The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-28 00:00:00

CASE OF POISONING AT
BETHNAL GREEN.

Yesterday Mr. William Baker, deputy coroner for the
eastern division of the county of Middlesex, resumed and
concluded the inquiry touching the death of Jane
Gregory, aged 27, whose death, it was alleged, had been
occasioned by the administration of some poison by a
young man, named Alfred Edwards, now in custody on
the charge.

The inquest was adjourned on Monday last for the
purpose of the contents of the bottle, as well as the fluid
found in the stomach of deceased upon the post mortcm
examination, being analysed by Dr. Leeson, of St.
Thomas's Hospital. On the reassembling of the jury
yesterday,

Dr. Henry Beaumont Leeson was sworn.—He deposed
that he is assistant physician and lecturer on chemistry
and forensic medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital. .He
had examined the contents of the stomach, but found no
poison therein. The stomach itself witness had boiled
in distilled water, and then filtered. Ile then added a
solution of sulphurretted hydrogen gas. He again
boiled it, and obtained a black precipitate, which by
reduction with the blowpipe and charcoal yielded a
globule of metallic lead, which he produced to the
court and jury. Witness thought that, if any prepa-
ration of lead had been swallowed, it must hare been
vomited out of the body, except that portion produced.
The solution obtained from the stomach also indicated
the presence of prussic acid, probably arising from
bitter almonds having been made use of in flavouring
the so-called brandy bitters. There was trace also of
prussic acid in the contents of the stomach. The liquid
in the bottles submitted to him by Mr. Smith, the
surgeon, neither of them contained sugar of lead or any
preparation of lead, but both contained a very large pro-
portion of spirit, being above one half absolute alcohol.
They appeared to be coloured with saffron, and flavoured
very strongly with bitter almonds, as well as other ve-
getable extracts, which rendered the application of che-
mical tests almost impossible. The inference he drew
from the examination was that he thought it improbable
that so large a portion of the lead should have been
found combined with, and adhering to, the stomach itself,
unless a quantity of some preparation of lead had been
swallowed, and could only attribute the not being able.
to detect any satisfactory trace of lead in the stomach
from its having been removed by vomiting or purging.
If sugar of lead had been added to the liquid in the bot-
tle, there would have been no difficulty in detecting it.
If administered, it must have been mixed in the cup- ut
the time it was given to deceased, or given to dece'ased
separately. The appearance of the stomach was
to that produced by any irritant poison. The brand)
and bitters itself, containing so large a portion of alcohol
and the essential oil Of almond being very deleterious
would, if taken in sufficiently large quantities, rodnce
serious illness, and even death. The presence of the
lead detected in the stomach appeared to be a icost re-
markable indication of poison having been purposely ad-
ministered.

Mr. Smith, surgeon, who had made the post motion
examination of the body, re-examined—ln his opinion
death was occasioned by inflammation of the stomach,
caused by the introduction of deadly poison. Four
drachms of sugar of lead would be sufficient to de-
stroy life.
On the part of the accused, it was shown by the evi-
dence of three witnesses that they had drank a portion
of brandy bitters, similar to that which had been given
to the deceased, without its having any injurious effects;
hut one of them admitted that he and another had been
very ill subsequently, but attributed it to having drank
an immoderate quantity.
A sister of deceased accounted for the sugar of lead
being in her possession; by stating that she wanted to
set the colour of a dress -which she had been washing,
and that the accused had procured it for her.
The Coroner summed up the evidence in a clear
manner, commenting upon those parts which bore more
immediately upon the question, and explained the law
as applicable to the case.
The jury retired at six o'clock, and after a consultation
of nearly three hours' duration, returned a verdict of
" Wilful murder against Alfred Edwards."

---
STATE Or TRADE AT LIVERPOOL.—The general as-
pect of commercial affairs is unchanged ; there is a re-
gular demand for produce of all descriptions, and, with
few exceptions, prices continue yielding to superabundant
supplies. There never was a time when the range of
quotations for the leading. articles of commerce would
bear comparison with the low rates now current.
We have seen years when particular trades have
suffered great depression, and prices of some articles
have in consequence declined ; but now, with the capi-
tal of the country of leis value in the market than we
have ever known it, and money so plentiful that the
difficulty is to find 'investment for it—with a manu-
facturing trade thriving in every direction, and
the working classes of all descriptions better
employed • than they have been for some years
—it is indeed remarkalA that merchants should
find themselves compelled to do business on the'
unsatisfactory terms that almost all are suffering by, in:
somuch that the losses on the import trade of the, last
six months would far exceed the profits of the entire
year. The present is a state of things that well demands
attention in high quarters ; and more than ever. mow
should the argument be brought forward, that low duties
will stimulate consumption, that the increased imports
twill thereby: be taken off; and the revenue of the country
Deed not suffer.—Liverpool hirrcury.
HUNGERFORD SUSPENSION BRIDGE AND ITS RAIL-
IVATS.—The works tit the above bridge are nearly at a
stand still, owing to the intention of the Directors to
apply at the next meeting of Parliament for a Bill to them to throw'a railway across the- Thames 'a&
joining the suspension-bridge, and to erect railways to
Richmond, the terminus' of the South-Western and
Brighton and Dover Railways. For some days past
surveyors have beeri etnployed in measuring the ground
from Goding's Brewery to London-bridge, taking the
proposed line through Ann-street, Waterloo-road, across
the latter road, at the rear of the south side of Stamford:
street, across the Blackfriars-road, through Church-
street, across Green-Walk. Holland-street, Southwark-
bridge-road, at " the...rear of Barclay's brewery, to St.
Saviour's-churchyard, *lmre it will join the Brighton
and Dever railways.
SINGULAR Gnousa..--On the 31st ult.,' Mr: Heath-
cote, son-in-law of Lord Willoughby, shot upon the
Drummond estate a grouse with three wings—the third
being a full-grown wing upon its back. It was sent to
be stuffed to Daniel Ferguson, Bridge-end, Crieff, qui is
rlow, ill.Drummond.:Castlei—rlt'erth Advertiser- • -