The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-23 00:00:00

THE POISONINGS IN ESSEX.

NEWPORT, ESSEX, SEPT. 21.—Sarah Chesham, the
alleged poiFoner of her husband, Richard Chesharn,
and two children, underwent a final examination at
the g el of this town this day, before Mr. B. Wolfe,
Captain Henry Byng, and Colonel Chamberlain.
Hannah Pni!lips, the wile of a labourer, deposed
that after the prisoner's return from Chelmsford she
came to live near her. When passing her cottage she
wou'd frequently call her in and converse with her
about her children. Her story was constantly about
them. She said that Mr. Newport had poisoned her
children, James and Joseph ; that he had given them
a halfpenny to take what he had got, and that the
halfpennies were placed with them in the coffins.
She added that Mr. Newport had told her to poison
Lydia Taylor and the child, and gave her some poison
to give them. She gave some to the child, and he
was angry with her because she would not go and
poison the mother. She replied that she did not
like, as the infant was taken ill, and it was sup-
posed that it had been poisoned. He said that she
could put it in some tea and give it to her. The
poison Mr. Newport had given her she hid under
a stub in the Water-lane, and that when she
came back from Chelmsford she took it away. In
the course of last year's harvest, she (witness) went
into the prisoner's house, and she said she would not
live with such a husband as witness had ; if he treated
her in the same manner, that she would do for him as
she had done her's; that she was to make him a pie,
and if she did not know how to season it
she was to bring it to her, and she would
do so for her. She added that it was no sin
to bury such husbands ; that she (witness)
was to get some sheep's hearts, lights, &c., and make
some mince pies, and that if she had not wit enough
to season them she was to bring them to her. She
described the pies she had made and seasoned, which
she sent to her husband while he was at work in the
harvest field. She afterwards cried, and said, " I
have sent my soul to hell all through he," meaning,
as witness thought, her husband. After the inquest
on her husband, she spoke to witness about what she
had said about the poison under the stub, and hoped
she would not say anything with reference to it, as
she had had trouble enough to bear against.
Sarah Chesham, mother of the deceased, deposed to
frequently attending him and seeing his wife give
him some baked rice pudding. The last time was
about a fortnight before his death. She saw the pri-
soner give him some thick milk at two o'clock in the
morning, and he died at seven.
_ _

Mr. Superintendent Clarke proved finding the rice.
John Pilley, one of the Essex constabulary, sta-
tioned at Clavering, was examined. He accompa-
nied Mr. Clarke when the prisoner's cottage was
searched. On finding the rice, she said, " I hope you
are not going to teke it away." After the trial she
returned from Chelmsford, and stated that the lawyers
had informed her that she could not be hurt for what
she had been tried far, and that she would tell them
all abut it. It was a long :tale. She said that
Newport had given her children the poison in a pep-
permint drop, and that he gave them something to
take it. She added that he had given her a bottle to
give to Lydia. Taylor. (He produced it.)
James Parker, the younger, cousin to the prisoner,
stated, that about four years ago, and before the chil-
dren died, he went with one of the boys to Stortford,
to get twopennyworth of arsenic to kill rats. He
took it to the prisoner's house at the time ; he could
not say whether he gave it to her or to the deceased,
but the deceased had said that he had given it to him.
When he heard that the boys were poisoned, he spoke
to the deceased about it, and he said that it was not
with that poison, for he had used it all. He did not
say anything at the time about the buying of arsenic.
Ilis master, Mr. Newport, told him not to say any-
thing about it. H
He told him of it, and he said,
"Don't say anything about it."
John Holgate, of Debden, stated that since the in-
quest he called at the prisoner's, at Clavering. She
cried and said that Nevi port had been the ruin of her,
and that he ought to have been hanged, for he had
killed her two children. lie bought the poison and
said that would do for them in a short time. She told
him that the would not do it, and spoke of what he
had given those at Maunden, and he said he would
tell her after she had done it. Witness told her that
it was a serious case. She generally appeared kind
to her husband.
Mr. Thomas Newport was then examined, and after
rect_ivieg the usual caution, he stated that he bad
never given to the prisoner any poison or any arsenic.
Parker had told him that he had got twopenny-
worth of arsenic. He said, " Don't say anything to
me about it, say it before the coroner." He never
told him not to say anything about it.
Mr. Alfred Swaine Taylor, the professor of
chemistry at Guy's Hospital, was next examined, and
he put in the same lengthened report as to the results
of the analysis of the deceased's stomach, contents,
as was read to the coroner's jury There were
traces of arsenic, but not in sufficient quantities to
satisfy him clearly that death resulted from it. It
had apparently been administered in small doses,
which would the effect of weakening bodily power,
and so hasten fatal results. He was of opinion that
the sickness and purging and action of the bowels of
the deceased were caused by the administration of
some irritant substance, and he was further of opinion
that the signs of thirst exhibited by the deceased
were such as might have been caused by small doses
of irritant substances, and not, in his judgment, from
consumption.
This closing the evidence,
The Bench consulted, and announced to the pri-
soner their intention of committing her for trial at the
next assizes for feloniously administering to the
deceased a certain poison,
,with intent to kill and
Murder.

The prisoner protested her innocence, and sug-
gested that if she were taken bdore a witch they might
know all about it.

Mr. Collins, the c'erk to the Bench, who has dig •
played much care in preparing the evidence, then
hound over the witnesses to appear at the trial in the
usual manner.

The French contract for 6,:300 tons of coal, equal to
Cardiff or Newcastle, was adjudicated on Wednesday, gene-
rally in favour of English coals. The quantities to the d.f-
ferent stations are, as follow Marseilles, 1,5( 0 tons; Malta,
2,500 tons; Constantinople, 1,100 tons and Alexandria,
1,200 tons.—Nin in 9 Journal,