The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-18 00:00:00

SOUTH HARK

Louisa Susan Hartley, a young woman,was brought
before Mr. A'Beckett upon the charge of having ad-
ministered a quantity of arsenic to her father, fur
the purpose ot poisoning him.
Joseph William Hartley deposed as follows :—I am
a fellowship porter, and occupy apartments at the
Hope, in Gravel-lane, and the prisoner, who is my
daughter, has acted as my housekeeper ever since the
decease of her mother, six years ago. Between eight
and nine o'clock that morning I returned home to my
breakfast, and sat down at the table with the prisoner,
who had previously poured out the coffee. I took up
my cup, and on taking a mouthful I found it had a
very strange taste, and remarked the circumstance to
her by saying, " Louisa, what have you been doing
to my coffee ?" The reply she made to the observa-
tion was, "I have done nothing to it, father." By
this time, however, I was convinced that something
of a highly deleterious nature had been mixed up in
the coffee, as I found on retaining it a short time
in my mouth that it burnt my tongue and lips. Upon
this discovery I ■gain addressed myself to the pri-
soner, who sat, opposite to me sipping her coffee, and
said, "Louisa, I am now more confident than ever
that you have put poison into my cup, and I believe
it to be either arsenic or oxalic acid." She again
asseverated that she was totally innocent of such an
act, exclaiming that if there was anything in the
coffee it might be a little soda, which she might by
accident have dropped in while preparing it. I
doubted her assertion and said, " Then I shall taste
your coffee, to ascertain whether it is like that which
you have given me." I then took up the cup out of
which she was taking her coffee, and having tasted it
found that it was quite different in flavour to mine,
and caused none of the unpleasant sensations in the
mouth which I have described. I then told her that
the coffee she had was not like mine, and added that I
should save the contents of my cup, to ascertain
what deleterious ingredient had been mixed up with
the coffee. I then took my cup off the table,
and was about to take it away to another part of
the room, when the prisoner made a sudden snatch
at it, and got it away from me, and running towards
a wasbhand-basin in which I had a short time previ-
ously washed my hands, dashed the contents of the
cup into it, and afterwards rinsed the cup out, ex-
claiming that as I did not approve of the coffee she
had made she should prepare another cup fur me.
I told her that I should not have any more, and im-
mediately took possession of the basin into which she
had emptied the cup, saying that I was determined
to ascertain the ingredients mixed with the coffee, so
satisfied was 1 that they were of a highly poisonous
description. She began to cry, and again repeated
that she had done nothing to the coffee, but her tears and
protestations ot innocence did not prevent me from
proceeding forthwith to Guy's Hospital with the
view of having the contents of the basin analysed.
On my arrival at the institution I had an interview
with one of the medical officers of the establishment ;
and having described the circumstances that had oc-
curred at my breakfast that morning, and exhibited
the contents of the basin to him, he submitted them
to an immediate test by dipping a piece of blue
paper into the liquid, and on withdrawing the same
it became of a deep pink colour, showing that a
considerable portion of arsenic was mixed up with
it. The complainant added, there must have been
at least half a pint of water in the basin before the
prisoner snatched the cup out of his hand and threw
the contents in amongst it; therefore what was pre-
viously in the cup must necessarily have been of a
more powerful description than that which was left in
the basin.

Mr. ATEMEETT inquired of the complainant
whether he had had any quarrel or words with the
prisoner to account for the alleged attempt on his life.
Complainant—None whatever ; but of late she has
not conducted herself properly. She has, without
my authority or permission, pledged several articles
of my dress when I have been from home, although
she was in no want of money.. I have constantly ex-
pressed my disapprobation of such conduct to her, but
whether this caused her to act in the manner I have
described I cannot tell.

Mr. A'BECKETT asked if the prisoner had ever
exhibited any symptoms of derangement of mind ?
The complainant, in reply, said that she certainly had
evinced a very different temper and disposition to the
rest of the family, and that he really believed her
mind was affected.

Mr. ATECKETT (addressing the prisoner) said you
have heard the statement made by your father. Do
you wish to say anything, or to give any explanation
to account for the difference of the flavour of the
coffee you provided for his breakfast and that which
you had ? Tne prisoner, who stood sobbing at the
bar during the examination, shook her head, and said
that she had nothing to say.

Mr. A'BECKETT said that, before he should pro-
ceed any further in the investigation of so serious a
charge, it would be necessary to have the testimony
of the medical gentleman who analysed the contents
of the basin; and for that purpose he should remand
the prisoner for further examination.
Yesterday the prisoner was brought up before Mr.
A'Beckett for re-examination, when Policeman
Ryan, 476 M, produced a note from Mr. Taylor,
Professor of Chemistry at Guy's Hospital, to whom
the contents of the basin had been sent; into which
the prisoner threw the cup of coffee when her father
discovered that something of a deleterious nature was
mixed up in it. The note stated that the mixture in
question had been submitted to the test of analyzation
but that the process would necessarily require some
days before it was completed.
Under these circumstances, Mr. A'BECKETT said
that a further remand must take place, and he in-
quired if any further evidence tending to criminate
the prisoner in the alleged charge of attempting to
administer poison to her father was likely to be
brought forward.
Policeman Ryan said that subsequently to the ex-
amination that took place at that court on the previ-
ous day he had instituted a searching examination of
the apartments occupied by the complainant and his
daughter, for the purpose of discovering whether he
could find any ingredient of a poisonous description
therein. He, however, failed in finding any, but in
the course of his inquiries he had an interview with a
young woman who was well acquainted with the pri-
soner, and he had derived information from her which
was of an important description.
Mr. A'BECKETT said that he should grant a sum-
mons to compel the attendance of the witness, and that
in the meantime he should remand the prisoner for a
week.

In the course of the day Maynard, one of the
turnkeys of Horsemonger-lane Gaol, brought up
George Spell, Hugh Conway, James Maxwell Bry-
son, James Scouton, and Samuel Morgan, five men
who, with others, were convicted at the September
assizes, 1848, at the Central Criminal Court, of being
engaged in the Chartist riots that occurred at that
period.
The prisoners abovenamed were sentenced to two
years' imprisonment each in the above gaol, besides
the infliction of heavy fines; but, in consequence of
representations in their behalf, their sentences have
been commuted, and a communication was addressed
to Mr. Keene, the governor of the county gaol, di-
recting the discharge of the prisoners on their pro-
curing bail to keep the peace for five years each. It
was for this purpose the accused persons were brought
to this court, and, the requisite sureties having been
entered into, they were accordingly set at liberty.

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TIIE NEW StEAM-SHIP ACIA.—The last and
greatest of the splendid fleet of steamers which carry the
mails between this port and America, the Asia, will arrive
here from the Clyde on the 25th inst. The history of ocean
steam navigation presents nothing equal to the success of the
magnificent steamers fitted out by the house of Messrs.
M'lver and Co., of this town. The regularity, not less than
the rapidity of their passages, is surprising, even in this age
of mechanical wonders, and their influence on the trade of
the two countries is extremely favourable to commercial
pursuits, for their appearance can be calculated on almost to
the very day. The Asia, which is the last, is also the finest
of this line, and will take her departure for the Western world
in the course of the following month. Every triumph of
mechanical skill and ingenuity lessens the distance between
us and our enterprising cousins ou the American continent.
--Liverpool