

Dr. Wheeler addressed the jury on behalf of the
prisoner, and contended that the state of melancholy
mania which the evidence indicated to have been-
the condition of the prisoner's mind justified a ver-
dict of not guilty on the ground of insanity.
The learned Judge summed up with great care,
explaining fully the characteristics of that kind
and degree of insanity which would -
exemption from criminal itivunoibility.
The jury were on the point of retiring (the fore-
man stating that one gentleman refused to concur in
the general view), when a further consultation
occurred, and finally a verdict on the ground of
insanity was returned.
The prisoner, who had been absorbed in grief
during the whole trial, was then removed.
(Before Mr. Justice Hill.)

FORGERIES BY A NEWSPAPER PROPRIETOR AT
WIGAN.

John Pollard, late proprietor of the Wigan Ex-
aminer, -and London Colliery Guardian, was
brought up for sentence, the prisaver having
pleaded guilty to forging deeds and tranfers of
shares of the-Wigan Union Benefit Building Society.
His lordship sentenced the prisoner to penal
servitude for the term of eight years.