The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 17, 18b.9

CENTRAL CRIkINAL COURT, Atty. 16,

lilt. SMETHURST'S TRIAL—(SECOND DAY).
(Continued from The Sun of yesterday.)
Dr. Wilkes said he was present when Dr. Taylor
made an examination of the intestines of the de-
ceased. In his opinion the death of the deceased
was mo A probably to be accounted for by some irri-
tant, and he was not familiar with any form of
disease that would have produced the symptoms
that had been spoken to by the different witnesses.
Cross-examined--Witness was a physician, and
demonstrator of anatomy at Guy's Hospital.
Severe dysentery would produce great inflammation
of the intestines, and also ulceration. Dark spots
on the stomach and effusion of blood were also in-
dications of severe dysentery.
Re-examined—Excluding dysentery, witness
was not acquainted with any form of disease that
would present similar symptoms. He had attended
two cases in his professional experience in which
he could not come to any satisfactory conclusion as
to the precise nature of the disease or the cause of
death, and they had, therefore, been ascribed to
dysentery.
Dr. Todd deposed that he was physician to King's
College Hospital, and he had been in practice a
great many years. Dr. Julius told him the nature
of the case before he saw the deceased, but he did
not tell him his suspicion that irritants were being
administered to her. When he saw the deceased
he noticed a peculiar expression of countenance, an
expression of terror, as though she was under the
influence of some one. That was not in accordance
with the appearance of a patient suffering from an
ordinary disease. The abdomen was very hard,
which was an indication of the existence of exten-
sive inflammation in the stomach, and he was at
once under the impression that she was suffering
from the influence of some irritant poison. By
witness's desire an evacuation was obtained, and
he directed Dr. Julius to make up the sulphate of
copper and opium pills, with a view to allay the
irritation. Witness had never known any bad
effect produced by this medicine, and he did not
think it was possible it could produce a burning
sensation in the throat or the stomach. If the
disease had been diarrhoea and bowel complaint,
the medicines administered by Dr. Julius were the
proper ones to be administered in such a case.
Sergeant Ballantine—From all you have heard
of this case, what, in your opinion, was the cause
of this lady's death ?
Dr. Todd—l believe that her death was occa-
sioned by the administration of some irritant
poison, such as arsenic, antimony, or corrosive
sublimate.
Cross-examined—Witness had never been pre-
sent at the post mortem examinatim of a body
where the death arose from slow irritant poisoning.
A death of that sort was one of rare occurrence.
Vomitting and diarrhoea might occur in early stages
of pregnancy, but he did not believe that in any
stage of pregnancy there could be such an exten-
sive ulceration of the intestines as existed in this
case. The fact of the deceased being of bilious
habits, and suffering severely occasionally from
that cause, would not in any way affect the opinion
he had formed as to the cause of her death. The
fact of the vomit being of a greenish colour up to
the 18th of April would also not affect his opinion,
but it would merely direct his attention to another
form of poison—antimony. Witness never saw
such an expression of countenance as was exhibited
by the deceased in all his experience of disease.
There was a terrified look, such as he had never
before observed in a patient. He asked her very
few questions, and she said very little to him.
By Sergeant Ballantine—The only disease that
could in any way account for the symptoms of the
deceased would be what is called acute dysentery.
Mr. H. S. Palmer deposed that he was a sur-
geon, at Mortlake. He placed portions of the body
and some blood of the deceased in a jar and a
bottle, to be taken to Dr. Taylor.
Inspec' or M,lntyre deposed that he was stationed
at Richmond. He apprehended the prisoner on a
warrant on the 2d of May, upon the charge of
feloniously administering poison to the deceased,
who was at that time alive. The prisoner was taken
before a magistrate, and he said that the poor lady
might die during his absence, and that it was very
essential he should be with liar. The magistrate
allowed him to go at large upon his own recognis-
ance. Witness took from the prisoner some keys
and two letters, and he accompanied him and Mr.
Bird to the prisoner's lodging, and Mr. Bird gave
him several bottles and other things, which he
afterwards gave to Dr. Taylor. The prisoner was
at large the whole of Monday night ; but upon
witness hearing on the following morning that Miss
Bankes was dead, he took the prisoner into custody
upon the charge of wilful murder. After the pri-
soner was in custody he searched his lodging and
found some other bottles, which he also gave to Dr.
Taylor. He subsequently went to Rifle-terrace,
where he found a lady who was called Mrs. Sme-
thrst, and in consequence of what she told him he
made certain inquiries at Kennington Church.
Cross-examined—The whole of the bottles he took
away he afterwards handed to Dr. Taylor. When
the magistrates admitted the defendant to bail it
was possible that they suggested that he should not
interfere with the lady any more.
The letter found upon the prisoner, which was
addressed to his wife, and in which the prisoner
said he would send her some meney, and that he
would be with her as soon as possible, was then
put in and read. It was dated the 2nd of May,
1859.
Evidence was then given that during the month
of April the prisoner had about a hundred or a
hundred and fifty pounds to his credit at the Lon-
don and Westminster Bank, where he kept an ac-
count. On the 16th of April a sum of £7l 55., the
amount of the dividend of the deceased, was paid in
to his credit.
Mr. Buzzard was then recalled—He said he
acted as staff-surgeon to the army during the
Crimean war, and a great many cases of bowel
complaint came under his observation at that period.
He had heard the description given of the de-
ceased's symptoms, and the appearance of the body
upon the post mortem, and he knew of no form of
bowel complaint reconcileable with those symptoms
and appearances. He should refer the symptoms
to some irritant substance being taken into the
stomach, either by the mouth or by injection
Witness was present when Dr. Taylor began to
analyse a portion of the contents of the bottle. He
did so by what was called Reintsch's test, and Dr.
Taylor showed him some crystals of arsenious acid,
and the copper that was used for the test was
coated with a dark grey substance. Upon these
discoveries being made witness at once proceeded
to Richmond, and made communication to Dr.
Julius and Dr. Bird.
Cross-examined—Witness had never in his life
attended a patient who died from slow arsenical
poisoning. The only test Dr. Taylor used was that
known as Reintsch's, by which where arsenic is
present in any substance, it is attracted to copper
wire or gauze by the process of boiling.
Dr. C. Metcalfe Babington deposed that during
his practice he had seen many cases of acute dysen-
tery of an epidemic character. In his opinion none
of the symptoms exhibited by the deceased were a
proof that she died of acute dysentery, and that her
death was the result of some irritant poison having
been administered to her.
Cross-examined—ln cases of pregnancy there
was sometimes very violent purging and sickness.
Dr. Lewis Bowerbank deposed that he was for
more than 20 years engaged as a medical man in
the island of Jamaica, where the disease of acute
dysentery was prevalent, and he was well acquainted
with it. The symptoms of the deceased were not
reconcileable in any way with that form of disease,
and according to his opinion they were symptoms
of the administration of irritant poison.
Dr. Copland gave similar evidence. He said he
had seen many cases of acute dysentery during a
residence in Africa and on the Continent, and he
agreed with the other medical witnesses in opinion
that the death of the deceased was not attributable
to that disease, but to the partaking of irritant
poisons, in small quantities and very frequently,
either by the mouth or otherwise.
At this stage of the case the court adjourned
until nine o'clock this morning.

riDLEBX 8.28810N5, Aug. 16.

(Before Mr. Creasy, at Westminster.)
The case of Richard Wilson, during the trial of
which on Monday a juror was taken ill, was taken
first this morning. The charge against him was
that. he had embezzled money received by him on
account of Mr. 'rite, a coal dealer, Bridge-wharf,
Cambridge-heath, to whom he was collector and
clerk, and who seemed to carry on the business of
a coal merchant on the tally system.
Aftei• the evidence had been gone into at con-
siderable length,
Mr. Orridge addressed the jury, contending that
the complicated manner in which the accounts be-
tween the prisoner and his master had been kept
made it highly probable that the errors which had
been pointed out were accidontal and not felonious.
The jury came to the conclusion that the pri-
soner was guilty, and convicted him.
The prosecutor then stated that. the deficiency in
the prisoner's accounts of money he had received
amounted to more than £lBO.
Mr. Creasy sentenced him to twelve months'
hard labour.

Noah Canlet, 22, was convicted on his own con-
fesEion of an indecent assault upon a girl 11 years
of age, named Ellen Ball, the daughter of parents
in whose house he lived, 1, Charlotte-terrace, Old
Ford.

Mr. Creasy sentenced the prisoner to be kept to