The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-05 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS CASE.

An adjourned inquest was held Thursday before Mr.
Baker, the deputy-coroner, under circumstances of a
peculiarly suspicious nature.
The deceased, Samuel Cornish, a man about fifty-sii
years of age, who acted as a steward on board the Dee
mail-packet steam-vessel, was in the habit for some time
past, on the arrival of the vessel in the port of London,
of residing with a woman named Southerland, at present
living at 44, John-street, St. George's-in-the-East. The
Dee arrived in London about the middle of last month,
and Mrs. Southerland, as was her custom, went on board
and attended deceased, who, after eating some apple-

pudding, became ♦ery ill. The symptoms, which—ap-
peared to be those of dysentery, continued, notwith-
standing the efforts of two surgeons, and be died on the
night of the 17th ult., and was buried on the following
Friday in the Beaumont Cemetery, Stepney. In conse-
quence of information forwarded to the Coroner, the
body was disinterred on Tuesday, and Dr. Letheby, of
the London Hospital, was requested to examine it, and
analyse the contents of the intestines and stomach. The
jury merely viewed the body on Tuesday, and the
further inquiry was adjourned until yesterday, when Dr.
Letheby entered into a long and interesting detail of the
various tests which he had applied. In the stomach he
discovered the presence of opium and saffron ; and the
large intestinal canal, as well as the smaller ones, proved
beyond doubt that arsenic had been taken into the sys-
tem. There was no arsenic in the intestinal canal, which
had been cleared out of every particle of faeces, but no
doubt existed that it had been taken.

In answer to the CORONER, Dr. Letheby said that,
under ordinary circumstances, arsenic was never found
in the human b.dy in such a degree as to be discoverable
by any of the known and usual tests.
Mr. Christopher Tatham, surgeon, of Poplar, was
called -in to the decased, on board the Dee, on Tuesday,
the 17th ult., and he treated him for dysentery, though
at the time he was of opinion that the patient could nut
survive more than 24 hours. Ile administered a prepa-
ration of opium, and saw no other symptoms than those
which might be the result of the disease for which de-
ceased has treated. Ile died the same night. Witness
attended deceased a second time the same day, and saw
a Mrs. Southerland, whom he understood to be his niece.
She told witness the deceased had made a will in her

favour, and put a paper purporting to be such into his
hand in the presence of his patient. Witness told her
she had better send for a lawyer. She sent a young
man named Bromage, who was with her in the cabin, for
a solicitor. In the interim, witness asked deceased if he
wished to make a will, and in whose favour. He an-
swered, " I have made my will, and I wish to leave all
my property to my niece." Witness said, " Who is
your niece ?" To which deceased, putting his hand on
Mrs. Southerland's shoulder, said, " Here she is." He

then embraced and kissed her. In about a quarter of an
hour Bromage returned with Mr. Walsh, solicitor, Bit-
tern-place, Blackwall, when a will was ;o: malty executed,
to which he (Mr. Tatham) was one of the attesting wit-
nesses. On leaving the Dee witness left Bromage, who,
he understood resided in Holborn, behind with Mrs.
Southerland,, and never again saw deceased.
Mr. C. Rose, surgeon, of Baines's-place, Mile-end-road,
attended the deceased two years ago. He came to him
again on the 14th ult., accompanied by a Mrs. Souther-
land. He said he had been ill from eating a dumpling
and felt at the time as if he should burst. Mrs. Souther-
land appeared nervous at the time. She came again in
two days after, and said deceased was delirious and had
thrown up the medicine which had been prescribed for
him. On the following Monday a person named Small-
don, who witness had no doubt was connected with Mrs.
Southerland, came to say that Cornish was dead, and
that suspicions were entertained of his having been
poisoned. After that Mrs. Soutberland called ou wit-
ness, accompanied by a person named Pile, traveller to
a linendraper in the Blackfriars-road, and asked the
cause of deceased's death ; but, knowing that an inquest
was to be held, witness . declined saying anything until
called before the Coroner.

Susanna Ellis, 4, Jenkins'-court, Ropemaker's-fields,
Limehouse, said, that deceased came to lodge at her house
last April two years, and told her that Mrs. Southerland
with whom he lodged, and who called herself his niece,
though she was no relative, had that morning mixed
laudanum with a cup of coffee, which she gave him, but
the smell was so strong he would not take it. He re-
peatedly made this statement while lodging with witness,
but still he used to go to and from Mrs. Southerland's,
who kept a beer-shop at 94, Fore-street, Limehouse, to
whom he said he had lent 501. to open it. He afterwards
went again to lodge with Mrs. Southerland, and witness
observed that whenever he went to visit her, though a
sober man, he used to look heavy and stupid.
John Ellis, husband to the last witness, corroborated
her testimony. Deceased told him he would not be a
live man if he stayed much longer with the Southerlands,
and added that they had been drugging him several
times ; upon which witness remonstrated on his going
there. Often saw the deceased arm-in-arm with Mrs.
Southerland.

Ann Blackmore, 14, Tarling-street, had known the
deceased 22 years. In April or May, two years ago, he
complained that Mrs. Southerland had administereddrugs
to him. He appeared to be in a state of delirium from
a pain in the head. She took him to Mr. Kay, a sur-
geon in the Commercial-road, where he again said Mrs.
Southerland drugged him, for the purpose of possessing
herself of his money and papers, adding that he had lent
her 50/. to set up a beer-shop. Mr. Kay said he had
better leave such people. Witness saw the deceased
on the sth ult., and complimented him on his ap-
pearance, ;saying " You get no drugs now." He
replied, " No, I think Mrs. Southerland will not
repeat the practice, and has entirely forgot it:" Be
at the same time added, that if anything should
happen to him, they might conclude he had been done
unfairly by. He was a temperate man, laboured under
no delusion, and was to have dined with witness and her
husband on the Sunday after his death. She heard him
often say Mrs. Southerland was no relative of his. Wit-
ness heard of his death on the 21st ult., when she called
on Mrs. Southerland, and asked her if she was aware of
what the deceased had said about having been drugged,
to which Mrs. Southerland replied, " Oh, the world will
say anything," and added, " there is a person up stairs
who was present at his death."
At this stage of thn proceedings the further inquisi-
tion was adjourned uatil Monday next.
Sergeant Shaw, o ale K division, who was appointed
to watch the case, then took Mrs. Southerland, who was
in an adjoining room during the inquiry, into custody,
charged on suspicion of having caused the death of de-
ceased by administering arsenic. She is a. comely woman,
about 40 years of age, and is understood to have admi-
nistered for the money and effects of the deceased almost
immediately after his death. The money is said to
amount to upwards of 2001.
The case excited the deepest interest; and the evidence
of Dr. Letheby, proving the presence of a mineral
poison, was heard with brrathlesa attention.