The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-17 00:00:00

The Murder of Mrs. Warder at BriL- ht'

INQUEST AND EVIDENCE OF DR. TAYLOR.
lasting
BRIGHTON, Monday Evening.
This afternoon Mr. David Black and the jury
empaunelled to ascertain the cause of the death of
11,
,Torsl.ivEe IBlernanlerliev,
airesfntiZ a
rain, a
vle Irrna r dseari
wroeo-street
ss
terme
ebtl,e d
and at
after the
n investigation
returned
three and
Ifaoduyr
lour
had been poisoned by verdictthatbet w theeen
unfortunate
her late husband, Dr. IVarder.
Mr. Stuckey, solicitor, represented the family of
the deceased lady.
The case excited
extraordinary interest, and the
inquest-room was nearly filled with medical men
anxious to hear the scientific evidence of Professor
Taylor and Dr. Wilks.
Dr. Alfred S.
Taylor sail he analysed the con-
tents of the stomach and small intestines of the de-
ceased for mineral
and vegetable poisons, but found
no traces of either. At the same time he saw no-
thing to account naturally for death. The contents
of the stomach and intes •
tines were slightly coloured
with blood. He had injected
the concentrated ex-
tract of the matter into
the neck of a young rabbit,
but the animal was quite
healthy five hours after,
while a similar •
experiment with diluted aconite
killed a rabbit •in three minutes. But though no
aconite was found •
in the body, it could not be in-
ferred that death had not
been caused by it, for if
administered in small
doses and not for some hours
before death none could be found.
Dr. S. Wilks, lecturer on medicine at Guy's -Hos-
pital, found inflai •
nmation of the mucous membrane
of the kidneys, and • evidence of previous inflamma-
tion of the tongue and gums, but not sufficient to
account for death
• He found nothing in the organs
of the deceased sufficient to account for death.
The Coroner then read over at length the depo-
sitions of Dr. Taafe, who was again examined at
more length, and questioned by Dr. Taylor. He
said he saw no natural cause to which Mrs. War-
der's death could be assi •
gned.
After hearing this evidence, and that of Dr. Wilks,
who had assisted at the analysis of the stomach
and intestines, Dr. Taylor announced that he had
formed au opinion as to the cause of death. Ile
said—l have come to the conclusion that the
symptoms are those of death from some poison,
aconite most probably. My reasons for this opinion
are these :—The parched condition of the throat,
thirst, constriction of the throat, frequent and severe
vomiting without any natural cause to account for
it; the cessation and recurrence of the symptoms
without any natural cause to explain it, the sickness
not yielding to the usual sedative remedies, but com-
ing on at intervals, showing great irritability of
stomach such as irritant poison would cause; all
food and liquids being instantly rejected, although
no ulceration was afterwards found to explain it;
the severe griping pains in the bowels; no purging;
the great depression of the heart's action as denoted
by the feeble pulse and the muscular weakness. Then
therecovery and relapse without apparent cause form
a striking difference between cases of poisoning and
disease. Taking the symptoms as a whole, they are
not consistent with any disease I have either seen,
read of, or heard of ; but they are consistent with
such as would be produced by tincture of aconite at
intervals in small doses. Some other vegetable irri-
tant might have produced the effect, but I think it
was most likely aconite. The appearances of the
body do not show any natural cause for death, but
they are such as result from the action of aconite on
the body. I was much struck with the appearance
of the contents of the stomach. They were coloured
with blood, denoting irritation.
In answer to a juror, Dr. Taylor said that as a
medical man Dr. Warder would know how to ad-
minister the drug so as to leave no traces. Besides,
Dr. Warder was one of the school that came for-
ward to defend Palmer. He lectured on poisons at
the Grosvenor-place School of Medicine, which now
no longer existed.
The Coroner having summed up,
The following verdict was agreed to That
Ellen Vivian Warder, aged 36 years, was felo-
niously, wilfully, and of malice aforethought killed
and murdered by Alfred William Warder, her hus-
band, since deceased, at No. 36, Bedford-square,
Brighton."