The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-02 00:00:00

I should not like to guess in so serious a matter.
If the deceased, when attacked by symp.o,ns of
arsenic 1 poisoning, vomited a great d-al, and
in large quautitie, it won d depend on the
mode of administration whether a quantity would
be carried off. If given with solid food, and in a
solid state, a great port-on of the arsenic would
be ejected from the stomach if all that food
were vomited ; but if the arsenic were stirred up
with a liquid, and thereby thrown into a state of
mechanical suspension, I would not expect that so
considerable a portion should be ejected by vomit-
ing. By solid food I mean bread and the like. In
the case of the arsenic being taken in a fluid, I could
not sly what proportion might be ejected. I should
not be surprised to find that as much had been
ejected as remained. Judging from what I found
on the examination of the bedy Vie dose of arsenic
must have been of very unusual size There are
cases on rec -rd in which very large quintities of
arsenic have been found in the stomach and intes-
tines. I know this as a matter of reading. There
are examples of larger quantities being found than
in thepresent. I there think is a case in which 2
drachme were fen I—that is, 120 groins That is
the largest quart ty which occurs to my mind at
this moment as having been found. The cases in
which a very large quantity of arsenic was found
did not turn out to be cases of intentional murder
by a third party. In the cases to which I refer, the
arsenic was taken by the party voluntarily, with
the intention to cemrnit suicide. It would be very
diffinile to give a large dose of arsenic in a liquid ;
by a large dose of arsenic you exclude many vehi-
cles in which arsenic might be admitted. Nothing
which I found in my investigltion indicated the
time when the arsenic must have been taken. The
ordinary period that elapses between the adminis-
tering of this poison and the symptoms being mani-
fested is eight or ten hours in the cases on record ;
that is the extreme time ; there are some cases
which show thereselves in less than half-an-hour ;
we have cases in which death has resulted in a few
hours, and cases in which death has been delayed
for two or three days. As to the arsenic obtained
from Currie's shop, the greater part of the colour-
ing matter might be removed by dexterous mani-
pulation ; if you were to throw water in the arsenic
and agitate the two by this, and after the arsenic
has subsided, you tnrow off the liquor, a portion of
colouring matter is thrown off ; but it you keep
the vessel shaken in a particular way you may
coax the greater part of the colouring matter away,
Murdoch's arsenic was coloured with carbonaceous
matter ;it had the odour of coal soot. I cannot
tell from examination whether the arsenic found
is administered in one dose or in several. It
' would he very dangerous to use arsenic externally
in any way. There are cases in which it has been
applied to the entire or whole skin, and in which
the symptoms of poisoning have been produced
—vomiting, pain, but not death. In one case it
was rubbed on the head, I think ; but I don't re-
member the case. Flora the remembrance of
general reading, my impression is that it produces
eruption of the soiled skin. - If cold water were
used. I should not like to wash in such water my-
self. You cannot give me any other answer ? No,
I cannot.

By the Lord Justice-Clerk—There are cases
in which inflammation of the intestines has been
produced by external application of arsenic.
By the Dean—Arsenic is not an instant poison ;
it is absorbed into the blood, I presume with great
great rapidity, and through the blood is reaches all
the organs in which we find it.
By the Lord Advocate.—ln administering
large doses of arsenic nroy vehicles are secluded ;
cocoa or coffee is a vehicle in which a large dcse
might be given; there is a great difference t etweeu
giving rise to suspicion and actual detection ; I
have found, by actual experiment, that when thirty
or forty grains of arsenic are put into a cup of
warm chocolate, a large portaaa of the arsenic
settles down in the bottom of the cup, and I think
a pe son drinking such poisonous ch wo:ate would
suspect something when the gritty part•cles came
into his month ; but if the same quantity, and even
a larger quantity was boiled with the ch,co!ate,
instead of merely being stirred or mixed, none
of it settles down. I could not separate the
sort by washing from Murdcch's arsenic ; but
a very large quantity of it might be separated.
Suppose a person the subject of repeated doses of
arsenic, 1 have no evidence on which to form au
opinion whether the last dose would be fatal more
rapidly. I delivered to Dr. Chi istison some of the
arsenic I got at Currie and Murdoch's.
By the Dean—ln case of chocoiate being boiled
with arsenic in it, a larger proportion di,solves and
does not subside. This is what I find to the
case from actual experiment. Coffee or tea could
not be made the vehicle of a large dose of arsenic.
By the Lord Justice-Clerk—The period in which
the arsenic produces its effect varies in different in-
dividuals, and according to the mode of adminis-
tration. Pain in the stomach is one of the first
symptoms, and vomiting usually accompanies the
pain, but it may be ve;y severe betore vomiting
actually begins. Ten, fifteen, or twenty grains
might be given in coffee.
The Lord Justice-Clerk—Certainly, Dr. Penney,
more satisfactory, lucid, or distinct evidence, I
never heard.

Amad‘e Thuot deposed to being with deceased
on one occa.ion when he tapped at a window near
Blythswood-square to hand in a letter. He after-
wards pointed out the window to a policeman. He
understood him to have secret correspondence
with a lady.

Auguste Vanvente de Mean, Chancellor to the
French Consul in Glasgow, knew of Lngeher's
intimacy with Miss Smith. Some weeks,fore his
death witness t, old deceased of a report that she was
to be married to some one else. L'Angelier said
that must be false, but that he had documents iu
his possession which would at least f Tbid the banns.
He saw Miss Smith shor ly after deceased's death,
when she denied having seen L'Angelier on ttte Sun-
day evening. He questioned her about the let er re-
ceived by dec-aced at Bridge of Allan, on account
of which he had come home, and asked her how she
could explain it, she being engaged to another man 'ISI:e said she bad made te appointment for Satur-
day evening, which he did not keep, and her purpose
in writing to him was to try to get back her letters.
In cross-examination witness stated that deceased
had once become suddenly sick after taking a long
walk him him at Helensburgh ; tha, he hod spoken
of having had cholera ; that h was in the habit of
taking laudanum, and had once had a conversation
with witness as to the probability of taking arsenic
without dangerous results.
The Court adjourned till next morning (this day.)

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