The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-22 00:00:00

They rose about the usual time on Friday, breakfasted,
and went out before ten. I saw Mrs. Belaney, but did
not speak to her. I had heard no complaints since Wed-
nesday ; on that night she said she was better. They ,
returned between one and two on Friday, and remained
about half an hour ; they left again, and returned at
half-past nine. I saw her sitting in the front parlour at
the table, Mr. Belany was lying on the couch. She ap-
peared in good health. They retired to rest shortly
after. Just before seven o'clock, on Saturday morning,
I heard them conversing together in their bed-room. I
distinguished the voices of both. At a quarter to eight
I was called to the room by Mr. Belaney. He called
out, " Mistress, mistress, come up here, my wife
is very ill." I went up, he was at the bed-
room door, which was open. My servant was
there. The foot of the bed is to the right hand as
you go in, and a chest of drawers stood to the left.
Behind them are folding doors, opening to the sitting-
room.
There is a washhand-stand in a recess to the right
of the chimney, and a small table and chair near the head
of the bed. I observed Mrs. Belany lying on the bed,
with the clothes all thrown against the wall. She had
no cap on, and was in her sleeping dress. I said she is
bad indeed. She was quite motionless, and seemed not
to breathe from the upper part of the chest. She was
insensible, her eyes shut, her teeth closed, and she was
foaming at the mouth a great deal. I raised her, and put
her head on my shoulder. Prisoner was close besido
me. I said, " I have seen my dear girls in fits before,
but I never saw fits like this." I asked if she had
been subject to fits ? He said she had had fits
before, but not like this ; she would not come out
of it. I said, " What do you mean—do you
mean to say she will not come to ? Do something—
send for a doctor." He said, "lam a doctor myself. I
should have let her blood before, but she had no pulse."
He had a lancet in his hand. Before that I sent my
servant for hot water, and I said, " I do not care if you
are a doctor, send for another. Send for Captain Clarke
and Mrs. M'Geachy." He said, " Send for them ;" and
the girl went for them. He said, " She will not come to,
it is an affection of the heart. Her mother died of it
nine months ago." I put my hand upon her heart, but
could not feel it beat. I put my hand upon her stomach,
it appeared swollen. She was making convulsive mo-
tions, as if she was trying to get rid of pleghm, opening
and shutting her mouth with a convulsive motion.
Captain Clarke and Mrs. M'Geachy live seven-
teen doors off. Mrs. M'Geachy came shortly after.
I was still holding deceased. Prisor.er said she
was pregnant. The girl and Mr. Belaney put
her feet in hot water. I ordered some vinegar and water.
Mr. Belaney took the pail of water from her feet, put it
on the bed, and put both her hands in it. He also put
some of the vinegar on her head. I asked why Captain
Clarke did not come ; at last he came, and he got a
clothes brush, and began to rub her legs. I ordered a
mustard poultice to be prepared, which was applied to her
chest by direction of Captain Clarke. In about twenty
minutes after I entered the room she died. She gasped
twice after Captain Clarke came in. Prisoner was in
the room the whole time. When Mrs. M'Gcachy came
in I begged her to fetch the doctor, and she fetched Mr.
Garrett, who did not arrive until after death had taken
place. I asked prisoner what she had taken; he said
only a little salts. I saw a tooth glass and a small
tumbler on the table close to the head of the bed ; it
appeared to be one-third full of liquid, clear, but
whiter than water. On the other side of the
bed was a paper of salts and a spoon. There
was nothing in the drawers ; no bottle or tum-
bler. There was no broken glass about the
room. I perceived no particular kind of smell in
the room. Mr. Belaney gave Mrs.•M‘Geachy a phial full
of lavender water after Mrs. Belaney's death. Mrs.
M'Geachy sprinkled the room. I was in the front par-
lour soon after she died. I noticed a letter on the table
ready for the post, and another one partly. written.
There was no phial in the room. The phial in which
the black draught was contained was brought down on
Thursday. The bed-room is rather a small room. A
person in one of the rooms can hear what is said in the
other.
Cross-examined by Mr. ERLE—I had desired Mr.
Hobson, the bookseller, to procure lodgers for me.
introduced Mr. and Mrs. Delaney as his friends. He
lives seven minutes walk from me. I first saw them on
Tuesday passing by the door. I saw them in the room.
I heard Mrs. Belaney sick many times in the course of
Wednesday. I cannot say if Mr. Belaney on that even-
ing carried her from the bed to the sofa when
the bed was made ; but I think he must have done so.
Mr. Belaney called to have the bed made. He appeared
very attentive to her. I saw very little of them until I
was called in on Saturday morning. When I saw the
state she was in I was greatly alarmed, and was under
alarm the whole time. When my attention was first
called to this, I remember that I urged Mr. Belaney
to send for a doctor. I was called upon to give an ac-
count of it on the Monday following before the Coroner,
with Mrs. M'Geachy and Captain Clarke. We were
also examined before the Magistrate. I observed two
tumblers on the Saturday morning, one empty, the other
containing fluid. I sent them down stairs, and do not
know what became of the liquid. The teaspoon was on
the table, and not in either tumbler.
Sarah Williams, examined by Mr. CHAMBERS—I was
servant to last witness, and waited on Mr. and Mrs. Be-
laney. On the Thursday before she died, when Captain
Clarke and Mrs. M'Geachy supped there, I waited. Mrs.
Belaney ate some salmon. She played on the piano, and
appeared in good health and spirits. I waited on them
on Friday. They had no supper on Friday, and went to
bed about ten o'clock. On Saturday morning, about
five minutes to seven, Mr. Delaney rang, and ordered a
jug of hot water, a tumbler, and spoon. lie was in the
parlour and dressed. He was in the parlour when I
came to dust it. He told me to go out, for he wanted to
write. I saw him get the materials for writing. I left
the room. At about twenty minutes to eight I heard
him call "Mistress, mistress, my wife is very ill." I and
my mistress went up directly, and went into the bed-
room. Mr. Belaney was there. Mrs. Delaney was on
the bed, her cap off, the bed clothes off, her hair hang-
ing all about, her eyes and mouth were closed, and she
was foaming at the mouth. I and my mistress raised
her up, and had some hot water for her feet. Mr. Be-
laney said he would use the lancet, but he was afraid
her pulse was gone. This was before the hot water was
fetched. The pail was afterwards put on the bed, and
he put her hands in the pail. He also applied
some vinegar to her face. I was then sent
for Captain Clarke and Mrs. M'Geachy, who came.
There was a tumbler on the table in the room. It was
about half full of liquid, rather white and rather thick.
The water-bottle was on the wash stand. It could not
be reached from the bed. I did not take down the small
tumbler. After Mrs. Belaney 'was dead, she was laid
out, and directly afterwards, I dusted the floor of the
room. I did not see any pieces of glass. I also dusted
the parlour, and under the piano I found the stopper of
a bottle. It was broken. The top of the stopper was
what I found. It was too large for a vial. I put it on
on the piano, and have not seen it since. I placed it
there between twelve and one on Saturday, and it was
gone on Sunday. I saw, on Saturday, some glass on the
step door. It seemed like glass from a vial. There was
no broken_ window in the room. I smelt no peculiar
smell when I first went into the bed-room on Saturday.
I set the window a little open when I went in in the morn-
ing. I took the bottle in which the black draught had
been brought down stairs. Mr. Belaney told me to take
it in the kitchen. Mr. Belaney went out between twelve
and one on Saturday. It was after he went that. I found
the stopper. He never slept in the house after. He
returned once or twice on Sunday.
Cross-examined by Mr. CLARKSON—I have always
been quite sure that I found the stopper on Saturday.
Mrs. Belaney's corpse remained in the house until the
Wednesday. There was no bed for Mr. Belaney
to sleep in. He appeared very kind to her.
When she was ill on the Wednesday he took
her tea frequently. She vomited, and he ap-
peared attentive to her. He consulted her as to what she
would like to have. I went into her room two or three
times on Wednesday while Mr. Delaney was out, and
she declined to take anything until he returned. Mr.
Belaney called out to me to be quick in making her bed.
Captain Clarke supped with them on Thursday. Clarke
and Belaney went out together on Thursday after sup-
per, and Mrs. M'Geachen, his daughter, was left with
Mr. Belaney. Clarke and Belaney returned at twelve.
On Saturday I should not have gone up if Mr. Belaney
had not called. He was much alarmed ; he was crying
very much, and had his bands before his eyes. Mr.
I 3 Taney asked if Ihad fetched Captain Clarke, and I said
no ; I did not know I was to fetch him.
Mr. Mark C. Garrett examined by the SOLICITOR-
GENERAL—I am a surgeon. On the morning of Saturday,
the Bth of June, I was in called to attend Mrs. Delaney.
at half-past eight o'clock. Mrs. Belaney was dead when
I arrived. Shortly after my arrival I examined de-
ceased, and said her death was very sudden, and I could
only account for it by supposing that she had died of
disease of the heart. Prisoner said he thought so ; her
mother bad died of it some time before. I asked
him if she had taken anything ? He said
only some salts. I said to him and Captain Clarke
that some inquiry would be necessary. He said if I
thought it requisite he desired I would take the proper
steps. The inquest was held on Monday, and adjourned
for a post mortent examination. I made the exa-
mination at four o'clock on Monday, with Mr.
Curling. We found the whole of the organs generally
healthy. In the stomach we found about a pint of fluid
strongly impregnated with the odour of prussic acid.
It was placed in a bottle and sent to the London Hos-
pital fur examination. Prisoner and Captain Clarke
called on me at nine o'clock that evening. Captain
Clarke asked if we had ascertained the cause of
Mrs. Belaney's death. I said we had not finished our
consultation. Prisoner came again at ten, with Captain
Clarke and Mr. Hobson. He said that on Saturday
morning he was about to take some prussic acid,
which he was in the habit of taking for an
affection of the stomach. He had some difficulty
in removing the stopper, and had used the handle of a
tooth-brush for the purpose, which had broken the
bottle ; that some of the acid was spilled, and the rest he
had placed in a tumbler. He said I went into the next room
to obtain another bottle, but instead of doing so I began to
to write. I heard a scream, went into the bed-room,
found my wife, who said, " Oh, dear, I have taken some
of the hot drink, get me some cold water," and she be-
came convulsed. That was the substance of his
statement. I asked what he had done
with the bottle ; he said he had got rid of
it in some vacant place. I asked him why he had not
mentioned it before. He said he was so confused,
alarmed, and ashamed, that he did not know what to
do, and he was sorry he bad not communi-
cate it earlier. Prussic acid was the cause of
death in this case. If prussic acid has been
spilled in the room there would be an odour of bitter
almonds in the room. I did not observe any peculiar
smell of the kind in the room. I do not think the win-
dows were much opened. The smell of the acid would
become weakened by the window being opened and a
person might not perceive it. I a acquainted
with prussic acid medicinally, bum t uot as a