The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-26 00:00:00

SUSPECTED MURDER AT COVENT_R

COVENTRY, SATURDAY.
Much painful excitement was occasioned in this
city last night by the apprehension of three persons
on suspicion of murdering a married woman named
Betsy Beamish, by administering poison to her.
The prisoners' names are William Beamish, weaver,
and husband of the deceased, Emma Statham, single
woman (who worked in his house, and in reference
to whom and the male prisoner many scandalous
reports are in circulation), and Jane Stokes, a
married woman, who was in attendance upon the
deceased a short time before her death. It appears
that the prisoner Beamish, who lives in a populous
district of the city, called Hilifields, has had four
children by the deceased, all of whom, together
with the wife, resided with him. Last week the
whole family were seized with vomitting several
times, after meals, and one of the children, the
youngest, became so ill in consequence that it died
on Thursday week very suddenly. The wife also
became seriously ill, and expired on Tuesday last.
The other children happily recovered. As soon as
these facts reached the ears of the neighbours, grave
suspicions of foul play were excited in their minds
against the husband and the girl who worked in
the house. The authorities were at length com-
municated with. A post-mortem examination was
made of the body of the wife, and on Thursday an
inquiry was commenced by Mr. W. S. Poole, coro-
ner, and a respectable jury, into the cause of her
death. Evidence was then given by Dr. Goate
and Mr. Dresser, by whom the post-mortem exa-
mination was conducted, to the effect that the state
of the body was quite consistent with death by
metallic poison, and that they had forwarded the
stomach, a portion of the liver, and the transverse
colon, with some fluid blood, to Dr. Wrightson, of
Birmingham, for analysation. They found the
body in a perfectly healthy state, and they could
detect nothing to account for the sudden
death of the deceased. The stomach, though
not opened, they noticed to be highly inflamed
in patches, and the body externally presented a
very livid appearance. Dr. Goate further stated
that he was called in to attend the deceased on Fri-
day, the 16th inst., by the husband, who said she
had a touch of bowel complaint. He found the in-
side of her mouth much excoriated, and the deceased
told him she had for several days past been very
sick after taking her meals. The last time he saw
her previous to death was on Monday last, when
she appeared better, having gradually improved
since the previous Friday, when he first called. On
Tuesday morning the husband came to his house
and told him she was dead, and asked him to give a
certificate. He hesitated for some time, but at
length complied with his request, and certified that
she died of castritus, The other witnesses examined
were Jane Stokes and Emma Statham, the two
women in custody. Stokes said she was sent for
to the house of deceased on Wednesday, the 14th
inst., and found her and the children sick. The
youngest child died the next day. The deceased
said they were seized with vomiting after taking
their coffee at breakfast. That morning the hus-
band took his breakfast at his work. On Sunday
she wanted to remain all night with the deceased,
but the latter would not permit her to do so, saying
that her husband was very kind, and "if she but
moved her hand he got up to give her anything."
The girl Statham stated that the deceased expired
in presence of her and the husband on Tuesday
morning.
The inquest was adjourned till Monday, for the
purpose of obtaining the result of the analysis.
To-day the prisoners were brought up, and a re-
mand for a week granted, the two females being
admitted to bail.
The following important statement was made by
Inspector Payne, who has the case in hand :—Last
night, in consequence of the information received,
I went to Beamish's house, when a note was given
to me which Mrs. Stokes said she saw Beamish take
from the pocket of his wife's dress after her death.
(The note was handed to the bench, but not read
publicly.) Last night I also received information
that the prisoner Beamish had purchased 12 ounce
of arsenic from the shot of Mr. Jenkins, che-
mist, on Saturday night, the 17th instant.
The prisoner signed the book in his own
name. This morning I searched the pri-
soner's house, and in a chest in his bedroom I found
a pair of trousers, in one of the pockets of which
was a paper corresponding with that in which the
arsenic was wrapped that the prisoner bought at
the chemist's. The prisoner said he bought it to
poison some rats which infested his garden in Har-
nall-lane, and that if I went to the garden I should
find it strewn with oatmeal. I did so, accompanied
by another constable, but we found nothing of the
kind. I also found in the prisoner's jacket pocket a
packet of arsenic unopened, which he stated he pur-
chased on Monday last. I shall be able to show by
similar handwriting by whom the paper taken from
the pocket of deceased was written.
The bench readily granted the application for a
remand. The court and its avenues were crowded
during the hearing.

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